Oak Ridge native Jennifer Azzi is a finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 2025 class.
Azzi, currently the chief business development officer with the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA, was an All-American at Stanford from 1986 to 1990 playing for coach Tara VanDerveer.
Azzi is one of four women’s basketball players to make the list of 17 finalists, joining former WNBA stars Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird. The official class will be announced on April 5 at the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four in San Antonio
Azzi was one of the best 3-point shooters in women’s basketball history. She still holds the record for career 3-point percentage in the WNBA (45.8%) and at Stanford (45.2%), which won the 1990 NCAA national title and she was named most outstanding player.
Azzi was the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1989 and 1990 and the 1990 Naismith College Player of the Year and Wade Trophy winner.
One of the most significant parts of her career was being named to the 1996 U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning team that led to the creation of the WNBA.
Among her other accolades: Gold medals at the 1990 and 1998 FIBA world championships in 1990 and 1998 and induction to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
After four seasons playing overseas, she helped co-found the American Basketball League, which eventually folded.
The Detroit Shock picked her at No. 5 in the 1999 WNBA Draft. She played from 1999 to 2003, including with the Utah Starzz.
She had a brief coaching career with the University of San Francisco from 2010 to 2016.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Jennifer Azzi named finalist for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
