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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
Johnny Green was an undersized power forward (even for the 50’s and 60’s) who was a hard worker under the boards and earned four All-Star game appearances in a long career.  His career stats are what keep him in the discussion; but it won’t get him discussed much.
Richard “Rip” Hamilton brings a rare resume where he won both the NCAA Championship (UConn) and in the NBA (Detroit) and was a vital member to both titles. Hamilton earned the NCAA Final Four MVP in the Connecticut title and in the 2004 Pistons Championship averaged over 20 Points per Game. “Rip” was a three time All Star, a slick shooter, and had he had a better defensive game Hamilton might be a considered a…
Michael Ray Richardson could very well be the Dave Parker of basketball.  Michael Ray had all the talent in the world and was well on his way to a Hall of Fame career but cocaine got in the way.  When drafted out of tiny Montana with the fourth pick of the 1978 draft he was hailed as the next Walt Frazier as he had those kinds of offensive and defensive skills; and he did not…
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…
A Power Forward/Center with excellent defensive prowess, Clifford Robinson played in what seemed like a ton of games in the National Basketball Association. Robinson was never a player who was ever considered the best on any of his teams, but was a baller who instantly made a team better on both ends of the court. He had his best years in Portland and was rewarded with the Sixth Man of the Year Award. He did…
Ron Harper was a great basketball player who knew what it took to win.  The greatest player ever to come from the Miami of Ohio, Harper was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers and was the perfect complimentary player on some sensational professional teams.  Unlike most complimentary players, Harper was once a superstar.  He averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds in his collegiate career and was second in Rookie of the Year voting.  Injuries cut back…
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.
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…
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…
Wayman Tisdale is one of the best college players ever and a very solid power forward who had a great low post game in the pros.  His career stats are not huge with just over fifteen points and six rebounds a game and his chances of getting in were hurt when they added the College Basketball Hall of Fame as a bailout to players who will not get in to the regular Hall.  He was…
“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.
The grunge movement would not have been the same if Pearl Jam would have been able to call themselves what they wanted to; it would have been better.  Mookie Blaylock has such a nice ring to it for a Rock band don’t you think?  In regards to the man, Blaylock was quite the player.  One of the great shooting point guards ever, Mookie is top 50 in several NBA all time statistics.  He never really…
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…
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…
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.
Like 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…
With his year of eligibility pushed back from his attempts to get back in the big time through the D-League, Antoine Walker is sadly best known for his financial woes more than anything he did on the court. In his playing career, his best seasons were with Boston, where along with Paul Pierce his three pointers excited crowds (though he probably took too many) and he was a member of three All Star squads. In…
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.
The first player from Turkey to make the NBA, Hedo Turkoglu was not just a footnote but was a bona fide player in the league. Turkoglu would emerge as a solid player during his tenure with the Orlando Magic and was able to spread the game internationally.