Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are going into the Basketball Hall of Fame – twice.
The duo, who were announced as members of the Class of 2025 on Saturday, will get their accolades for their individual starred careers, but also as part of the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team that they played on. This means LeBron James and Chris Paul are headed to the Hall even before their playing careers end for playing on the so-called “Redeem Team” that started a still-going run of five consecutive Olympic titles.
“I made it to the real basketball heaven,” Howard said. “It’s crazy.”
Seth Wenig / AP 
Also selected for enshrinement are WNBA greats Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles. Chicago Cubs coach and two-time NCAA champion Billy Donovan, Miami Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and longtime NBA referee Danny Crawford round out the rest of the Class of 2025.
“When the call comes and in my case, I saw Springfield on the phone,” Anthony said on the televised announcement. “You know what time it is Springfield is on the phone. You know who it is. You get the phone call and you hear, ‘You’re in.’ And I think for me, it was a burden off of my shoulders.”
Combined, the five players selected as individuals – Bird, Moore, Fowles, Howard and Anthony – were part of 11 WNBA or NBA championship teams, won 15 Olympic gold medals, made 37 All-NBA or All-WNBA appearances and were named as All-Stars 45 times in their careers.
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“Surreal,” Bird said of her selection. “I don’t think there’s any way to really wrap your head around it.”
Added Fowles: “I don’t think (any) one of us go into this thinking that we’re going to be Hall of Famers. You just do your job … and when it’s all said and done, the job is complete and here we are.”
Donovan won back-to-back titles as a college coach with Florida. Arison oversaw Miami’s path to NBA titles in 2006, 2012 and 2013. Crawford worked NBA games for 32 seasons and was picked to work the NBA Finals in 23 of those years.
“For some, this is an individual honor,” Arison said. “But for me, this speaks to what our entire Heat family — players, coaches, staff and fans — have built together.”
Who played in the Redeem Team?
In addition to Anthony, Howard, James and Paul, the Redeem Team at the Beijing Olympics included Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant – all of whom are already enshrined as Hall of Famers.
Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and Tayshaun Prince also played on the team.
Nelson Ching/Bloomberg via Getty Images 
The Redeem Team had that moniker because it was the team tasked with restoring USA Basketball’s place atop the world stage after the 2004 Olympic team only managed a bronze medal at the Athens Games. The Redeem Team went 8-0 in Beijing, winning those games by an average of 27.9 points.
“USA Basketball is thrilled to see the 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame,” USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. “The Redeem Team’s celebrated run in Beijing marks a pivotal moment in U.S. men’s Olympic basketball history and has propelled us to five straight gold medals.”
Enshrinement weekend is Sept. 5-6 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut and the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
