Shot-block extraordinaire Dikembe Mutombo and WNBA legend Lisa Leslie highlight the list of eleven who are set to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September.
Mutombo played 18 seasons in the NBA. A great defender and rebounder, Mutombo was an eight-time NBA All-Star and a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He was also awarded the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2001 and 2009. Mutombo was born in Zaire and played four seasons at Georgetown University before being selected fourth overall in the 1991 NBA draft. He finished his career with 3,289 blocks, trailing only Hakeem Olajuwon on the NBA’s All-Time Blocks list. Mutombo’s trade-mark finger-wag after blocking an opponent’s shot is one of the most iconic gestures in sports history.
Lisa Leslie played 12 seasons in the WNBA. She was named league MVP three times and was an eight-time WNBA All-Star. Leslie won two WNBA Championships with the Los Angeles Sparks and won four Olympic gold medals with Team USA. She played four seasons at the University of Southern California, and is the PAC-12 All-Time leader in scoring and rebounds. She is also the WNBA All-Time leader in rebounds and second all-time in blocks. Leslie was the first woman to ever dunk in a WNBA game.
Other notable 2015 inductees include University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari, two-time NBA Champion Jo Jo White, NBA Champion Spencer Haywood, ABA star Louis Dampier, and long-time NBA referee Dick Bavetta.
To see the entire list and bios of the 2015 Hall-of-Fame inductees, click here.