Suns and Mercury greats in HOF field

INDIANAPOLIS — The late, great Walter Davis and Michele Timms are two of 14 finalists for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday.

The 2024 class will be announced on April 6 at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Phoenix.

“Being named a Finalist for the Class of 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is a testament to the highest echelons of achievement in the sport,” said former Suns team owner Jerry Colangelo, who is chairman of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “It’s an honor that reflects not only individual greatness but also the long-lasting impact on the game itself.”

Davis is the all-time leading scorer for the Phoenix Suns with 15,666 points. He passed away on Nov. 2, 2023, of natural causes while visiting family in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The six-time NBA All-Star is one of six North American committee finalists along with players Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter and Michael Cooper, and coaches Bo Ryan and Charles Smith.

Timms played five seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, leading them to the 1998 WNBA Finals and earned an All-Star selection in 1999. The Australian was more known for her international play and is the only international committee finalist.

Davis is in the Suns Ring of Honor (2004 inductee) and Timms is in the Mercury Ring of Honor (2002 inductee). The Suns first retired Davis’ No. 6 jersey in 1994.

The remaining Naismith finalists are Seimone Augustus and Marian Washington (Women’s Committee), Dick Barnett and Harley Redin (Veteran Committee) and Doug Collins, Herb Simon and Jerry West (Contributors Committee). West is already in the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980.

Former Suns players Tom Chambers and Shawn Marion were among the eligible candidates for the Hall of Fame that was announced in December, but they didn’t make the finalists list.

Chambers (1999) and Marion (2023) are in the Suns Ring of Honor.