Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne,
Cheryl Reeve headline 2026 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame class
[October 31, 2025]
By DOUG FEINBERG
Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne and Cheryl Reeve headline the 2026
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame class that was announced Thursday.
Other players getting inducted on June 27 in Knoxville, Tennessee,
include international stars Isabelle Fijalkowski of France and Amaya
Valdemoro of Spain. Kirkwood Community College coach Kim Muhl and
former Clemson star Barbara Kennedy-Dixon will also be inducted,
along with ESPN announcer Doris Burke.
“We are honored to pay tribute to eight distinguished legends of
this exceptional sport,” Hall of Fame President Dana Hart said.
“They exemplify the highest standards in women’s basketball and have
made substantial contributions to the sport, along with shaping the
game’s historical trajectory.”
Parker won three WNBA championships, playing for a different team
each time, while also helping the U.S. win two Olympic gold medals.
“Coming back to Tennessee for this honor is full circle,” Parker
told The Associated Press. “This is where Coach (Pat) Summitt taught
me what it means to lead, to compete and to elevate others. To stand
here in the same community that impacted me so much and be inducted
into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is a tribute to Pat's
legacy and to everyone who cheered me on along the way.”
Delle Donne was recently named the national team director of USA
Basketball 3-on-3 team. She announced her retirement from the WNBA
in April. She won two league MVPs, made seven All-Star appearances
in 11 seasons and helped the Washington Mystics win a WNBA
championship in 2019.
Reeve has won four titles in her 16 years leading the Minnesota
Lynx. She's been named WNBA coach of the year four times and the
league's executive of the year twice. She also led the U.S. women's
team to a gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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In this June 13, 2018, file photo, Washington Mystics forward
Elena Delle Donne (11) shoots past Connecticut Sun forward Chiney
Ogwumike during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in
Uncasville, Conn. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day via AP, File)
Burke has been a basketball voice for the past
three decades, working at ESPN since 1991. She's been a big part of
the network’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament and WNBA. She also was
a trailblazer, working on ESPN’s men’s college basketball and NBA
coverage starting in 2003. She became part of the network’s lead NBA
broadcasting team in 2023.
Valdemoro won three titles with the Houston Comets from 1998-2000.
She also won eight Spanish League titles. Valdemoro played for Spain
at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Fijalkowski won five French League championships and played for the
WNBA's Cleveland Rockers for two years.
Muhl has won over 1,000 games in his nearly four decades of coaching
and has led his teams to nine national championships.
Kennedy-Dixon was the first Division I women’s basketball scoring
leader in 1982, when women's hoops became an NCAA sport.
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