Basketball Hall of Fame: Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Tamika Catchings are among the players who have recently entered the Hall; there is still a sizable class of deserving players waiting outside the gates. And it’s about time guys like Ben Wallace, who must wait in the queue behind someone like Dino Radja and whoever reasonably successful college coach manages to get in, get to move up.
The Hall of Fame is undoubtedly for the greatest of the best, but it also needs to honour important individuals, overlooked accomplishments, and, most importantly, more players who can dunk the ball with absolute impunity. Here is our ranking of the top Basketball Hall of Fame who have not yet been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Top Players Who Are Not In The Basketball Hall of Fame
1) Paul Pierce and Chris Bosh
These two players are being combined since they are essentially locked to be inducted in 2021. Paul Pierce was selected for ten All-Star teams compared to Chris Bosh’s eleven. Bosh, a member of the 2012 and 2013 NBA champion Miami Heat, made it to the Finals four times in a row, while Pierce won Finals MVP honours with the 2008 Boston Celtics. Pierce is the one who is most likely to be pushed into the Basketball Hall of Fame while seated in a wheelchair, but Bosh might have received even more honours had a blood clot issue not cut short his career.
2) Chris Webber
One of the best power forwards of his period and maybe the best passer of all time was C-Webb. He was the greatest player for two of the most adored basketball squads in history, the Fab Five Michigan Wolverines and the Sacramento Kings in the early 2000s. In addition to being a fantastic athlete, he also produced music for Nas, dated Tyra Banks, and was one of the greatest performers in “Uncle Drew,” just behind Tiffany Haddish and just in front of Shaq.
3) Tim Hardaway
Tim Hardaway, who played for the “Run TMC” Warriors and was named to three straight All-Star teams, tore his knee ligament and missed the whole season, but he somehow recovered to become an even greater player. When he played for Miami in 1997, he finished fourth in the MVP vote, shot 44 percent from three, and advanced to the Conference Finals. Although Hardaway made horrendous homophobic remarks in 2007, to his credit, he started collaborating with LGBT organisations, and by 2013, he had been the first signer of a petition to legalise homosexual marriage in Florida.
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4) Robert Horry
Defence is often said to win championships, but Robert Horry actually does. Horry won two championships with the Houston Rockets, three more with the Los Angeles Lakers, and then another two with the San Antonio Spurs. Not by chance either. “Big Shot Rob” excelled in important games. Horry had four three-pointers and blocked five shots in Game 1 of the 1995 Finals. In Games 2 and 3, he had seven steals and a game-winning three-pointer. With a miraculous buzzer-beater in Game 4 of the Conference Finals in 2002, he rescued the Lakers. Horry scored 21 points in Game 5 of the 2005 Finals, including five three-pointers, a spectacular slam over Rip Hamilton, the game-winning jumper in overtime, and other key plays.
Horry will likely be elected into the Hall of Fame if voters wait until the very last minute to cast their ballots.
5) Lou Hudson
Lou Hudson scored 26.4 points per game in his 11 seasons with the Hawks and appeared in six consecutive All-Star games from 1970 to 1975. Had he not served a year in the military early in his career, his career totals would have been significantly greater. His smooth jumper, which was noticeably superior to ‘smooth Lou’ Piniella’s outside shot, earned him the moniker ‘Sweet Lou’ for the first time in NBA history.
6) Rasheed Wallace
In NBA history, Rasheed Wallace may be the coolest player. In addition to being a great player, he merits praise for his outstanding carol singing and for popularising the expressions “ball don’t lie,” “cut the bill” and “both teams played hard.” In 2004, he won the NBA title, and that year he paid to have championship belts produced for his teammates. He also just missed winning Game 7s in 2000, 2005, and 2010. Even though he made four All-Star teams, despite being one of the league’s sharpest and finest defensive players, he didn’t win many awards because he didn’t care. In terms of technical fouls, he ranks third all-time, behind Karl Malone and Charles Barkley, both Hall of Famers. In fact, Rasheed Wallace’s page is the one that appears when you type “technical fouls” into the Basketball Reference search box.
7) Bob Feerick
Bob Feerick was a standout player throughout the five years of his brief NBA career, earning first-team all-NBA honours in 1947 and 1948. He was in fact a finalist for the NBA’s 25th Anniversary Team due to his exceptional play. After his playing career, Feerick continued to work in the game as a coach, general manager, and director of player personnel. He shouldn’t be punished because a professional basketball league didn’t exist until he was 26 years old.
8) Ben Wallace
Some contend that Ben Wallace’s brief peak disqualifies him from the Hall of Fame. But that “short peak” includes a championship, five all-NBA teams, four straight Defensive Player of the Year accolades, and four All-Star berths. Despite being closer to 6-foot-6 than his official height of 6-foot-9, Big Ben still managed to lead the league in both blocks and rebounds. Since the basketball Hall of Fame is terrified of him, it hasn’t admitted him yet despite the fact that his attitude and hairdo kept rival players out of the paint for a decade.
9) Larry Costello
10) Larry Foust
The most All-Star appearances of any non-Hall of Famer were eight by Larry Foust (far left in the picture). He was chosen by the Chicago Stags, who you would not recognise as they disbanded before Foust had the opportunity to make a single appearance for them. He was selected with the fifth overall pick, meaning that the Orlando Magic would have folded before Mo Bamba could have joined them. Foust, who Hot Rod Hundley dubbed “Desert Head” because of his baldness, may have been fired because he played in the low-scoring pre-shot-clock period; he memorably hit the deciding basket in the NBA game with the fewest points ever scored, a 19-18 victory. Later, while playing for the Lakers, Foust was on the team plane when it crashed in a snowy cornfield.
I don’t think that’s the slightest bit humorous, Foust’s wife responded when he called to let her know he was still alive. “When you’re sober, call me again.”
11) Shawn Kemp
12) Bobby Jones
For the Philadelphia 76ers, Bobby Jones was a fantastic all-around player who was so efficient coming off the bench that the NBA instituted the Sixth Man of the Year award in his honour as the first recipient. Since he was first-team All-Defense in the ABA and NBA for 10 years in a row with the Nuggets and Sixers, he is Tony Allen’s all-time hero. He was selected for five All-Star teams, led his club to the 1983 title, and never once objected to a foul call. Dr. J says of the player, “He’s totally selfless, runs like a deer, jumps like a gazelle, plays with his head and heart each night, and then walks away from the court as if nothing happened.”
13) Walter Davis
The Phoenix Suns’ Walter Davis was an All-Star six times. A cocaine scandal in the mid-80s, which included two stays in rehab, ruined his stellar career and prolific scoring (he finished just shy of 20,000 career points). However, he continued to score for the Denver Nuggets after moving from Phoenix, and the Suns eventually retired his number. He deserves to be in the Nickname Hall of Fame, if for no other reason than the fact that his play gave rise to several nicknames including “Greyhound,” “Candyman,” and “The Man With The Velvet Touch.”
14) Bob Dandridge
15) Glen Rice
Glen Rice has accomplished a lot of amazing things in basketball. With Shaq and Kobe with the Lakers, he won an NBA championship. In 1989, he and Michigan won an NCAA title, and he was named Most Outstanding Player. He was the first star for the Miami Heat, won the Three-Point Shootout in 1995, was selected to three All-Star teams, and his career three-point percentage was 40 percent. Rice needs to be honoured, even if only for being the first NBA All-celebrity to have relationships with a potential vice presidential candidate. In the present three-ball-heavy era, Rice would have been an even larger celebrity.
16) Tom Chambers
The most of any qualifying player who is not in the Basketball Hall of Fame, Tom Chambers concluded his career with 20,049 points. He once had a game with 60 points and was named MVP of “the most memorable All-Star game ever” in 1987. He was a 6-foot-10 scoring forward who was more of a “posterize Mark Jackson” four than a stretch four. He still has enough money left after 20,000 career points to beat up a young scamp for speaking trash.
17) Bill Bridges
Bill Bridges should be considered for induction if the Basketball Hall of Fame is thought to be overly accommodating. Bridges averaged 11.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game over his 13-year NBA career, despite being just 6-foot-6, after two years of dominating the American Basketball League following a standout University of Kansas career. Before capturing the 1975 championship with the Warriors and retiring victorious, he was selected to three All-Star teams and two All-Defensive teams.
18) Max Zaslofsky
Who is the lone NBA scoring champion who qualifies but isn’t in the Hall of Fame? That would be Max Zaslofsky, the youngest scoring champion until Kevin Durant, who finished first in 1948 at the age of 21. After one outstanding season at St. John’s, Zaslofsky made four All-NBA first teams, which is also the most for any non-inductee – yes, there were one-and-done players in the 1940s. Zaslofsky was a member of the NBA’s 25th Anniversary squad in 1971, albeit he is now virtually forgotten. And he is the inaugural member of a depressing fraternity: New Jersey Nets coaches.
19) Rolando Blackman
For the 1980s Dallas Mavericks teams, Rolando Blackman was a defensive ace and a great teammate. With Derek Harper and Mark Aguirre, he played shooting guard at 6-foot-7 and made five consecutive postseason appearances for strong teams that fell short against the Showtime Lakers. He subsequently turned his attention to the Knicks and Pat Riley, who claimed that his biggest professional regret was not playing Blackman more in the 1994 Finals. As seen here when he pushes the 1987 All-Star Game into overtime, Blackman always had icy water coursing through him.
20) Chauncey Billups
