NBA/WNBA Alumni Join 2020 Arizona Sports Hall Of Fame Class
CHICAGO, IL (September, 11, 2020) — On Tuesday, September 8, Paul Westphal (Naismith Basketball HOF’19, former Phoenix Suns star and coach), Ann Meyers Drysdale (HOF’13 Inductee, Phoenix Mercury and Suns executive), and Joe Caldwell (former Arizona State University basketball star) were elected to the 2020 Arizona Sports Hall of Fame class. The Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission (ASEC) announced the 2020 class, featuring three basketball standouts, among the seven total inductees.
Ann Meyers Drysdale: A basketball pioneer, Ann Meyers Drysdale came to Phoenix as the General Manager of the Phoenix Mercury and Vice President of the Phoenix Suns.
Meyers Drysdale played a role in all three of the Mercury’s WNBA titles and now serves the Mercury and Phoenix Suns as a Vice President and broadcaster. She made history when she became the first woman to receive a Division I athletics scholarship from UCLA.
She became a four-time All-American and led the Bruins to their only women’s national title in 1978. Meyers Drysdale was the first draft pick of the Women’s Professional Basketball League, the nation’s first women’s pro league and a forerunner to the WNBA and earned co-MVP in 1979-80. She later became the first woman to sign an NBA contract, trying out for the Indiana Pacers in 1980.” – ASEC
Ann Meyers Drysdale:
• Current Phoenix Suns & Phoenix Mercury Vice President and TV Analyst
• Phoenix Mercury General Manager from 2007-2011 and with the organization for all three of its’ WNBA titles
• 1993 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• 1999 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
• First woman ever inducted into the UCLA Sports Hall of Fame
• Signed by the NBA Indiana Pacers as a free agent in 1979
• Five-time Olympic basketball analyst
Every year, the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, administrators, and others who have made significant contributions to Arizona sports. The 2020 class was selected by a vote of trustees and the public. An honorary ceremony will take place on April 23, 2021, during the Crest Insurance Group Arizona Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.