{"id":600760,"date":"2026-02-13T11:47:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T11:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/600760\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T11:47:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T11:47:59","slug":"3-phoenix-icons-have-been-named-finalists-for-the-2026-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/600760\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Phoenix icons have been named finalists for the 2026 Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some of you may have already seen the news. For the others, don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ve got you covered.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, we learned that Mike D\u2019Antoni, Amar\u2019e Stoudemire, and Kevin Johnson were named finalists for the 2026 Hall of Fame class. These nominations, and potentially their induction, carry real symbolic weight, rewarding years of effort, battles, and evolution. The Hall of Fame goes far beyond the North American hemisphere; it\u2019s an indelible mark on the history of this sport, a game invented by James Naismith and carried across generations.<\/p>\n

These three men, major figures in the history of Phoenix, the NBA, and basketball as a whole, could soon join a prestigious temple already home to several icons who passed through Arizona during their careers. From Jerry Colangelo to Steve Nash, from Charles Barkley to Jason Kidd, Connie Hawkins, Grant Hill, and of course, the great Paul Westphal. You can also add Vince Carter, Gail Goodrich, Dennis and Gus Johnson, or even Shaquille O\u2019Neal. Brief stints for some, sure, but all of them are powerful names in the franchise\u2019s story.<\/p>\n

Architect of the Seven Seconds or Less era, Mike D\u2019Antoni turned Phoenix into a basketball laboratory from 2003 to 2008. Under his guidance, the Suns posted an impressive 253\u2013136 record (.65 win%), delivered a 62\u201320 masterpiece in 2005, and became the most feared offense in the league.<\/p>\n

Coach of the Year that same season, he installed a style built on pace, spacing, and creativity, pushing Steve Nash to two MVPs and Amar\u2019e Stoudemire to the peak of his powers. His time in Phoenix didn\u2019t just shape a franchise. It reshaped the NBA. The true precursor of the modern game? It\u2019s him.<\/p>\n

Arriving in 2002, Amar\u2019e Stoudemire immediately imposed himself as a phenomenon, winning Rookie of the Year with 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Under D\u2019Antoni and alongside Nash, he became an offensive force of nature: 26.0 points per game in 2004\u201305, a legendary playoff series against the Spurs (37 points per game), and a constant presence among the league\u2019s elite, collecting 6 All-Star selections, 5 All-NBA First and Second Team nods, and five top\u201115 MVP finishes. STAT remains one of the most dominant big men of his era.<\/p>\n

After Westphal and before Nash \u2014 then Booker \u2014 Phoenix belonged to Kevin Johnson.<\/p>\n

An explosive playmaker and elite creator, he averaged 17.9 points and 9.1 assists for his career, with three seasons above the 20 and 10 mark. Before moving into politics, he closed his NBA chapter with three All-Star selections, five All-NBA teams, the 1989 Most Improved Player award, and a historic 1993 run that brought the Suns back to the NBA Finals for the first time in nearly 20 years. His partnership with Charles Barkley became iconic. KJ carried the franchise through the 90s, laying the foundation for everything that followed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Hall of Fame is the achievement of a lifetime. Everyone dreams of it, but very few ever imagine even being named a finalist, whether they built their careers in Europe, the NBA, or Latin America. This is a well\u2011deserved tribute for these three men. And while it may not be \u201chistoric\u201d in itself, between the results, the quality of play, and this moment, the year 2026 has the potential to become one of the franchise\u2019s defining periods, one that will be remembered.<\/p>\n

The Hall of Fame class will be announced on Saturday, April 4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some of you may have already seen the news. For the others, don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ve got you covered.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":600761,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3791],"tags":[7,6,2065,472,4045,604,4728],"class_list":{"0":"post-600760","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix-suns","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-phoenix","11":"tag-phoenix-suns","12":"tag-phoenixsuns","13":"tag-suns","14":"tag-suns-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116063169372993797","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=600760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/600761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=600760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=600760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=600760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}