The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of nearly 200 players, teams and others nominated for enshrinement in the 2026 class on Friday and among the notable first-timers is former Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin.
The former No. 1 overall pick, 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year, six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection will have an interesting case to join the hall as a first-time candidate.
While injuries plagued some of the prime years of his career and he only played 765 games before officially retiring in 2024, he had a decorated career that included some career years in Detroit.
After being traded to the Pistons in 2018 from the Los Angeles Clippers, he spent parts of four seasons with the franchise and had a career-best season in 2018-19, averaging 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, earning his final All-Star and All-NBA nods of his career.
In total, Griffin played 140 games for the Pistons and helped bring them to the playoffs in 2019, their last appearance before the 2024-25 team made it this past season.
An All-American and national college player of the year with Oklahoma, Griffin finished his pro career with 14,513 points.
Other notable first-time candidates include former Michigan guard Jamal Crawford, the 1996 USA Basketball Women’s National Team, Mike D’Antoni, Elena Delle Donne, Joe Johnson, Candace Parker, Bruce Pearl and Kelvin Sampson.
Former Detroit Shock players Jennifer Azzi and Katie Smith were both part of the 1996 national team, with Smith serving as an assistant coach.
Legendary Pistons enforcer and former Shock coach Bill Laimbeer is also still up for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame as a player. He was a two-time NBA champion, four-time All-Star and had his No. 40 retired by the Pistons after a 14-year basketball career.
Laimbeer then led the Shock to three WNBA titles in eight seasons and won Coach of the Year honors twice with the franchise, finishing with a 137-93 record during his tenure.
He was first nominated for the Hall of Fame in the 2024 class, but has yet to be selected as a finalist.
Candidates for enshrinement can come from the categories player, coach, referee or contributor. Finalists chosen from applicable screening committees will be announced at a later date.
The 2026 class, chosen from those finalists, will be announced during a nationally televised broadcast on Saturday, April 4, during Final Four weekend and enshrinement will take place in August 2026.