Mark Few nominated for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 2026 class

After missing the cut as a first-year candidate in 2025, Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few will be considered for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 2026.

A full list of eligible candidates was revealed by the Hall of Fame on Friday, with multiple notable first time candidates - including former WSU assistant and current Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson, as well as Candace Parker, Blake Griffin, Bruce Pearl, Jamal Crawford, and Elena Delle Donne.

“The candidates for the Class of 2026 have each left an indelible impact on the game of basketball,” Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame CEO John L. Doleva said in a news release announcing the candidates. “Through defining performances, influential leadership, and achievements that helped elevate the sport on the national and international stage, this year’s ballot recognizes those whose legacy continues to shape how the game is played, coached, and celebrated.”

17 finalists were named in 2025, with Few just missing the cut. Nine of those finalists - Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Billy Donovan, Mickey Arison, Danny Crawford, Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore, and the 2008 USA men's national team - were enshrined, which clears some runway for Few to make the list of finalists and potentially even get inducted in his second year of eligibility.

.@malika_andrews announces the 2026 North America Naismith Hall of Fame nominees 🔥 pic.twitter.com/h6l7nOfMFZ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 19, 2025

Few recently surpassed the 750-win mark in Gonzaga's win over North Florida, becoming the second fastest DI coach to reach that mark behind Kentucky legend Adolph Rupp.

The longtime Gonzaga coach currently boasts an incredible 753-153 record, with his 83.1% win rate the second highest of all-time - minimum ten seasons - behind Sam Burton who coached at West Texas A&M from 1921-1933 and won at an 83.3% clip.

Few is also 21st all-time in career wins, having just passed the legendary Hank Iba. He's sixth among active coaches, only trailing Rick Pitino (St. John's), John Calipari (Arkansas), Rick Barnes (Tennessee), Bill Self (Kansas), and Dana Altman (Oregon), who Gonzaga will face on Sunday afternoon in Portland.

Pitino, Calipari, and Self are all already in the Hall of Fame, while Barnes is in his third year of eligibility.

In addition to his gaudy win totals, Few has completely transformed a little-known Jesuit school in Spokane, WA, into a college basketball powerhouse - choosing to stay at Gonzaga despite multiple offers from big-name programs early in his tenure. He has won WCC Coach of the Year a whopping 14 times and has twice won Naismith Coach of the Year, leading Gonzaga to a pair of national championship appearances in 2017 and 2021.

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith

His success with Gonzaga's men's basketball program directly resulted in the university accepting an offer to join the new-look Pac-12 conference beginning in 2026-27, where they will compete with much larger institutions, including Washington State, Oregon State, Boise State, and San Diego State, among others. Securing the long-term financial stability of a school that was considering cutting its athletics in the mid-90's is nothing short of a miracle, and separates him from many other candidates who had great success at previously established programs.

As if that wasn't enough, Few also earned a Gold Medal in the 2024 Olympic Games in France as an assistant coach with Team USA, becoming one of the very few college coaches to do so.

Finalists for the 2026 Hall of Fame class will be announced at a later date, likely around the NBA All-Star break, with the entire class set to be revealed during the men's Final Four weekend in Indianapolis and enshrined the weekend of Aug. 14 at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

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