Former Kentucky WBB star Valerie Still makes Basketball Hall of Fame ballot

Arguably the greatest player in Kentucky women’s basketball history has made another Hall of Fame ballot.

On Wednesday, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame unveiled its list of eligible candidates for the upcoming Class of 2023 inductees. Valerie Still, who played at Kentucky for four seasons (1979-83) and holds the school’s all-time points record with over 2,700 across her college career, was one of the many candidates named to the ballot. The New Jersey native was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 and then the University of Kentucky Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2021.

Still is one of 10 nominations from the women’s category, which also includes the likes of Becky Hammon and Kim Mulkey. NBA greats such as Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich, and Dwyane Wade also made the ballot.

“Amazing to think that a poor little girl from the streets of Camden, New Jersey, pre-Title IX, pre-athletic scholarships for women and pre-WNBA is listed with the best of the game… such an honor,” Still wrote on social media.

Amazing to think that a poor little girl from the streets of Camden New Jersey, pre-#TitleIX, pre-athletic scholarships for women and pre- #WNBA is listed with the best of the game… such an honor. To all my little sisters… #Dream #Believe #Neverquit #onepurepositivepowerthought https://t.co/UELvo03bYF

— Valerie Still 🕉 (@ValerieStill1) December 22, 2022

Still was a dominant force during her time in Lexington, helping lead the Wildcats to what was the program’s lone SEC Tournament championship in 1982 until the 2021-22 group broke the drought earlier this year. Not only did she score more points for Kentucky — male or female — than anyone in history with 2,763, but she also leads the school in all-time rebounding at 1,525. Still also earned two silver medals and one bronze during her playing time with Team USA.

Following her collegiate career, Still went on to have many years of success on the hardwood, even though women’s professional basketball was still in its very early stages. She played professionally in Italy for 12 seasons, winning a league championship along the way, before returning to the United States in 1996.

Still went on to win back-to-back American Basketball League titles with the Columbus Quest (1997, 1998), earning Finals MVP honors both times. Once the WNBA was established, she joined the Washington Mystics as a 38-year-old, playing 23 games in the 1999 season. She continues to be a major advocate for women in sports and is a frequent visitor of Lexington to this day.