The Basketball Hall of Fame is notoriously much easier to get into compared to the other major sports Hall of Fames. With that being said, there’s a handful of current NBA players who are teetering on the edge of making it into that category. Some still have some years left to solidify their case, while a few are nearing the end of their career, and it’s time to decide whether or not their careers are HOF worthy.
Before we get into the guys that are actually debatable, there are already plenty of guys in the league right now that are locks for the Hall of Fame.
LeBron James - 4x MVP, 4x Champion, 4x Finals MVP, 20x All-Star, 20x All-NBA
Kevin Durant - 1x MVP, 2x Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 14x All-Star, 11x All-NBA
Stephen Curry - 2x MVP, 4x Champion, 1x Finals MVP, 10x All-Star, 10x All-NBA
Nikola Jokic - 3x MVP, 1x Champion, 1x Finals MVP, 6x All-Star, 6x All-NBA
Giannis Antetokounmpo - 2x MVP, 1x Champion, 1x Finals MVP, 8x All-Star, 8x All-NBA, 1x DPOY
Russell Westbrook - 1x MVP, 9x All-Star, 9x All-NBA
James Harden - 1x MVP, 10x All-Star, 7x All-NBA
Kawhi Leonard - 2x Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 6x All-Star, 6x All-NBA, 2x DPOY
Chris Paul - 12x All-Star, 11x All-NBA
Anthony Davis - 1x Champion, 9x All-Star, 5x All-NBA
Damian Lillard - 8x All-Star, 7x All-NBA
These guys are all guaranteed locks for the Hall of Fame at this stage of their careers, primarily due to the fact they were all (barring Jokic) named as part of the 75th NBA Anniversary team, officially being one of the 75 best players to play in the league. Jokic has since won his 2nd and 3rd MVP since the list was announced, as well as Finals MVP and of course, an NBA Championship.
Lillard and Davis in particular, certainly don’t have the accomplishments of some of these other guys, whether that be individual, or team based. But their continued dominance over a long period of time as well as their place in the top 75 list confirmed their HOF chances.
The next group of players are the ‘Probable's’, as long as their career doesn’t abruptly end in injury or fall off dramatically in quality, they have an excellent chance to make it.
Probable's
Joel Embiid - 1x MVP, 7x All-Star, 5x All-NBA
Paul George - 9x All-Star, 6x All-NBA
Kyrie Irving - 1x Champion, 8x All-Star, 3x All-NBA
Jimmy Butler - 6x All-Star, 5x All-NBA
Draymond Green - 4x Champion, 4x All-Star, 2x All-NBA, 1x DPOY
Klay Thompson - 4x Champion, 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA
Kyle Lowry - 1x Champion, 6x All-Star, 1x All-NBA
Realistically, Klay and Draymond are locks already, and it's unfair to expect them to add to their resume at their age. Kyle Lowry doesn't have the standout stats as many of these guys do, but if you've been a fan of the NBA for a while, you know Kyle Lowry has had a HOF quality career. He may not be first ballot, but he likely gets in eventually. For the rest of these guys, they all still have the capabilities to add to their accolades, and a championship for any of those guys will basically solidify them as a Hall of Famer, so long as they're still a focal point of the team.
The NBA is full of young talent, there's always guys coming into the league with potential to be great in the league. This next batch of players is the younger guys that are well on their way to making the Hall, again, provided they don't have a career ending injury or incredible fall-off.
Well on the way
Luka Doncic - 5x All-Star, 5x All-NBA
Jayson Tatum - 1x Champion, 5x All-Star, 4x All-NBA
Donovan Mitchell - 5x All-Star, 1x All-NBA
Devin Booker - 4x All-Star, 2x All-NBA
Jaylen Brown - 1x Champion, 1x Finals MVP, 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA
Trae Young - 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA
Jaylen Brown wouldn't be on this list before the 2024 Playoffs, but that one run really elevated him as a candidate, and provided he continues to make All-Star/All-NBA appearances, he should make it. Luka is as close to a lock as it gets for a 25-year-old, and Tatum isn't far off that level. Mitchell and Booker are interesting, a championship where they are one of the best players on the team would be huge for them.
The final pool of players are the borderline guys. Most likely they won't be First Ballot, but could sneak their way into the hall, especially if they manage to improve their resumes.
Borderline HOF
Rudy Gobert - 3x All-Star, 4x All-NBA, 4x DPOY
DeMar DeRozan - 6x All-Star, 3x All-NBA
Jrue Holiday - 2x Champion, 2x All-Star
Al Horford - 1x Champion, 5x All-Star, 1x All-NBA
Karl-Anthony Towns - 4x All-Star, 2x All-NBA
Derrick Rose - 1x MVP, 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA
As NBA fans know, the story of Derrick Rose is very sad, once the youngest MVP in history, now potentially not a Hall of Famer. A championship would do wonders for his chances, as it would with DeRozan, who doesn't seem likely to add to his accolades, at least not in terms of All-Star and All-NBA selections. Holiday, Horford and Gobert are guys who most likely make it eventually even with their resumes as it is now, especially Gobert. He is tied for the most DPOYs of all time with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace, two Hall of Fame players.
Guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham, Paolo Banchero and Zion Williamson all look to have potential to make it to the hall as well. At their age, anything could happen so it's a bit early to call it, but the fact of the matter is that the talent in the NBA is getting better and better. Hopefully, this means that the path to the Basketball Hall of Fame will become more difficult, so it becomes a more exclusive club, truly honoring the best players this game has to offer.
Most Popular
Comments / 0