The Basketball Hall of Fame or Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame It is the highest institution in charge of honoring the past and history of this sport. A place where some of the most important objects of all time in North American competitions rest and that over the years has become a meeting place and an inescapable event for all fans and followers.
The best players in history make up a list of names where the greatness of their careers and successes is recognized, however, there are still figures who have not been included in the Hall of Fame despite the fact that their trajectory and statistics justify it.
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In the 2021 edition justice has been done with two players who should have been in the Hall of Fame long ago as Chris Webber and Bob Dandridge. Therefore, from NBA.com Global We highlight 5 other legends that, due to what has been done in the past, deserve the consideration of being included.
The method used to choose one over the other has been both statistics Win Shares, the metric that measures a player’s impact on collective success, and Hall of Fame odds according to the formula Basketball Reference.
Before doing so, it is necessary to clarify that there are still some retired players who do not meet the minimum requirements to be able to pass the vote. By Hall of Fame rules, this veteran must have spent 4 full seasons since retirement before being eligible, and may enter the voting in his fifth year off the field. In that sense, some of the names that will be in the near future could be Pau Gasol (144.1 Win Shares; 93.3% odds), Dirk Nowitzki (206.4, 100%), Vince Carter (125.3, 94.4%), Dwyane Wade (120.7, 100%) , Tony Parker (111.3; 93.8%), Manu Ginobili (106.4, 20%) or Amar’e Stoudemire (92.5; 72.9%)
Shawn marion
- Win Shares: 124
- Odds: 75.5%
The glue of all the teams he was on. Shawn Marion was throughout the more than 1000 games that he played the piece that gave meaning to the system, both in attack and defense. A player whose technical characteristics should not have gone from a good complement ended up becoming, thanks to his context, an essential, especially in his time at Phoenix Suns. A modern forward who shone for his power and physical display, as well as for opening the court very well.
Among those who have not yet been inducted into the Hall of Fame, Matrix is the one that more Win Shares achieved in his career, in addition to having a PER of 18.8, the metric that measures the impact of a player at the level of efficiency.
Chauncey billups
- Win Shares: 120
- Probabilities: 84.4%
One of the great absences year after year in the Hall of Fame voting. Billups was one of the safest, correct and determining bases of the early twentieth century, as well as one of those who best knew how to adapt his career to the needs of his context. Over the years, their offensive efficiency declined, but not their importance in their respective teams. For example, until he was 35 years old, he still averaged 15 points and 4 assists on average before starting an expected physical decline.
A two-time All-Defensive, three-time All-NBA and 2004 Finals MVP, the current Blazers coach should be inducted into the Hall of Fame later than soon.
Tim hardaway
- Win Shares: 85
- Odds: 79.1%
One of the most electric point guards and scorers of the 90s when being one was quite a challenge given the circumstances and the context of the NBA at that time. Hardaway was the soul of Don Nelson’s Run & Gun Warriors, who displayed an unusual offensive effectiveness at the time, which earned the manager to be an All-Star in 3 of his first 4 seasons before injuring a knee. Over the years, the Chigago native was reconverting himself into a more solid and leisurely base, shining in the Miami Heat in a radically opposite scenario.
Year after year Hardaway has been in the voting to enter, but has not managed to be definitively chosen despite being a 5-time All-NBA, 5-time All-Star, having scored more than 15,000 points and distributed 7,000 assists, something only available to 15 players in history.
Paul silas
- Win Shares: 79.9
- Probabilities: 12.7%
If there is an example of a player committed to his role on the team, there was no better than Paul Silas. A tireless worker who made an art of his role, being one of these figures capable of defending even when it is their turn to attack. After a difficult career start with the Hawks, Silas reached his best individual performance in the Phoenix Suns first and then in the Boston Celtics, where he won two championships, being vital in the latter destination to help Dave Cowens realize his full potential.
Your chances of entering according to the formula are quite low, but that has a lot to do with the fact that your profile was eminently defensive, achieving 5 All-Defensive nominations in a time where the Best Defender award did not yet exist, otherwise he probably would have won it. In fact, it is unot of the 45 players with the most Defensive Win Shares they have accumulated in their entire trajectory (51.1%), ahead of others such as Gary Payton or Mark Eaton.
Larry costello
- Win shares: 62.7
- Odds: 71%
A case similar to that of Carl Braun in 2019 or Richie Guerin in 2013, players whose contribution at the dawn of the game was capital in a very difficult time for the NBA and basketball in general, which had little to do with today. In fact, Costello was one of the legends of the mythical Syracuse Nationals of the 50s, where he became one of the linchpins of his fantastic defensive style under Alex Hannum. A unique competitor and a player from another era, whose two-handed shooting technique always made clear that he belonged to a generation that made the expansion of the game and the establishment of the league possible.
Sooner or later, Costello will end up entering the Hall of Fame like other pioneers before him.
- Honorable mentions: Buck Williams (120, 7.9%), Tom Chambers (79, 5.2%), Detlef Schrempf (109.5, 3.2%), Rasheed Wallace (105.1, 8.6%)
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA or its organizations.