After the 2021 NBA Finals, it’s fair to say that Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Hall of Famer. The Greek Freak confirmed his immortality with an NBA championship and Finals MVP, cementing his legacy in the league at age 26.
His Hall of Fame probability should be 100% now, but not everybody is on the same page. Basketball-Reference’s HOF probabilities are always controversial, and this time isn’t the exception. Starting from Giannis, going through Kyle Lowry, Kevin Love, and even Klay Thompson, the list doesn’t please basketball fans.
These lists will always be controversial, but it seems like this is where all the fans agree that it is simply wrong. They had something to say about it, blasting the list for putting ringless players over champions like Giannis, Kawhi, and Klay.
It’d be interesting to see what criteria they use to define these players’ chances of making it into the Hall of Fame. Antetokounmpo’s resumé is already impressive, and he will only get better from now on. The only sure thing is that fans weren’t happy with that.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's resume at 26 years old:
◽️ Finals MVP
◽️ NBA Champion
◽️ 2x NBA MVP
◽️ 3x All-NBA First Team
◽️ Defensive Player of the Year
◽️ 3x All-Defensive First Team
◽️ All-Star Game MVP
◽️ 5x All-Star
◽️ Most Improved Player pic.twitter.com/BhbDlvZCPi
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 21, 2021
As somebody said, if Giannis retired today, he’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, even ahead of higher-ranked players on the list. But, the NBA is a curious world, and crazy things can happen every day.
You can make a case for other players, too, especially Klay, a 3x NBA champion. The good thing is that this list doesn’t define what is going to happen with the players. All the ballers who appear there will make it to the HOF when they retire from the game.
