Lindsay Whalen named to 2022 Basketball Hall of Fame

It's official – Minnesota basketball legend Lindsay Whalen will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this fall.

She was named as an inductee in the Hall of Fame’s class of 2022 announcement Saturday morning at the Men's Final Four in New Orleans. The Gopher women’s basketball head coach was named a first-time finalist in February. 

"To be able to be inducted among so many past greats with this game and then with this class as well. Just so many tremendous people in this class," Whalen said during the Hall of Fame ESPN broadcast. "Thankful to everybody who has been a part of this. Extremely honored for sure."

She'll be the first Gopher women's basketball player to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, joining former Gopher men's basketball player Kevin McHale who was inducted in 1999. 

Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Class of 2022 (ESPN)

Whalen, the Gopher women’s basketball head coach and Hutchinson, Minn. native, had stellar collegiate career with the Gophers. She helped lead the Gophers to their only Final Four appearance so far in program history in 2004. Her number 13 jersey is retired and now hangs in the rafters at Williams Arena.

Whalen’s 15-year WNBA career started in Connecticut with the Sun and triumphantly ended back home in Minnesota where she won four WNBA Championships with the Lynx, and was a six-time WNBA All-Star. Whalen also won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA and two World Championship gold medals. 

The induction ceremony will be held Sept. 9-10, 2022, in Springfield, Mass.  

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