By Ben Golliver, 2026-08-14 19:00:00
今年的奈史密斯篮球名人堂成员以WNBA为主导：坎戴斯·帕克 (Candace Parker)、埃琳娜·戴尔·多恩 (Elena Delle Donne) 和查米克·霍德斯克劳 (Chamique Holdsclaw) 将在周五的入选仪式上穿上令人向往的橙色夹克，而六次入选全明星、征战赛场14载的老将阿玛雷·斯塔德迈尔 (Amar’e Stoudemire) 将是唯一入选的NBA球员。
展望未来，NBA在接下来的三年里应该会迎来成色更足的名人堂成员。虽然常青巨星勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James)、斯蒂芬·库里 (Stephen Curry) 和凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) 仍在推迟退役，但一大批2010年代的杰出球员已经准备好接受评选，其中包括两位毫无悬念的“首票名人堂”人选。
让我们来看看未来三届名人堂的11位潜在候选人。请记住，名人堂规则规定，NBA球员“必须完全退役满三个完整赛季才具备入选资格”。
LaMarcus Aldridge
Mary Altaffer/AP
入选资格：已具备
拉马库斯·阿尔德里奇 (LaMarcus Aldridge) 应该对斯塔德迈尔的入选感到非常高兴。
尽管阿尔德里奇不像同期的“飞人”斯塔德迈尔和布雷克·格里芬 (Blake Griffin) 那样频繁出现在五佳球集锦中，但这位中距离大师总是默默地做好自己的工作，在16年的职业生涯中累计砍下了超过20,000分和8,000个篮板。这是极罕见的成就：安托万·贾米森 (Antawn Jamison) 是唯一一位达到这些指标却未能入选名人堂的退役球员，而詹姆斯、杜兰特、拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克 (Russell Westbrook) 和扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo) 则是仅有的几位进入“20000+8000俱乐部”的现役球员。
阿尔德里奇的职业生涯场均数据（场均19.1分、8.1个篮板，效率值20.7）与斯塔德迈尔的数据（场均18.9分、7.8个篮板，效率值21.8）不相上下，而且他在比这位前菲尼克斯太阳和纽约尼克斯球星多打了近10,000分钟的情况下，依然保持了这样的高水准。虽然阿尔德里奇在波特兰开拓者、圣安东尼奥马刺或布鲁克林篮网效力期间从未获得过总冠军戒指，但他曾七次入选全明星，并累积了115.6的职业生涯胜利贡献值——远超斯塔德迈尔或曾入围2026届名人堂最终候选名单的格里芬。
Marc Gasol
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
入选资格：已具备
尽管作为国际候选人提名，马克·加索尔 (Marc Gasol) 今年未能入选，但这位西班牙中锋应该很快就会与他在2023年入选的哥哥保罗·加索尔 (Pau Gasol) 齐聚名人堂。
加索尔在NBA和国际赛场的双重履历实在太耀眼，让人无法忽视：他曾随多伦多猛龙夺得2019年NBA总冠军，在孟菲斯灰熊荣膺2013年最佳防守球员，三次入选全明星，此外作为西班牙“黄金一代”的成员，他还获得了两枚奥运会金牌、两枚国际篮联世界杯金牌和五枚欧洲篮球锦标赛奖牌。
综上所述，加索尔与尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokic)、马努·吉诺比利 (Manu Ginobili) 以及德雷蒙德·格林 (Draymond Green) 一起，成为了NBA历史上成就最显赫的二轮秀。
Blake Griffin
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
入选资格：已具备
这位前洛杉矶快船和底特律活塞球星曾入围2026届名人堂最终候选名单，但在他具备资格的第一年遗憾落选。然而，斯塔德迈尔的入选几乎保证了格里芬将在不久的将来与他并肩。
这两位身体素质劲爆的大前锋之间的相似之处令人惊叹：他们都曾荣膺年度最佳新秀，六次入选全明星，五次入选最佳阵容，随后都遭遇了膝伤的折磨。同时，格里芬的职业生涯数据（场均19.0分、8.0个篮板，效率值21.0）也与斯塔德迈尔的数据如出一辙。
鉴于格里芬的履历中缺少总冠军、奥运金牌或常规赛MVP，他未能首轮投票即入选也是可以理解的。尽管如此，这位2009年的状元秀帮助将“空接之城”快船打造为了NBA最具观赏性的球队，并在2011年通过飞跃汽车扣篮，开启了扣篮大赛的新纪元。
Andre Iguodala
Rob Carr/Getty Images
入选资格：已具备
安德烈·伊戈达拉 (Andre Iguodala) 竞逐名人堂最薄弱的环节在于他那平淡无奇的数据统计：场均11.3分、4.9个篮板和4.2次助攻。
这些基础数据很难展现他那非凡的职业生涯——他曾随金州勇士夺得四次总冠军，荣膺2016年总决赛MVP，两次入选最佳防守阵容，获得2012年奥运会金牌，并曾担任国家篮球运动员协会（NBPA）执行董事。
伊戈达拉在2013年加盟库里领衔的勇士时，甘愿牺牲首发位置，这帮助球队在2015年至2022年间六次闯入总决赛。这位2004年的乐透秀作为全能防守者、传球优先的组织者和场上教练，发挥了至关重要的作用，金州勇士也在2025年2月毫不犹豫地退役了他的9号球衣。
前洛杉矶湖人后卫迈克尔·库珀 (Michael Cooper) 在2024年的入选，为伊戈达拉进入名人堂树立了明确的先例：对于王朝球队中不可或缺的角色球员来说，即使其数据表现略显美中不足，也依然有通往斯普林菲尔德（Springfield）的道路。
Joe Johnson
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
入选资格：已具备
乔·约翰逊 (Joe Johnson) 曾在2021年新冠疫情期间短暂复出，为波士顿凯尔特人打了一场比赛，他是今年名人堂的新增候选人。
这是一个经典的名人堂辩题：这位身高6英尺7英寸、作风务实的得分手，究竟是伟大，还是仅仅非常优秀？约翰逊的巅峰期是在亚特兰大老鹰度过的，当时他连续五年场均得分超过20分，并且是全明星赛的常客。总的来说，他曾七次入选全明星，并在2008年至2018年间每年都打进季后赛。
尽管约翰逊因屡屡投中绝杀球和压哨球而闻名，但他目前仍处于名人堂的边缘地带，因为他职业生涯仅两次打进分区决赛——一次是职业生涯早期在菲尼克斯太阳，另一次是职业生涯后期作为休斯敦火箭的替补。对约翰逊来说不幸的是，他的巅峰期几乎与詹姆斯对东部联盟的统治期完全重合。
尽管如此，约翰逊依然是仅有的18位职业生涯累计达到20,000分、5,000个篮板和5,000次助攻的NBA球员之一。德马尔·德罗赞 (DeMar DeRozan) 是该俱乐部中唯一另一位名人堂前景尚存争议的成员，其余成员要么已经入选，要么是毫无悬念的未来人选。
Kyle Lowry
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
入选资格：2029年
2006年，当凯尔·洛瑞 (Kyle Lowry) 作为来自维拉诺瓦大学的首轮末位秀被选中时，他几乎没有展现出名人堂级别的上升轨迹。这位身高6英尺、斗志旺盛的控球后卫职业生涯前两个赛季在孟菲斯灰熊担任替补，并在第三个赛季中期被交易至休斯敦火箭。
洛瑞最终在多伦多猛龙找到了归宿，于2015年首次入选全明星（此后连续六年入选），并在2019年协助科怀·伦纳德 (Kawhi Leonard) 带领球队夺得队史首冠。在克里斯·波什 (Chris Bosh) 于2010年突然离队后，洛瑞凭借其极具竞争力的球风、得分能力以及作为场上指挥官掌控局势的能力，将猛龙打造为了一支季后赛常青树球队。洛瑞大器晚成的职业生涯轨迹让人联想到2024年入选名人堂的昌西·比卢普斯 (Chauncey Billups)。
洛瑞作为迈阿密热火和费城76人备受器重的老将领袖，将自己的职业生涯延长到了整整20年，并于今年夏天退役，职业生涯总计砍下超过16,000分和7,000次助攻。
在NBA历史上，只有15位球员突破了这些门槛；其中9人已是名人堂成员，另外4人是未来的名人堂成员（克里斯·保罗 (Chris Paul)、威斯布鲁克、詹姆斯和詹姆斯·哈登 (James Harden)）。相比该群体中唯一未入选名人堂的安德烈·米勒 (Andre Miller)，洛瑞加入这一行列的理由显然更充分。毕竟，米勒从未入选过全明星，也从未夺得过总冠军。
Shawn Marion
Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports
入选资格：已具备
斯塔德迈尔入选名人堂是“七秒或更少”太阳队的重大胜利，该队的教练迈克·德安东尼 (Mike D’Antoni) 今年也作为贡献者入选。史蒂夫·纳什 (Steve Nash) 及其队友虽然从未夺得过总冠军，但他们对现代篮球“空间与节奏”风格不可磨灭的影响理应获得高度认可。
肖恩·马里昂 (Shawn Marion) 会是下一个吗？这位身高6英尺7英寸的全能前锋拥有很多有利条件。“骇客”（The Matrix）征战了16个赛季，四次入选全明星，两次入选最佳阵容，是21世纪初太阳队的核心支柱，随后又作为首发帮助达拉斯小牛夺得2011年总冠军。
马里昂在攻防两端都用极具影响力的表现填满了数据栏：在得分、篮板、助攻、抢断和盖帽的职业生涯总数上，哈基姆·奥拉朱旺 (Hakeem Olajuwon) 和凯文·加内特 (Kevin Garnett) 是仅有的超越马里昂的球员。虽然马里昂从未像那些传奇巨星那样被要求独自扛起球队，但对于这样一位技术全面、高效且赢球的球员来说，斯普林菲尔德理应有他的一席之地。
Chris Paul
Scott Halleran/Getty Images
入选资格：2029年
保罗是典型的“首票名人堂”候选人：名人堂在今年2月发布了一条Instagram动态，展示了保罗身穿橙色夹克的照片，并注明了他将在2029年获得入选资格。
尽管保罗退役时被公认为未曾夺得过NBA总冠军的最伟大球员，但这位身高6英尺的控球后卫在他传奇的21年职业生涯中积累了堆积如山的成就。作为2005年的乐透秀和2006年的年度最佳新秀，他12次入选全明星，11次入选最佳阵容，9次入选最佳防守阵容，并入选了NBA历史75大巨星名单，诠释了何为持久的卓越。保罗的职业生涯总助攻数和抢断数均排名历史第二，胜利贡献值排名历史第五，胜场数排名历史第九。
名人堂需要为保罗冗长的入选视频预留额外的时间：他曾获得两枚奥运会金牌，在效力四支不同球队期间均在MVP投票中进入前十，并带领新奥尔良黄蜂、洛杉矶快船和休斯敦火箭打出令人难忘的季后赛表现，随后又带领菲尼克斯太阳闯入2021年总决赛。
当然，保罗因为强硬甚至有些小动作的球风以及固执的个性，结下了不少宿敌，也招致了许多批评。但即使是那些最讨厌他的人也不得不承认，他是NBA历史上最伟大的控球后卫之一。
Rajon Rondo
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
入选资格：已具备
道格·里弗斯 (Doc Rivers) 本周将作为教练入选名人堂，与他昔日在波士顿凯尔特人的弟子凯文·加内特、保罗·皮尔斯 (Paul Pierce) 和雷·阿伦 (Ray Allen) 齐聚一堂。那么，2008年凯尔特人夺冠阵容的另一位关键成员拉简·隆多 (Rajon Rondo) ，是否也会受邀加入这场盛宴呢？
这是一个棘手的问题：这位性格多变的控球后卫赢得了两枚总冠军戒指——第二枚是在2020年随湖人夺得——但退役时的场均数据仅为平淡的9.8分、4.5个篮板和7.9次助攻。
在巅峰时期，隆多是一位顶级的传球优先型场上指挥官，也是极具破坏力的外线防守者，并因在季后赛中总能提升状态而闻名。在效力凯尔特人期间，他四次入选全明星，并在六个赛季中三次荣膺联盟助攻王。
但隆多巅峰期较早，职业生涯后半程频繁更换球队，期间与多位教练和队友发生过冲突。虽然隆多的职业生涯总助攻数排名历史第15位，但排在他前面的马克·杰克逊 (Mark Jackson)、米勒和罗德·斯特里克兰 (Rod Strickland) 都还未能入选名人堂。
Derrick Rose
AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski
入选资格：2028年
德里克·罗斯 (Derrick Rose) 是检验名人堂一条潜规则的绝佳案例：NBA常规赛MVP总能入选。迄今为止，每一位具备资格且获得过MVP的NBA球员都成功入选了名人堂。
当然，罗斯在22岁赛季荣膺2011年MVP后不久，职业生涯便因一系列严重的膝伤而偏离了轨道。罗斯没能带领芝加哥公牛重返自迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan) 辉煌时代以来的首次总决赛，而是在20多岁后期被迫转型为替补角色，并在15年的职业生涯中辗转效力了六支球队。
由于因伤缺席了太多比赛，且在职业生涯后期出场时间受到限制，罗斯的数据履历并没有那么强的说服力。事实上，Basketball Reference给出的他入选名人堂的概率仅为10.5%——甚至低于肯巴·沃克 (Kemba Walker) 和萨姆·卡塞尔 (Sam Cassell) 等人。
但如果罗斯在NBA的同行中获得排山倒海般的支持，也不要感到意外，因为大家都记得他职业生涯早期所达到的高度。
别忘了，这位球风劲爆的控球后卫在芝加哥读高中时就引起了轰动，并在大一赛季入选全美最佳阵容，同时带领孟菲斯大学杀入NCAA总决赛。在2008年选秀大会上被选为状元并荣膺2009年年度最佳新秀后，罗斯在职业生涯的前四个赛季中三次入选全明星，并在25岁前获得了两枚国际篮联世界杯金牌。这些荣誉足够了吗？
Russell Westbrook
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
入选资格：2029年
威斯布鲁克是一位不知疲倦的后卫，他在2017年成为自NBA与ABA合并以来首位单赛季场均拿到三双的球员，并于周三宣布退役。“有时你甚至不知道自己已经见证了终点，”他在社交媒体上写道，“你必须身临其境。而现在，一切都结束了。”
这位2017年的常规赛MVP和九届全明星得主看起来毫无疑问将首轮投票即入选名人堂。尽管他效力的俄克拉荷马城雷霆在2012年总决赛（当时他23岁）中失利，且此后他再未打进过总决赛，但在整个20多岁的黄金年龄里，威斯布鲁克一直是NBA最优秀、最高产的球员之一。
威斯布鲁克固执的自信和源源不断的能量使他成为了建队基石，同时也让他成为了批评家们的众矢之的，他们质疑他的外线投篮和场上决策。尽管在季后赛中经历了一些艰难时刻，但他依然九次入选最佳阵容，连续四年在MVP投票中进入前五，在四个赛季中保持了场均三双的数据，并入选了NBA历史75大巨星名单。
这位2008年的乐透秀最著名的时期是在俄克拉荷马城，在那里他与杜兰特并肩作战，并在杜兰特于2016年离队后接过了球队的掌控权。在18年的职业生涯中，威斯布鲁克曾效力于七支球队，14次打进季后赛。他还获得了2010年国际篮联世界杯和2012年伦敦奥运会的金牌。
尽管威斯布鲁克职业生涯的后半程伴随着在几支球队短暂且有时充满争议的停留，但他的职业生涯长度使他的总助攻数排名历史第五，总得分和抢断数排名历史第14。更重要的是，詹姆斯是唯一一位在得分、篮板和助攻这三项数据上均超越威斯布鲁克职业生涯总和的球员。
由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
查看原文：The 11 NBA players on the Basketball Hall of Fame's waiting list
The 11 NBA players on the Basketball Hall of Fame’s waiting list
This year’s Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class is dominated by the WNBA: Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne and Chamique Holdsclaw will don the coveted orange jackets during Friday’s enshrinement ceremony, while six-time All-Star and 14-year veteran Amar’e Stoudemire will be the only NBA player inductee.
Looking ahead, the NBA should boast deeper Hall of Fame classes over the next three years. While ageless stars LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant keep pushing off retirement, a bunch of 2010s-era standouts are ready for consideration, including two no-brainer first-ballot selections.
Let’s examine 11 potential candidates for the next three Hall of Fame classes. Remember, Hall rules require that NBA players “must be fully retired for three full seasons before being eligible.”
LaMarcus Aldridge
Mary Altaffer/AP
Eligible: Now
Aldridge should feel great about Stoudemire’s induction.
Although Aldridge wasn’t a regular on highlight reels like high-flying contemporaries Stoudemire and Blake Griffin, the midrange maestro quietly went about his business and accumulated more than 20,000 career points and 8,000 career rebounds in his 16-year career. That’s rare air: Antawn Jamison is the only other retired player to hit those benchmarks who isn’t a Hall of Famer, and LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the only active players in the 20,000/8,000 club.
Aldridge’s career averages (19.1 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game, 20.7 player efficiency rating) are right there with Stoudemire’s numbers (18.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 21.8 PER), and he maintained them while playing nearly 10,000 more minutes than the former Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks star. While Aldridge never won a ring with the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs or Brooklyn Nets, he earned seven All-Star nods and racked up 115.6 career win shares – far more than either Stoudemire or Griffin, who was a 2026 Hall finalist.
Marc Gasol
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Eligible: Now
Gasol didn’t make the cut this year despite being an international nominee, but the Spanish center should be joining his brother Pau, a 2023 inductee, before long.
Gasol’s combined NBA and international résumé is simply too decorated to snub: A 2019 NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors, a 2013 Defensive Player of the Year award with the Memphis Grizzlies, and three All-Star selections, plus two Olympic silver medals, two FIBA World Cup gold medals and five EuroBasket medals as part of Spain’s “Golden Generation.”
Add it all up, and Gasol joins Nikola Jokic, Manu Ginobili and Draymond Green among the most accomplished second-round picks in NBA history.
Blake Griffin
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Eligible: Now
The former LA Clippers and Detroit Pistons star was a finalist for the 2026 class but came up short in his first year of eligibility. However, Stoudemire’s induction virtually guarantees that Griffin will join him in the near future.
The parallels between the two athletic power forwards are eerie: They both won Rookie of the Year, made six All-Star teams and earned five All-NBA selections before knee injuries took their toll. Meanwhile, Griffin’s career numbers (19.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 21.0 PER) mirror Stoudemire’s output.
Because Griffin’s résumé lacked a championship, Olympic gold medal or MVP, it’s understandable why he wasn’t a first-ballot selection. Still, the 2009 first overall pick helped transform the “Lob City” Clippers into the NBA’s most entertaining team and ushered in a new era for the dunk contest in 2011 by jumping over a car.
Andre Iguodala
Rob Carr/Getty Images
Eligible: Now
The weakest part of Iguodala’s Hall of Fame case is his modest box score numbers: 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
Those basic statistics hardly tell the story of a remarkable career that included four championships with the Golden State Warriors, a 2016 Finals MVP, two All-Defensive selections, a 2012 Olympic gold medal and a stint as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association.
Iguodala’s willingness to sacrifice a starting spot when he joined Stephen Curry’s Warriors in 2013 helped power the franchise to six Finals appearances between 2015 and 2022. The 2004 lottery pick played a vital role as a versatile defender, pass-first initiator and coach on the floor, and Golden State wasted no time retiring his No. 9 jersey in Feb. 2025.
Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Michael Cooper’s 2024 induction set a clear precedent for Iguodala to become a Hall of Famer: There’s a path to Springfield for an irreplaceable role player on a dynastic team, even if his statistical body of work leaves something to be desired.
Joe Johnson
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Eligible: Now
Johnson, who came out of retirement to play one game for the Boston Celtics in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, was a first-time nominee for the Hall this year.
This is classic Hall of Fame debate territory: Was the no-nonsense 6-foot-7 scorer great or merely very good? Johnson’s peak came with the Atlanta Hawks when he averaged more than 20 points per game for five straight years and was an All-Star Game regular. All told, he earned seven All-Star nods and reached the playoffs every year from 2008 to 2018.
While Johnson earned a reputation for hitting game winners and buzzer-beaters, he’s on the Hall of Fame bubble because he reached the conference finals only twice – early in his career with the Phoenix Suns and toward the end as a reserve for the Houston Rockets. Unfortunately for Johnson, his prime years lined up almost perfectly with LeBron James’ dominance of the Eastern Conference.
Still, Johnson is one of 18 NBA players who has compiled more than 20,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists. DeMar DeRozan is the only other member of that club whose Hall of Fame case is debatable; the rest are already in or no-brainer selections.
Kyle Lowry
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Eligible: 2029
Lowry was hardly on a Hall of Fame trajectory when he was a late first-round pick out of Villanova in 2006. The feisty 6-foot point guard spent his first two seasons coming off the bench for the Memphis Grizzlies and was traded to the Houston Rockets midway through his third season.
Lowry eventually found a home with the Toronto Raptors, earning his first of six consecutive All-Star selections in 2015 before helping Kawhi Leonard lead the franchise to its first championship in 2019. After Chris Bosh’s sudden departure in 2010, Lowry transformed the Raptors into a perennial playoff team with his competitive style of play, shotmaking skills and ability to control the action as a floor general. Lowry’s late-blooming narrative arc recalls Chauncey Billups, who was a 2024 Hall inductee.
Lowry stretched his career to two full decades as a valued veteran leader with the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, retiring this summer with more than 16,000 points and 7,000 assists for his career.
Only 15 players have surpassed those thresholds in NBA history; nine are Hall of Famers, and four others are future Hall of Famers (Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and James Harden). Lowry has a stronger case to join the club than Andre Miller, the only other member of this group who isn’t in the Hall of Fame. After all, Miller never made an All-Star team or won a championship.
Shawn Marion
Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports
Eligible: Now
Stoudemire’s entry into the Hall is a big win for the “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns, who also saw coach Mike D’Antoni inducted this year as a contributor. Steve Nash & Co. never won a championship, but their undeniable influence on the pace-and-space nature of modern basketball deserves major recognition.
Should Marion be next? The versatile 6-foot-7 forward has a lot going for him. “The Matrix” played 16 seasons, made four All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams, and was a linchpin for the early-2000s Suns before starting for the champion 2011 Dallas Mavericks.
Marion stuffed the stat sheet with high-impact plays on both ends: Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Garnett are the only players to exceed Marion’s career totals in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. While Marion was never asked to carry a team like those legends did, there should be a place in Springfield for such a complete, productive and winning player.
Chris Paul
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Eligible: 2029
Paul is a quintessential first-ballot candidate: The Hall of Fame put out an Instagram post in February featuring Paul in an orange jacket and noting his 2029 eligibility.
Though Paul retired as arguably the best player who never won an NBA championship, the 6-foot point guard stacked a mountain of achievements during his legendary 21-year career. The 2005 lottery pick and 2006 Rookie of the Year embodied consistent excellence as a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-Defensive selection, and a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. Paul ranks second in career assists and steals, fifth in career win shares and ninth in career wins.
The Hall of Fame will need to budget extra time for Paul’s lengthy enshrinement video: He won two Olympic gold medals, finished in the top 10 of MVP voting as a member of four different franchises, and made memorable playoff runs with the New Orleans Hornets, LA Clippers and Houston Rockets before leading the Phoenix Suns to the 2021 Finals.
Sure, Paul amassed his fair share of rivals and critics due to his chippy play and stubborn personality. But even his most ardent haters would acknowledge he’s one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.
Rajon Rondo
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Eligible: Now
Doc Rivers will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this week as a coach, joining his former Boston Celtics players Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Will Rondo, the other key member of the 2008 Celtics championship team, ever be invited to the party?
That’s a tricky question: The mercurial point guard won two rings – getting his second with the 2020 Lakers – but retired with ho-hum averages of 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game.
During his prime, Rondo was an elite pass-first floor general and disruptive perimeter defender with a reputation for raising his game in the playoffs. He earned four All-Star nods during his Celtics tenure and led the league in assists three times in six seasons.
But Rondo peaked early and hopped from team to team in the second half of his career, clashing with various coaches and teammates along the way. While Rondo ranks 15th in career assists, Mark Jackson, Andre Miller and Rod Strickland are all above him on the list and haven’t been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Derrick Rose
AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski
Eligible: 2028
Rose is a fascinating test case for one of the Hall of Fame’s unwritten rules: NBA MVPs always make it. To date, every eligible NBA player with an MVP award has earned induction.
Of course, Rose’s career was sent sideways by a series of major knee injuries not long after he was named 2011 MVP in his age-22 season. Rather than carrying the Chicago Bulls back to the Finals for the first time since the Michael Jordan glory days, Rose was forced to shift to a reserve role in his late 20s and wound up playing for six teams in his 15-year career.
Because he missed so much time due to injury and was limited in how many minutes he could handle later in his career, Rose’s statistical case isn’t all that compelling. In fact, Basketball Reference gives him just a 10.5% chance of making the Hall of Fame – below the likes of Kemba Walker and Sam Cassell.
But don’t be surprised if a groundswell of support for Rose’s induction builds among his NBA peers, who remember the heights he reached early in his career.
Remember, the electric point guard was a high school sensation in Chicago and an All-American while leading the University of Memphis to the NCAA title game during his freshman season. After being selected first in the 2008 draft and winning 2009 Rookie of the Year, Rose earned three All-Star selections in his first four seasons and won two FIBA World Cup gold medals by the age of 25. Is that enough?
Russell Westbrook
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Eligible: 2029
Westbrook, a relentless guard who in 2017 became the first player since the NBA/ABA merger to average a triple-double for a season, announced his retirement Wednesday. “Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end,” he wrote on social media. “You had to be there. And now it’s over.”
The 2017 MVP and nine-time All-Star looks like a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Though his Oklahoma City Thunder lost in the 2012 Finals during his age-23 season and he never again played for a championship, Westbrook was one of the NBA’s best and most productive players throughout his 20s.
Westbrook’s stubborn self-confidence and nonstop energy made him a franchise player and a lightning rod for critics, who questioned his outside shooting and decision-making. Despite some challenging moments in the playoffs, he earned nine All-NBA nominations, finished in the top five of MVP voting for four consecutive years, maintained a triple-double average for four seasons and landed on the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
The 2008 lottery pick was best known for his run in Oklahoma City, where he teamed with Kevin Durant and took the reins after Durant’s 2016 departure. Westbrook played for seven organizations and made the playoffs 14 times during his 18-year career. He also earned gold medals at the 2010 FIBA World Cup and 2012 London Olympics.
While the second half of Westbrook’s career was marked by short and sometimes contentious stops with several teams, his longevity enabled him to rank fifth all-time in assists and 14th in points and steals. What’s more, LeBron James is the only player who has exceeded Westbrook’s career totals in all three categories of points, rebounds and assists.
By Ben Golliver, via ESPN