'Newly Nominated for Hall of Fame: Carmelo Anthony and Sue Bird'

The Basketball Hall of Fame is currently evaluating 189 potential candidates for its Class of 2025, including notable names like Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, and Maya Moore, who are among the 39 first-time nominees.

On Thursday, the Hall of Fame announced the list of candidates, along with a change in eligibility requirements. Previously, players had to be retired for three full seasons to be considered, but now the waiting period has been shortened to two seasons.

Chairman Jerry Colangelo stated, "To better recognize the distinguished careers of potential first-ballot nominees in a more timely manner, the Board has appropriately shortened the waiting period. We are excited about this change and believe that honoring individuals while their contributions are still fresh in people's minds is both meaningful and impactful."

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Anthony, who is now 40 years old, is technically listed twice as a nominee. Along with being a player nominee for the first time, he is also a part of the 2008 U.S. men's Olympic team, which is also up for consideration.

Anthony spent most of his 19-year NBA career with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, but also played for four other teams. He averaged 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in 1,260 games (1,120 starts).

The 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection was the NBA's scoring leader in the 2012-13 season, and also led Syracuse University to its only national championship in 2002-03, his lone year of college basketball.

Bird, a 13-time WNBA All-Star who played her entire career with the Seattle Storm, and Moore, the 2014 WNBA Most Valuable Player and a six-time All-Star with the Minnesota Lynx, are the top names among the women's nominees. Both players won four WNBA championships during their careers.

Other notable nominees in the women's category include players Sylvia Fowles and Chamique Holdsclaw, and coaches Lisa Bluder (Iowa), Doug Bruno (DePaul), and Mike Thibault (Connecticut Sun and Washington Mystics).

Doc Rivers, who is currently the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, is a first-time nominee in the men's category, along with Billy Donovan (two-time national champion at Florida, currently with the Chicago Bulls) and Mark Few (Gonzaga).

Joining Anthony as first-time player nominees are three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, six-time All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire, and seven-time champion Robert Horry (two with the Houston Rockets, three with the Los Angeles Lakers, two with the San Antonio Spurs).

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The finalists will be selected during NBA All-Star Weekend on February 14 in San Francisco, and the Class of 2025 will be revealed at the men's Final Four on April 5 in San Antonio.