There's no better place than the 2022 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony to honor the legends of the game. This is when those who have made their mark in the sport are recognized, mostly by those who came before them, a heartfelt and entertaining showcase to those that truly love the game. Legendary forward Charles Barkley certainly did his part in celebrating two recent retirees who'll be surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers once eligible, Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles.

ā€œI just want to acknowledge two women who just retired from the WNBA. The great Sue Bird and the great Sylvia Fowles. Thank you. Y'all gonna be up here soon, so thank you,ā€ Charles Barkley said, speaking in front of the enshrinement ceremony crowd.

Sue Bird, the 41-year old Seattle Storm lifer, announced her retirement back in June, and she played her final game in a defeat against the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Semifinals. She ended her career as the WNBA's all-time leader in assists, with 3,234, and as seventh in the all-time scoring list.

Bird made her mark as one of the winningest players in basketball history, winning two NCAA championships with the Connecticut Huskies, four rings with the Storm, and five Olympic gold medals in addition to all of her individual accolades, the most notable of which is her WNBA career-leading 13 All-Star game selections.

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Sylvia Fowles is the WNBA's all-time leading rebounder with 4,007, and she is third all-time in blocks. She is also in the top 10 of the all-time scoring list. Fowles' career peaked in the mid-2010s when she found a home with Maya Moore and the Minnesota Lynx. Fowles won two championships with the Lynx, winning two Finals MVPs, while she also took home the regular season MVP award in the 2017 season.

The two WNBA legends will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2027, and Charles Barkley will surely be in attendance then to congratulate once the two achieve the inevitable. For now, Barkley's gesture is a heartfelt one, and one that's needed to be done more often to help combat outdated notions regarding women's basketball that still sadly dominate the discourse regarding the WNBA.