Next Tuesday at the Hilton Midtown, NYC, located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas (between 53rd and 54th Streets and 6th Avenue), the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame (hoopshallny.org) will enshrine its class of 2026 on the occasion of the organization’s 30th anniversary.
Headlining the illustrious group is former NBA All-Star and Chinese Basketball Association legend Stephon Marbury, Norfolk State and Rucker Pro immortal Richard “Pee Wee” Kirkland, and Sue Bird, one of the greatest players in women’s basketball history.
The class also includes under the coaches category: longtime Cardozo head coach Ron Naclerio, Maurice “Mo” Hicks, who built a dynasty at Rice High School, and Shelly Schneider, a NYC basketball stalwart who steered Brooklyn Tech.
Journalist Charles “Chuck” Stogel and John Paquette, retired senior associate commissioner for sports media relations for the Big East Conference, will be inducted in the contributors category.
Additionally, the 2023-24 and 2024-2025 NYU women’s back-to-back NCAA DIII National Championship teams, and the 2024 WNBA champion New York Liberty will be deservedly commemorated.
Peter Vecsey, a New York City basketball staple as a writer, television analyst and coach in the Rucker Pro, will be presented with the first annual Howie Evans Memorial Award for Lifetime Contribution to Basketball. The award is named in honor of Evans, the Amsterdam News sports editor emeritus and a basketball pioneer.
Marbury, a two-time high school All-American at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, played in the NBA from 1996 to 2009, including from 2004 to 2009 with the Knicks, before becoming a beloved figure in China as a player and coach.
A product of Harlem, Kirkland starred at Charles Evans Hughes High School, and later, along with Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Dandridge, lifted the Norfolk State Spartans to the 1968 CIAA title.
Bird, born and raised in Syosset (Long Island), New York, had storied stints at Christ the King Regional High School and UConn, winning two national titles at the latter, before authoring one of the most accomplished professional playing careers in the annals of basketball. Bird’s resume includes four WNBA championships, 13 WNBA All-Star selections, five Olympic gold medals representing the United States, and four FIBA World Cup gold medals with Team USA.
Like this:
Like Loading…
Related