Cash, Catchings, Hammon and Mulkey highlight Naismith Hall of Fame nominees

The nominations for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame were announced on Thursday and the list includes former WNBA stars Swin Cash, Tamika Catching and Becky Hammon, who were nominated as players. Kim Mulkey, head coach of the Baylor Lady Bears, was nominated as both player and coach.

Cash

In just her second WNBA season, Cash became an All-Star and the leading scorer on the 2003 Detroit Shock championship team. Her top two scoring seasons came at the beginning of her career in 2003 (16.6 points) and 2004 (16.4 points). Cash went on to win two more WNBA titles, another with the Shock in 2006 and one with the Seattle Storm in 2010. Over the course of her 15-year career, she played for five teams (the Shock, the Storm, the Chicago Sky, the Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty), was selected for the All-Star game four times and was named All-WNBA twice.

Photo by Dan Lippit/NBAE via Getty Images

In college, Cash won two national championships with the UConn Huskies. She now holds a front office position with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.

Catchings

Catchings is the biggest name on the women’s ballot this year. After attending the University of Tennessee, where she won the national championship in 1998, Catchings played her entire WNBA career with the Indiana Fever and finally led them to a championship in 2012 by defeating the heavily-favored Minnesota Lynx in the Finals. Catchings, like Cash, played 15 seasons. She is first all-time in steals and third in points scored. Catchings is a 10-time All-Star, a 12-time All-WNBA selection, a former MVP.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

After retiring, she moved into front-office positions with the NBA’s Pacers. Now, Catchings is the Fever’s vice president of basketball operations and general manager.

Hammon

Hammon played 16 seasons in the WNBA, with her time split between the New York Liberty and San Antonio Silver Stars. Known for her 3-point shooting, Hammon shot 38 percent from beyond the arc for her career. She also averaged a career-best 19.5 points in 2009 and was a six-time All-Star selection and a four-time All-WNBA selection.

Photo by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images

Hammon is now an assistant coach for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.

Mulkey

Mulkey won two national championships as a player at Louisiana Tech. As Baylor’s head coach, Mulkey led the Lady Bears to NCAA Tournament championship wins three times — 2005, 2012 and last year’s thriller against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images