The women’s basketball Hall of Fame class of 2025 was announced on Friday, and the list includes four former college basketball stars who went on to shine at in the WNBA. The class will be inducted next June during a ceremony that will take place at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville.
The honorees include former players Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Cappie Pondexter and Alana Beard — all of whom have won at least one WNBA title. Fowles and Bird both retired at the end of the 2022 WNBA season.
Bird, a 12-time WNBA All-Star, is one of the elite athletes who has won at every level of her career. Her impressive resume includes two NCAA titles while at UConn, four WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm and five Olympic gold medals.
Fowles won four of those Olympic medals alongside Bird. She can also brag about two WNBA titles with the Minnesota Lynx in 2015 and 2017, as well as being the Finals MVP both times.
Pondexter, a seven-time All-Star, won two WNBA titles with the Phoenix Mercury and was named Finals MVP in 2007. Beard, a four-time All-Star, won a WNBA championship with the Los Angels Sparks in 2016.
They are joined by former coach Lucille Kyvallos, who is known for her time at West Chester College and Queens College. She accumulated a combined 311-73 record with those programs, which is an impressive .809 winning percentage. Her team at Queens participated in the first women’s college basketball game at Madison Square Garden that had over 12,000 fans in attendance in 1975.
There is also Mark Campbell, who has been coaching at Division II Union University since 1999 and has led the program to four NAIA championships in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010. Danielle Donehew, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association executive director, will also be inducted during the June 14 ceremony.
“We are honored to pay tribute to seven distinguished legends of this exceptional sport,” said Hall president Dana Hart in a statement published by the Associated Press. “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.”
