Tony Parker, Pau Gasol overwhelmed by emotion during Hall of Fame ceremony / News - Basketnews.com

European basketball legends Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Pau Gasol became officially inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Credit: David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images Credit David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, and Dwyane Wade, along with legendary San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich were among those inducted Saturday into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., part of a loaded 2023 class that featured a total of 12 new inductees.

Dwyane Wade

Position:SGAge:41Height:193 cmWeight:100 kgBirth place:Chicago, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

The Class of 2023 paid tribute to global talent with French guard Parker, German forward Nowitzki, Spanish center Gasol and US guard Wade joined by 74-year-old Popovich, coach of the Spurs since 1996.

"It's a powerhouse class, really," Gasol said. "I'm humbled and very lucky to be a part of this class with all these amazing people."

Credit Photo by Mike Lawrie /GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

"I feel like I made it somewhere," Wade said. "I'm just enjoying the moment."

After going head-to-head in the NBA Finals in 2006 and 2011, Wade and Nowitzki found themselves on the same side for once on Saturday night.

Wade led the Heat to a title in 2006, being named Finals MVP after averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists as Miami toppled the Mavericks in six games. Dallas got its revenge five years later, though, beating the Heat in six games for its only championship in franchise history. This time it was Nowitzki’s turn to secure Finals MVP honors, as he went for 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

"For Dirk and me, it's been therapy," Wade said about his post-career journey with Nowitzki and some of the other inductees. "Who would have thought that we would be on the same team after all of our battles, but here we are, and it's one of the greatest teams I've ever been on."

Wade, 41, went on to win two more titles by the time his 16-year NBA career was over. He was a 13-time All-Star and posted career averages of 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists, spending most of his time with Miami, where he spent 15 seasons.

"I believed in hard work, putting my head down, keeping my ears open, and just going to work," Wade said. "I had a dream and I didn't want anything to get in the way of my dream. I made sure I put the work in and had every opportunity to be as great as I can be."

After coming up short in the Finals in 2006, Nowitzki, 45, was named league MVP following the 2006-07 campaign.

A 14-time All-Star, he was a beacon of loyalty for over two decades, spending his entire 21-year career with the Mavericks, leading them to the 2011 NBA title as the NBA Finals MVP. He was the 2007 NBA MVP and a 14-time All-Star before retiring in 2019.

He averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists across 1,522 games (1,460 starts).

"I just want to say thank you my closest people," Nowitzki said. "I just want to make sure the people who were with me on this journey get their flowers and then I can ride off into the sunset."

If Wade and Nowitzki weren’t battling each other, they were often trying to fend off the Spurs. San Antonio was well-represented on Saturday night, as guard Tony Parker and longtime coach Gregg Popovich were also part of the Class of 2023.

Parker, 41, was a four-time NBA champion with San Antonio, a six-time NBA All-Star and the 2007 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.

"It was an unbelievable journey," Parker said. "I never thought somebody like me can experience something like that. For all the kids who are watching, keep dreaming big."

Parker choked up thanking his family and paid tribute to his US and French heritage, saying, "I felt like I had the best of both cultures and it helped me on my journey."

"When I was in France, they would say, 'You're too small. You're too skinny. You'll never make it.' Well, I'm the one who is laughing now."

Parker was a star for Popovich's Spurs from 2001-2018 and finished his NBA career at Charlotte in 2019.

To Popovich, Parker said, "You're unbelievable. You threw me in the fire at 19 years old... You've always been a second dad to me, Pop. Everything you did for my family and me I appreciate it. Thank you. I love you."

Credit Mike Lawrie /GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA /Getty Images via AFP

Popovich said of Parker: "I was very tough on him and expected a lot out of him. I'm very proud of what he has accomplished."

Popovich, the longest-tenured of all North American pro sports coaches, has guided the Spurs to five titles and was named the NBA Coach of the Year three times. He also coached the US gold medal team of NBA stars at the Tokyo Olympics.Next season will be his 29th as San Antonio's coach, and he heads into it with 1,366 regular-season wins along with 170 in the playoffs.

Pau Gasol, a two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and a six-time NBA All-Star, played from 2001 to 2019 with Memphis, the Lakers, Chicago, San Antonio and Milwaukee.

"This moment is a testament to the support, guidance and inspiration I've received from so many on my basketball journey," Gasol said.

Gasol thanked European NBA pioneers who paved the way for his arrival, saying, "I want to give a special mention to those first Europeans that came here, that crossed the ocean, that took a chance and opened doors for players like myself."

Gasol got emotional recalling the late Kobe Bryant, his former Lakers teammate with died in a 2020 helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna.

"I wouldn't be here without you brother," Gasol said. "I wish more than anything that you and Gigi were here with us. We miss you and love you."

Other inductees included six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon, the 1976 US Women's Olympic team and former coaches Gene Keady, Gary Blair, David Hixon, Gene Bess and Jim Valvano.

One of Popovich's students, Becky Hammon, praised her mentor.

"You're a man of principle and excellence," Hammon said to Popovich. "I know you weren't trying to be courageous when you hired me, but you did do something nobody else in professional sports has ever done. You display excellence, you expect excellence, and model how to become excellent in your everyday routine and how you go about your work."

Following a successful playing career in the WNBA and overseas, the 46-year-old Hammon worked as an assistant on the Spurs’ staff from 2014-22. She is now head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, who currently own the best record in the WNBA at 26-3.

In her first season as coach of the Aces, Hammon led Las Vegas to its first title in franchise history.

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