Mutombo, Calipari headline 2015 Basketball Hall of Fame inductees

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2015 was announced Monday at a press event in Indianapolis, home to this year's NCAA Final Four.

Six new members were inducted by the Hall's Honors Committee, joining five directly elected members who were announced during NBA All-Star Weekend. All 11 will be officially enshrined in Springfield, Mass., in September.

The inductees were:

• Dikembe Mutombo, a 19-year NBAer, eight-time All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year who ranks second all-time in blocks.
• John Calipari, who has spent 23 years as a head coach in the NCAA (twice winning Coach of the Year, making five Final Fours and winning one national championship) plus parts of three seasons in the NBA.
• Recently-retired referee Dick Bavetta, who spent 39 years officiating NBA games and holds the record for most games called. He famously never missed an assigned game, and reffed over 2,600 games in a row. He also had one epic race with Charles Barkley.
• Five-time NBA All-Star Spencer Haywood, who's one of just 18 players in history to average 20 points and 10 rebounds for his career.
• Longtime Boston Celtic Jo Jo White, who made seven-straight All-Star games from 1971-77 and won the 1976 Finals MVP.
• Three-time WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie, who was the first woman to dunk in a WNBA game and retired as the league's record-holder in points and rebounds.

"The Class of 2015 is a group of outstanding individuals who represent many eras and facets of basketball," said chairman of the Hall of Fame board Jerry Colangelo. "Their commitment to the game is undeniable and the impact they have had on others is even greater. We are very pleased to honor this remarkable group of inductees."