The China Mail - Nowitzki, Gasol, Parker head star-studded Hall of Fame class

The star-studded class of 2023, who will be enshrined at a ceremony in August, also included trailblazing WNBA player and coach Becky Hammon, the Hall of Fame announced.

German star Nowitzki, former Los Angeles Lakers Spanish ace Gasol and France's Parker are three of the most successful international stars ever to grace the NBA.

Parker won four NBA championships during the Spurs' dominant reign between 2003 and 2014, while Gasol was a key part of the Lakers team that won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

Nowitzki, who is sixth on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 31,560 points, was named NBA Most Valuable Player in 2007 and Finals MVP four years later after helping the Dallas Mavericks win the title.

Wade meanwhile was a three-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat in 2006, 2012 and 2013 and won finals MVP in 2006.

The 41-year-old, who retired from the NBA in 2019, also won Olympic gold with the United States in the 2008 Beijing Games.

The 74-year-old Popovich meanwhile is one of the NBA's elder statesmen, one of only five NBA coaches in history to have won five championships.

Popovich also led the United States to gold in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Joining Popovich in the Hall of Fame will be former assistant Hammon.

Hammon is a six-time All-Star and coached the Las Vegas Aces to the WNBA Finals crown in 2022. The 46-year-old was also Popovich's assistant coach in San Antonio from 2014 -- the first woman assistant coach in the NBA.

She remains the only woman to take charge of an NBA team during a regular season game after stepping in when Popovich was ejected during a clash with the Lakers in 2020.

R.Lin--ThChM