When you are nicknamed the “Glove” it is expected that you are one of the greatest defensive players of all time.  This is exactly what you get with Gary Payton. 

A highly recruited player out of high school, Rashard Lewis was a successful forward who would forego university and go right to the pros. Lewis would prove to be a sweet shooter from behind the arc and would lead the NBA in three point field goals made in the 2008-09 season. The two time All Star would earn a championship ring with the Miami Heat as a role player and retired with a respectable 14.9 Points per Game Average and a 16.9 PER; though respectable does not a Hall of Famer make.

The X-Man was the first player in NCAA history to lead the country in both scoring and rebounding; McDaniel was a stud at Wichita State.  His pro career was solid as a forward who used his emotions to his advantage and was as tough as he looked.  A legend in Seattle especially after his wonderful cameo in the Grunge movie Singles where during a fantasy sequence, one of the male leads (played by Campbell Scott) fantasized about a locker room interview with McDaniel so that he won’t prematurely ejaculate with the lovely Kyra Sedgwick.   McDaniel stops in mid sentence and renders the now infamous line “Steve, Don’t Cum Yet”.  That scene alone is enough to get him on this list.

Tom Chambers perfectly defined the new role of the big man.  At six foot eleven he could run like a shooting guard and could finish anything.  His jump shot was unblockable due to his size and though he never was a great post player, he did not shy away from contact. Chambers scored over 20,000 career points and made four All-Star games. He was not on winning teams but Chambers was a great offensive player and players today such as Dirk Nowitzki owe their careers to his influence in changing the way the game thought of big men.

Gus Williams had a very solid career in the NBA highlighted by being a member of back to back NBA finalists in Seattle. “The Wizard” as he was known, teamed with Hall of famer Dennis Johnson in the Sonic backcourt.  Williams was not just a key member of the team that won a title in ‘79, he was the catalyst.  He averaged 28.6 points a game in the final to lead Seattle to an upset over the Washington Bullets. 

“Downtown” Fred Brown really was the epitome of instant offense off the bench.  A true legend in Seattle, Brown played his entire career scoring almost 15,000 points mostly with long range bombs hence the aforementioned nickname.  Captain of the '79 team that won the title, Brown led the league in three point shooting percentage in 1980, the first year of the new rule.  Unfortunately, this rule was way into his career because Freddy used to launch the rock from anywhere.  If the three point line were in effect during Downtown’s career he may have led the league in scoring a few years; he was that good from long distance.

Detlef Schrempf was the complete package.  He could score, pass, rebound, run the court and really shoot.  His ability to do everything made him the perfect sixth man; and he had that really cool German name.  People tend to forget that he (not Dirk Nowitzki) was the first European star to hit the NBA.  That has got to count for something!  He had a very solid career, but not spectacular and never playing on a winner; though he did come close with Seattle, hurts his overall Hall chances.  Nevertheless, Schrempf is in the FIBA Hall of Fame, and could sneak in the Naismith Hall via the International Committee.

Dale Ellis was a great shooter, although we don’t think the Basketball Hall of Fame likes shooters.  His 19,000 career points and sixth position all time in three pointers easily gets him on this list.  Quite simply, he was a great shooter at Tennessee, he was a great shooter in Milwaukee and he was a great shooter in Seattle.  Oh and did we mention that he played forever?

Shawn Kemp was one of the most popular and productive players of the 1990s. He came straight out of high school as Seattle’s First Round with the body of a Greek God and was considered one of the best pure athletes in the NBA. Kemp struggled as a rookie, but the Power Forward averaged over 15 Points and 9 Rebounds over the next two years while adopting the nickname of the “Reign Man,” one of the best nicknames of the sport.

Along with Gary Payton, Kemp and the SuperSonics emerged as contenders.  Seattle won the Western Conference Finals, though they lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.  Though Kemp did not win a title with Seattle, from 1992-93 to 1996-97m he was one of the best players in the game.  In that five-year period, Kemp was a perennial All-Star, earned three Second Team All-NBAs and averaged well over a double-double with strong blocking numbers.   The Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Kemp in 1997, but before long, it was evident he was not the same “Reign Man.”

Kemp was still a very good player in his first two years with the Cavaliers, adding a sixth All-Star in 1997-98, and had a career-high 20.5 Points per Game the year after.  While he was still productive, his weight was becoming a problem, and as he got older, it became a bigger problem.  Kemp was traded to Portland, and was unable to average 10 Points per Game and was demoted to the bench.  He played two years there, then a final one in Orlando before he retored.

Kemp’s recent legal troubles involving a connection to a drive-by shooting won’t help his Hall of Fame cause, as did other past drug arrests, and his weight problems.  That should not negate what he did accomplish on the court, which was very impressive.