The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the list of Hall of Famers scheduled to present the Class of 2022 at the Enshrinement Ceremony to be held Saturday, September 10 at Symphony Hall. Minnesota’s Lindsay Whalen will be inducted with presenters Dawn Staley (Class of 2013) and Charles Barkley (Class of 2006). More than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to be in attendance for the ceremony, including all presenters.
Members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 were asked to select previous inductees to accompany and present them to their peers. The choice is solely the decision of the incoming Hall of Famers, or their family members if recognized posthumously.
Whalen will be the first Gopher women’s basketball player, and the seventh player overall, to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame joining the likes of Kevin McHale who was inducted in 1999 and “Sweet Lou” Hudson who is also a part of the Class of 2022. Whalen returned to the Gophers after destroying the program’s record book in the early 2000s, finishing her career as Minnesota’s all-time points leader, along with being second all-time in assists and third all-time in steals. A four-time all-state selection at Hutchinson High School, about an hour west of Minneapolis, Whalen went on to become the catalyst for the most successful seasons in the history of Gopher women’s basketball.
Whalen led the Gophers to the Women’s Final Four as a player before winning four WNBA titles with the Lynx. A six-time WNBA All-Star and three-time All-WNBA first-team selection, she is also the league’s career leader in games won at 307. She averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in her career with the Connecticut Sun and the Lynx. She was also named a member of the league’s 20th anniversary team in 2016 and the 25th anniversary team in 2021.
In international competition, Whalen was a key piece to dominant performances by Team USA in world championship and Olympic competition. Whalen played for two gold medal teams at the World Championships (2010, 2014) and has also won two Olympic gold medals (2012, 2016).
This year’s class includes nine honorees from the North American and Women’s committees: Manu Ginobili, Tim Hardaway, Bob Huggins, George Karl and longtime NBA referee Hugh Evans. Along with Whalen, Swin Cash and Marianne Stanley will be inducted.
(info courtesy of Gopher Sports)