Paul Pierce among first-time nominees for Naismith Hall of Fame; Bob Huggins, Jay Wright return to ballot

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2021, including first-time nominees Doug Collins, Michael Cooper, Howard Garfinkel, Lou Henson, Paul Pierce, Val Ackerman, Yolanda Griffith and Lauren Jackson.

Returning to the ballot are fan-favoritenominees Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Richard Hamilton, Bob Huggins, Ben Wallace, Chris Webber, Jay Wright, Swin Cash and Becky Hammon among others.                                                                                                                                                                      

Bob Huggins, aka Kris Kristofferson, gets it done again.

Put this man in the Hall of Fame! pic.twitter.com/wz3hvEC8Qj

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) December 29, 2019

A first look at the list of eligible nominees was provided by The Jump on ESPN, hosted by Rachel Nichols, and Class of 2021 nominee Paul Pierce.

Following the Hall of Fame’s traditional timeline, Finalists from the North American and Women’s committee for the Class of 2021 will be announced in the timeframe of NBA All-Star Weekend, which is scheduled for early March. The entire Class of 2021, including those selected by the direct elect committees, will be unveiled in the timeframe of the NCAA Final Four scheduled for early April. Event details are forthcoming, and the announcement timeline is subject to change.

The Class of 2021 Enshrinement ceremony is scheduled to take place in Springfield, Mass., in September 2021. As previously announced, the Class of 2020 Enshrinement ceremony has been rescheduled and relocated due to COVID-19 and is scheduled for May 13-15, 2021 at Mohegan Sun.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram

And Like ZAGS on Facebook