Lisa Leslie and Leta Andrews among finalists for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2015
Leta Andrews, the all-time winningest high school coach, and three-time WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie are among the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame finalists for the Class of 2015.
“The finalists for the Class of 2015 are a group of very distinguished individuals who have each made a unique impact on the game of basketball,” said Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “To be recognized as a finalist is a great achievement in and of itself and each of the finalists recognized today should be very proud. Although the process of selecting the final class members of 2015 will be a difficult task, we look forward to making the announcement at the Final Four in April.”
The Class of 2015 will be announced on Monday, April 6 at a press conference in Indianapolis prior to the NCAA Men’s Championship game. A finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2015 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, Massachusetts September 10-11.
Naismith HOF bios for Andrews and Leslie:
LETA ANDREWS [Coach] – Andrews has coached high school basketball for over 50 years and is the all-time winningest high school coach, male or female. She has coached five high schools in Texas since 1962 and has led them to sixteen state Final Four appearances, plus a state championship in 1990. Andrews has served as Head Coach of the McDonald’s All-America Game West team (2004) and Gatorade All-America Game West team (2009). She was named the NHSCA National High School Coach of the Year (2007) and recipient of the Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award (2007). She has been inducted into the High School Basketball Hall of Fame (1995) and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2010).
LISA LESLIE [Player] – Leslie is an eight-time WNBA All-Star (1999-03, 2005, 2006, 2009) and a three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player (2001, 2004, 2006). A native of Gardena, California, she played for University of Southern California (1990-1994) where she was named the Consensus National Player of the Year, a Kodak All-America and Naismith Trophy winner in 1994. She holds Pac-10 career records for scoring (2,414) and rebounding (1,214). She is the WNBA all-time leader in total rebounds (3,307) and ranks second all-time in WNBA total blocks (822). With the Los Angeles Sparks, Leslie won two WNBA Championships (2001, 2002) and she is a four-time Olympic Gold Medalist (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008). She is the first player to dunk in a WNBA game.
