Basketball
Of the four Halls of Fame comprising the “Big Four” of the North American sports, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is the one that is the hardest for many casual fans to figure out.Established in 1959, though there was no physical building for a decade, the Basketball Hall of Fame would take root in Springfield, Massachusetts. While the popularity of Basketball has skyrocketed over the past 20 years, the Hall of Fame has not grown nearly at the same pace.
Why is that?
It is because the very thing that was designed to make it special is what makes it convoluted.
The Baseball Hall of Fame, with the primary exception of the Negro Leagues, focuses only on those who participated in Major League Baseball.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame only looks at the National Football League.
The Hockey Hall of Fame does look at International contributions but with the exception of two players who played their career in the Soviet Red Army, all players had at one time plied their trade in the National Hockey League.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame looks at everything. This includes College, International, Women and in some cases High School.
Every year, there are finalists where even the most devote basketball fans are trying to figure out who those people are, and when that happens, the cache value of the Hall naturally shrinks.
For our purposes, we will only look at those who were in the National Basketball Association as let’s face it…that is what most of us care about the most!
Until then, go for the three!
Sincerely,
The Notinhalloffame.com Committee
A two-time WCC Player of the Year from Santa Clara, Kenny Sears was drafted fifth overall in 1955 by the New York Knicks. Sears, who had previously made history as the first basketball player to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated was a two-time All-Star with New York. Sears was a more than competent Forward and finished eighth in MVP voting in 1957 and 1959. He was also a competent shooter who twice led the…
Lafayette “Fat” Lever was a two-time All-PAC 10 Selection at Arizona State, and the defensively skilled Point Guard was drafted by Portland 11th Overall in 1982. Lever played for Portland for only two years before he was traded to Denver, and in Mile High he became s atarter. Lever’s first two seasons as a Nugget saw him average 13.3 Points, 7.5 Assists and 2.4 Steals, but the four years that followed were the best of…
One of the great unsung big men of the 70s, Sam Lacey led tiny New Mexico State to a Final Four in 1970 and still got no respect. Perhaps this was because fellow big men Bob Lanier and Artis Gilmore were at this same Final Four! He was one of the most consistent rebounders and defenders of the 1970s for the Kings and may be their most popular player ever. Of course, we are referring…
Bob Boozer was an unsung and almost forgotten forward who was a two time All-American at Kansas State and a key member of the Milwaukee Bucks championship team run in 1971. Fifteen points a game with eight boards are not incredible but they are solid numbers and his long career should help. He also sat out the 1959 season playing AAU basketball over the NBA so he could still be eligible for the 60 Olympic…
Despite having the nickname of “Stevie Franchise”, Steve Francis never led his team in College or the Pros to a Championship. It was not that he wasn’t good, as the Point Guard was a three time All-Star who put up decent statistics through his tenure, but he was more known for showcasing his athletics dunks and speed, than his overall game. He was a good scorer, but a little too turnover prone and for a…
“Stormin” Norman was one of the most popular Bulls players ever. Van Lier teamed with Jerry Sloan to form one of the most ferocious backcourts in league history. The two super tough and defensive mined players were perfect compliments of each other. He was a great assist man and tenacious defender who probably does not have the career statistics to get in but is a legend in Chicago.
Mr. Phoenix Sun. The team leader in several categories Alvan Adams came from Oklahoma as fourth overall pick in 1975 and made an instant impact. He led the Suns to the NBA Finals in his rookie year and they almost pulled off an improbable upset of the Celtics.
Derek Harper was the partner in crime and backcourt mate of Rolando Blackman for almost a decade in Dallas. Ironically the closest they ever came to a title is when they were both traded to the Knicks and they came within one game of winning the championship in 1994. Harper was one of the best all around point guards of his era as he was a great defender who had size and quickness and could…
With the phenomenal nickname of "Z-Bo," Zach Randolph played one year at Michigan State before declaring for the NBA Draft. It was the Portland Trail Blazers who would take him 19th overall, and he became the starting Power Forward two years later. That season, Randolph won the Most Improved Player of the Year Award and had his first 20/10 year. He would accomplish the 20/10 feat again in 2006-07.
Archie Clark was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers 37th overall from Minnesota in 1966. With that draft spot, it can be ascertained that he took the NBA by surprise when he averaged over 10 Points per Game and was third in Rookie of the Year voting. One of the early utilizers of the crossover dribble, Clark was often referred to as “Shake and Bake.” Stylistically, he has one of the sweetest shots in the…
A great shooter throughout his long career, Johnson scored more points (over 19,000) of any player never to make an All-Star game. Please do not confuse him with Fast Eddie Johnson, the point guard and a criminal who is incarcerated for life in Florida for many crimes. This Eddie is the real deal and a great player who was clutch throughout his career and had the smoothest jump shot this side of Silk Wilkes.
Here is another candidate where we have to go way back in the time machine, so much so that we predate the NBA by years. Playing his college ball at Emory and Henry, Glenn Roberts was a one-man scoring factory posting numbers that were unheard of at the time. Playing college ball from 1931 to 1935, Roberts averaged 19.4 Points per Game, which may not sound like it is elite, but remember the following: There…
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Playing all but one season with the Milwaukee Bucks, Michael Redd came out of Ohio State with a sweet shot and huge potential. Despite being a late pick in the NBA Draft, Redd would be a prolific scorer for Milwaukee until a severe ACL injury rendered him into a shell of his former self. Redd retired with a Points per Game Average of 19.0 with a PER of 19.7 which while decent, may not be…
When you think of selfless Point Guards of the 1970s, Kevin Porter has to be one of the first names that comes to mind, but since he did not play with any contender with the exception of the 1975 Washington Bullets, he isn’t in that conversation. Playing collegiately at Saint Francis where his number was eventually retired, Porter would lead the NBA four times in Assists, averaging 8.1 over his career. Porter was also an…
Jeff Malone was just another pedestrian shooting guard who will never get in though he scored over 17,000 points at a 19 point per game average. If you look at the previous entry, the Hall of Fame just does not like shooters.
Will Derek Fisher ever get into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame? No, but he deserves to be honored at a high level somewhere. Derek Fisher was the consummate role player, an outspoken leader and the perfect floor general, which made up for a lack of natural ability. No other guard could have complimented Kobe Bryant better, and he was not just along for the ride in those five championships for the Lakers; he helped…
Jack Coleman was a dual-sport athlete at Louisville, where he played football and basketball, but it was the latter where he became a nine-year professional. Coleman might be best known for being on the wrong end of a Bill Russell block in 1957 when his Hawks lost to Russell’s Celtics, but Coleman was a two-time NBA Champion, having anchored the Rochester Royals to a title in 1951 and the Hawks to one in 1958. An…