Report: Hill, Kidd and Nash inducted into Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

According to an ESPN report Thursday, former Phoenix Suns Grant Hill, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in San Antonio this weekend.

The three players spent a combined 20 seasons in Phoenix, and emerge from a list of 13 nominees, including legends like Ray Allen, Maurice Cheeks, Chris Webber and the WNBA’s Tina Thompson. They are the only three inductees to be announced so far, but all it’s theoretically possible that all 13 could make the Hall this year.

A player must simply receive 18 yes votes from the 24-member panel to be enshrined. As Hall Chairman (and former Suns owner) Jerry Colangelo put it in February, while all 13 nominees could receive yes votes from 18 of the 24 honors committee voters, most classes feature anywhere from four to eight inductees.

The other rule that made the Hill, Kidd and Nash eligible to be nominated this year was a reduction in the holding period after a player’s retirement before they are eligible for the Hall, from five years to three. Hill and Kidd retired following the 2013 season, while Nash’s retirement came a year later.

Nash and Hill were both part of the Suns’ last playoff team in 2010, while Kidd holds a vaunted position within the Suns’ history of outstanding guards. He was also linked earlier this year to the Suns’ coaching vacancy by Gery Woelfel of the Milwaukee Journal-Times.