NEWSLETTER
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, two former Bulls will be inducted into Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Both Pau Gasol and Dwyane Wade will members of the 2023 class. The two will be joined by Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Gregg Popvich, and Becky Hammon.
For more information on both players and their respective careers in Chicago, make sure to check out our original post on their nomination as finalists below.
Technically speaking, the Chicago Bulls are well-represented among the finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Both Pau Gasol and Dwyane Wade have been named among the 11 finalists for the prestigious honor. Gasol, who is best known for his years with the Grizzlies and Lakers, suited up for Chicago for two seasons from 2014-2016. While most would consider him past his “prime” at that point, he still put together two All-Star campaigns, averaging 17.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.0 blocks over his 150 games.
Gasol did go on to play three more seasons in the NBA before sitting out his final with a foot injury. Again, while his teams didn’t achieve much while wearing a Bulls uniform, he provided the organization with some truly impressive play.
Joining Gasol as a finalist is also Chicago native Dwyane Wade. The three-time champion and one-time Finals MVP played 15 seasons with the Miami Heat while spending just one in Chicago. He signed with the organization in 2016-17 for the infamous Three-Alphas experiment, which ended with six-game first-round series against the Boston Celtics.
Wade played in just 60 games during his time with the Bulls, averaging 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. With the organization ready to head in a new direction and embrace what would be a lengthy rebuild, Wade was bought out of his deal with Chicago and went on to play shortly with LeBron James in Cleveland before re-signing with Miami.
