Dan Majerle was one of the greatest players in Central Michigan’s basketball history. He earned All-MAC honors three seasons in a row (1986-88), and the Chippewas retired his number 44 years later. His college career landed him a First-Round pick in 1988 by the Phoenix Suns, the professional team he had his greatest success with.

The Suns fans were initially upset with Majerle’s selection.  He didn’t look like much, and he came from a smaller D1 school.  It didn’t take long for Majerle to win over the fan base, with his strong transition game, solid defense and long-range shooting.  Majerle was a Second Team Defensive Team in 1991 and 1993, mostly off the strength of ability to glove his opponents.  A three-time All-Star, Majerle led the NBA twice in 3-Point Field Goals twice (1993-94 & 1994-95).  He also played a large part in the Suns’ run to the NBA Finals in 1993, where they lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games.

After his peak in Phoenix, Majerle played for Cleveland for a year and then Miami for five, though his role reduced annually.  After a final year back with the Suns, Majerle retired with a solid basketball career behind. with a FIBA Gold Medal and a retired number with the Suns.  That sounds pretty good to us!

Dick Van Arsdale was a college star with the Indiana Hoosiers before he was drafted by the New York Knicks, where he played his first three seasons, but he was chosen by the expansion Phoenix Suns in the Expansion Draft and he became the face of the new team.

Van Arsdale developed a sweet mid-range shot, and coupled with his high free-throw ability, he was one of the most accurate shooters of his day.   The original Sun was an All-Star in his first three seasons in Phoenix.  In those All-Star years, Van Arsdale averaged over 21 Points per Game and was the main star for those struggling Suns squads. As he got older, Van Arsdale became a more competent defender and even won an All-Defensive (Second Team) Selection in 1973-74. 

He would later provide a veteran role on Phoenix’s first NBA Final in 1976, and would retire a year later.  Fittingly, Van Arsdale’s twin brother Tom was with him for his final campaign.

Six-time All-Star, Walter Davis, passed away today at the age of 69.

Davis was a First Team All-ACC player at the University of North Carolina, and won Gold at the 1976 Olympics for the United States.  Drafted ninth overall by the Phoenix Suns in 1977, Davis won the Rookie of the Year, and appeared in all of his All-Stars as a Sun.  He also played professional for Denver and Portland, and was one of the few deep threats of his day.

He accumulated 19,521 Points over his career, and had six 20-plus PPG seasons.  Davis was also twice a Second Team All-NBA selection.

Davis is ranked #13 on our Notinhalloffame.com list of those to consider for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and his #8 was retired by the Suns.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Walter Davis.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives. As such, it is important to us that the Phoenix Suns have announced that Shawn Marion and Amar’e Stoudemire will have their numbers retired and become members of their Ring of Honor.

Marion joined the Suns as the 9^th Overall Pick in 1999 after a good career at UNLV. The Forward went to four All-Star Games as a Sun, averaging 18.4 Points per Game over nine seasons. Twice a Third Team All-NBA Selection with Phoenix, Marion won an NBA Championship with Dallas in 2011.

Stoudemire was also a 9^th Overall Pick (2002) and won the NBA Rookie of the Year. A five-time All-Star with Phoenix, Stoudemire was a First Team All-NBA Selection in 2007, and added three Second Teams (2005, 2009 & 2010). He averaged 21.4 Points and 8.9 Rebounds per Game as a Sun.

Their numbers (Marion #31 & Stoudemire #32) will join Alvan Adams (#33), Charles Barkley (#34), Tom Chambers (#24), Walter Davis (#6), Connie Hawkins (#42), Kevin Johnson (#7), Dan Majerlie (#9), Steve Nash (#13), Dick Van Arsdale (#5) and Paul Westphal (#44). Jerry Colangelo, Cotton Fitzsimmons, John MacLeod, Al McCoy and Joe Proski are also members of the Ring of Honor.

The date of their inductions has yet to be determined.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Shawn Marion and Amar’e Stoudemire for earning this impending honor.

Pre-2022-23 Rank: #38, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #32.

*Positional Notes:  Booker played more at Point Guard last year.

*Peak Period: From to 2017-18 to 2023-24.  Booker should remain in his peak period after this upcoming season.

Booker had the highest debut in the pre-2022-23 ranking, and the flashy Guard led the Suns to a 2021 NBA Final.  An All-Star four of the last five seasons, Booker added his second All-NBA Selection last year (Third Team), but the Suns have not gelled with the addition of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.  Phoenix enters the year as a team searching for an identity, and if Booker reclaims that for the Suns, he will see another jump on the list. 

Pre-2019-20 Season: #44, Pre-2020-21 Season: #41, Pre-2021-22 Rank: #37, Pre-2022-23 Rank: #37, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #33

Peak Period: 2016-17 to 2022-23

Beal completed 11 seasons in Washington, where he almost won a scoring title, had two 30-plus PPG years, and went to three All-Star Games, but the Wizards were a low-profile team, and Beal was never in that top-tier or even considered a must-watch player.  That was expected to change as he joined Phoenix in 2023 as the final piece to the championship puzzle, but Beal and the Suns slumped, and the Guard had his worst year to date.

The Hall of Fame dream is likely over if he cannot rebound this season.

Pre-2020-21 Rank: #2, Pre-2020-21 Rank: #2, Pre-2021-22 Rank: #2, Pre-2022-23 Rank: #2, Pre-2023-24 Season Rank: #2

When we started this project in 2020, Kevin Durant was ranked #2 behind only LeBron James.

It felt right (and it still might be where KD should be). Establishing himself as a superstar with Oklahoma City, where he took them to the Finals in 2012, Durant grew frustrated as the small market team looked to miss their window to win it all.  He joined Steph Curry and Golden State, where he won two championships.

Following a devastating injury, Durant was expected to lead a new big three (with James Harden & Kyrie Irving) in Brooklyn, but that resulted in a documentary-level implosion, with all three forcing trades out.  KD’s landing spot was Phoenix, but Durant’s team crumbled around him like in Brooklyn. 

Durant, who made history Internationally as the highest scorer ever in Olympic history, is already a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and nothing will change that.  However, his legacy has taken a beating and is more complex by the year, and as such, he drops to #3 behind his former teammate, Steph Curry.

There is a lot to dissect when you are speaking about the career of Stephon Marbury, who as a player put up some impressive numbers.  The Point Guard had seven seasons with a PER over 20, would have the most Assists in the 2003/04 Season and averaged 19.3 Points per Game.  “Starbury” would go to two All-Star Games and was twice a Third Team All-NBA selection.  That is the positive part but, in the NBA, he left nothing but scorched earth behind him.  He wanted out of Minnesota, the team that drafted him as he allegedly disliked being in Kevin Garnett’s shadow.  He played well in New Jersey but couldn’t take them to the playoffs and the Point Guard they traded him for (Jason Kidd) took them all the way to the Finals.  His tenure in New York resulted in multiple clashes with coaches and the Knicks rarely were good while he was there.  He did however become a leader, team player and champion in the Chinese League, but that probably won’t factor much in the overall Hall of Fame calculation.

From prep to Rookie of the Year, Amar’e Stoudemire suffered the way many big men have in the past: countless knee problems.  While that was true, Amar’e was a dominating scoring presence in the paint, earning six All-Star appearances and averaging over 20 Points per Game for seven seasons.  Along with Steve Nash, Stoudemire made the Phoenix Suns Championship contenders and hoped to do the same with the New York Knicks and though he got off to a good start, his knee problems would keep him from living up to his full potential, and he would later close out his career in the Isreali League, a country that he adopted as his homeland.

We waited a little bit before we decided to discuss the retirement of Amar’e Stoudemire from the National Basketball Association at the age of 33.  Perhaps it was because it is not know at this time if he will continue to play overseas or because we are not even certain that this will hold.  Regardless, we are going to do that now and ask the question we always ask when we have a retirement of this magnitude; is Amar’e Stoudemire a Hall of Famer?

Coming out of High School as the 9th overall pick in the 2002 Draft, The Phoenix Suns had an immediate star as the big man won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.  He helped elevate Phoenix to an NBA Championship contender, pairing with Steve Nash forming one of the most devastating pairings in professional basketball. 

Five times with the Suns, Stoudemire would make the All-Star Team and he was named a Second Team All-NBA selection three times and a First Team Selection once.  In 2007, he would finish second in MVP voting to the eventual winner, Kobe Bryant.

Opting out of his contract with Suns, Amar’e Stoudemire joined Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks and was still in superstar form, earning another All Star Game appearance and a Second Team All-NBA nod.  Injuries would however pile up and season after season the 6’ 10’’ Stoudemire would become a shell of what he once was.  He would finish his career with stints with Dallas and Miami.

On Tuesday, Stoudemire signed with the Knicks and announced his NBA retirement, proudly stating “Once a Knick, Always a Knick” (though his run in Phoenix was far superior). 

Although Amar’e has no college resume (which can factor in the to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame) his five All-NBA selections put him on the black side of the Springfield ledger.  He has good career number with a PER of 21.8 and 92.5 Win Shares, though his relatively low VORP (16.81) might raise a few eyebrows and his career Rebounds/Game are not huge for a man his size.

Stating that, Amar’e Stoudemire is a player who competed in the NBA All-Star Game six times; a number that equates to many as a Hall of Famer, though we aren’t ready to usher him in just yet.

He will be eligible for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021 and will likely be placed on the lower end of our top ten of our Notinhalloffame.com Basketball List.  With Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan eligible the same year, Amar’e won’t get in immediately, and this is one case where if he got inducted in his second year or never, the result would yield equal surprise.

Still, we would like to thank Amar’e for the wonderful run and the memories he gave fans in Phoenix, New York and the NBA fans world over.  It was a great career!

The Phoenix Suns announced that Steve Nash will become the 14th man to enter their Ring of Honor.  That will take place at halftime of this season’s home game with the Portland Trail Blazers on October 30th.

The Canadian raised Point Guard had his best seasons with Phoenix where he would become a two time MVP winner and earned six of his eight All Star Appearances.  He is currently the franchise’s leader in Assists, Three Pointers and Free Throw Percentage and as a Sun he had an average of 14.5 Points and 9.4 Assist per Game along with a PER of 20.8.

The future Hall of Famer will join a Ring that includes Charles Barkley, Tom Chambers and Dan Majarle.

Congratulations to Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns!

Shawn Marion’s nickname of “The Matrix” might just be one of the best (and appropriate) in not just basketball but all of sports.   Marion could do it all. He was a scorer, a rebounder and a solid defender and could fill whatever void you needed.

As he announced earlier in the year, Shawn Marion followed through on his retirement plans following the Cleveland Cavaliers loss in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors.  Marion, who is 37, is coming off career lows in the NBA, but did have a productive sixteen year career in the Association. 

Marion was drafted ninth overall by the Phoenix Suns in 1999 out of UNLV and was instantly dubbed the “Matrix”.  The versatile forward would have his best seasons with Phoenix, going to four All Star Games and being named to the All NBA Third Team twice.  Following a very productive nine year run with the Suns, he would be traded to the Miami Heat, and later go the Raptors, but his crowning accomplishment would come with his fourth team, the Dallas Mavericks.

While Marion was in Dallas, he was a member of the surprising championship team of 2011 that defeated the first attempt of Miami’s “Big Three” of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.  Marion was no longer an All Star, but still a productive member of the team and he joined Cleveland last season with the hope of chasing another.

Marion is an interesting candidate for the Basketball Hall of Fame as is one of the few players who has 17,000 career Points, 10,000 career Rebounds, 1,500 Steals and 1,000 career Blocks.  He retires with a PER of 18.8 and 15.2 Points per Game, very good numbers, but this is a player that was never considered the best at his position or even on his own team. 

Saying all of that, we here at Notinhalloffame.com will slot Marion at a high number once he is on the list in five years.

Len “Truck” Robinson fit his nickname and could very well be the very definition of a power forward.  He was a “truck” underneath, using his incredible strength to dominate.  A great rebounder Truck also had the ability to score and developed a great mid range game.  Injuries limited his career totals and this will hurt his chances, however fans of the NBA before the Bird-Magic liftoff remember how dominant he could be.

Like Christian Laettner, Danny Manning is one of the great college players ever, almost singlehandedly carrying Kansas to a national title in 1988.  His pro career was marked with frequent injuries and playing on some bad teams.  He was a two time All-Star and if anyone could get in for one remarkable month of basketball it would be Manning.  Manning was also elected to the college hall in 2008 thus greatly reducing his chances of getting into the main Hall in Springfield.

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. 

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.

Larry Nance was a very solid forward in the NBA who is most known for winning the first All-Star game slam dunk competition in a huge upset.  At 6 foot 11, Nance was a player that could flat get up in the air, but he was much more than just a dunker. 

Jeff Hornacek was a late second round pick out of Iowa State where he had played point guard.  His ability to pass was often overlooked later in his career as he is currently in the top fifty in career assists.  One of the great shooters in the history of the league, Hornacek was a great third scoring option on two different title contenders.  Best known for his play with the Jazz when they challenged the Bulls in back to back years, Hornacek's consistency helps his chances but the fact he was never even the second best player on teams that didn’t win greatly hamper his Hall of Fame chances.

Paul Silas is one of the most respected players of his generation.  Never a star, Silas was a workmanlike power forward that was at his best coming off the bench and bringing the muscle to the court.  A great rebounder and defender, Silas was an integral part of three championship teams, two in Boston and one in Seattle.  A long career highlighted by being on winners and collecting over 12,000 rebounds (currently 20th on the all time list) have overshadowed a great college career.