the basketball hall of fame class of 2023 will be unforgettable.
the 2022 enshrinement ceremony took place over the weekend with manu ginobili and tim hardaway sr. Among the former NBA players who immortalized their names in Springfield, Mass. when it comes to 2023, there’s a strong group of players who are ready to be voted out on their first try.
nba players must be retired for four years before they can qualify for the hall of fame ballot. The 2019 season featured two legendary farewell tours for players who were among the most decorated of their generation.
here are 10 of the best players in the nba who are eligible to receive a call to the naismith memorial basketball hall of fame next year:
first ballot locks: dirk nowitzki, dwyane wade, pau gasol, tony parker
four nba champions are on their way to the hall of fame in 2023.
dirk nowitzki and dwyane wade are two of 28 players throughout nba history with a 100% chance of being inducted into the basketball hall of fame. lebron james, kevin durant and chris paul are the only other players among those 28 who are not yet in the hall of fame and of course those three are still playing. further down the list, tony parker has a 93.86% chance of getting in and paul gasol has a 93.35% chance.
That metric doesn’t come close to telling the complete story of any player, least of all the greats with resumes like nowitzki, wade, gasol and parker.
nowitzki was a 14-time all-star, 12-time all-nba selection, and 2006-07 nba mvp. He captured an elusive title when he led the Dallas Mavericks to beat Wade’s Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. The German power forward ranks sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. nba and will go down in history as one of the best pitchers in basketball history.
Wade captured his first NBA championship at a much younger age, powering the Heat to a 2006 finals win against Nowitzki and the Mavericks at age 24. He went on to win back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 while playing alongside James and Chris Bosh. In his career, Wade earned 13 all-star selections, eight all-NBA selections, and three all-defensive selections along with his three rings.
Gasol came from Spain and spent his first six seasons in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies. His career really took off during the 2007-08 season when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, who will retire world no. 16 during a ceremony on March 7. Gasol’s career accolades include two NBA championships, six All-Star appearances, and four All-NBA selections.
The last of the 2023 freshman-eligible locks is Parker, who will soon join San Antonio Spurs teammates Ginobili and Tim Duncan in the Hall of Fame. The French point guard played 17 years in San Antonio, was part of six all-star teams, was named to four All-NBA teams and claimed four NBA titles.
intriguing candidates: chauncey billups, shawn marion, amar’e stoudemire
chauncey billups, shawn marion and amar’e stoudemire at the next level when it comes to resuming the hall of fame.
billups, who won the finals most valuable player award with the detroit pistons in 2003-04, is now the head coach of the portland trail blazers. Along with the Pistons, he eventually played for seven franchises. His résumé features five All-Star teams, three NBA teams and two All-Defensive teams.
Marion and Stoudemire were key members of the “seven seconds or less” Phoenix Suns in the mid-2000s. Although that team ultimately didn’t make it to an NBA Finals, Marion went on to win a championship with Nowitzki and the mavericks in 2011. marion was a four-time all-star and a two-time all-nba player. Stoudemire’s list of accolades includes most all-star nods (six) and All-NBA selections (five), but he never lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
billups and marion have both taken steps toward the hall of fame in the past, as they were both nominated for the hall of fame class of 2022, but did not become finalists.
other notable contenders: larry foust, shawn kemp, detlef schrempf
going back a little further in nba history, larry foust, shawn kemp, and detlef schrempf are three of the best retired players not to make it to the hall of fame.
Foust played from 1950 to 1962 and was named an all-star eight times in his first nine seasons with the Fort Wayne Pistons and Minneapolis Lakers, becoming one of the first dominant big men in league history. Actually, he has a higher probability of entering the Hall of Fame in reference to basketball (94.2%) than Parker and Gasol.
Kemp may be best known for his ferocious dunks, but his overall resume lands him in the hall of fame conversation. He was a six-time All-Star, made three NBA teams and was an integral part of the Seattle Supersonics’ run to the Finals in 1995-96.
schrempf paved the way for nowitzki to even make it to the nba. The German-American big man starred as him with the Indiana Pacers and Supersonics of the 1990s, earning two Sixth Man of the Year awards and three All-Star nods. He may not carry the statistical resume of other players for the Hall of Fame class of 2023, but that doesn’t lessen his lasting impact.