It may only take one time of asking for former Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin to have his name enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, as it was announced on Wednesday he is a finalist for the Class of 2026.

The former No. 1 overall pick, 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year, six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection totaled over 14,500 points, 6,100 rebounds and 3,000 assists during his 13-year career.

From a prolific high school career in Edmond, Oklahoma to his All-American season at Oklahoma to being critical in the turnaround of the Los Angeles Clippers, Griffin has a strong case to reach the Hall of Fame this year.

While injuries plagued some of the prime years of his career, at his peak Griffin was on of the top players in the league. He also experienced a late-career surge when he was traded from the Clippers to the Pistons in 2018.

He spent parts of four seasons with Detroit and had a career-best season in 2018-19, averaging 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, earning his final All-Star and All-NBA nods of his career.

In total, Griffin played 140 games for the Pistons and helped bring them to the playoffs in 2019, their last appearance before the 2024-25 team made it this past season.

Griffin officially retired from basketball on April 16, 2024 and is now a panelist for NBA on Prime Video.

Among other finalists this year are former WNBA MVPs Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne, Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers, 14-year NBA veteran A’mare Stoudemire and legendary college coaches Mark Few of Gonzaga and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson.

Former Detroit Shock guard Jennifer Azzi is also a double finalist as she’s up for enshrinement as a player and as part of the 1996 U.S. national team, which went undefeated en route to an Olympic gold medal.

The team, which featured the likes of Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, Dawn Staley and Sheryl Swoopes, is credited with helping the launch of the WNBA in 1997.

After a decorated college career at Stanford — two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year and 1990 National Player of the Year — Azzi spent nearly a decade playing overseas and in other women’s leagues before being the fifth overall selection in the 1999 WNBA Draft by the Shock.

She only spent one season in Detroit but helped take them to the playoffs before being traded to the Utah Starzz. Over her five WNBA seasons, she led the league in three-point shooting twice.

The 2026 class will be announced during a nationally televised broadcast on Saturday, April 4, during Final Four weekend and enshrinement will take place in August 2026.