It has often been said that making the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is just way too easy, but some notable names haven’t been able to make it in. Shaquille O’Neal is not one of those individuals, having been inducted in 2016, but he recently shared a list on Instagram of the best players who haven’t got that call.
All those players certainly made their mark on the league. Let’s take a look at their resumes while keeping in mind, that the Hall of Fame also considers accomplishments in college and international basketball.
Rasheed Wallace had career averages in the NBA of 14.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. He was a four-time All-Star who also won a championship in 2004. That’s good but not great and when you factor in that Wallace didn’t win a national championship and never played for Team USA, I think his resume isn’t good enough to make it in.
O’Neal’s former teammate Penny Hardaway is up next, and his case is trickier. Injuries meant Hardaway never fulfilled his potential and he finished with career averages of 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in the NBA. He was also a four-time All-Star who won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.
Had Hardaway never suffered those knee injuries, he would walked into the Hall of Fame, but his prime being so short means he has been kept out. He finally was a nominee for the first time this year, so that means there is a chance he does make it in at some point in the future.
Horace Grant was also a teammate of O’Neal’s and had career averages of 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in the NBA. Grant won four championships but was only a one-time All-Star. Like Wallace, he has no national title or Olympic gold medal to go with that, which further hurts his case.
Bill Laimbeer was the fourth player on the list and he finished with career averages of 12.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in the NBA. Laimbeer was a four-time All-Star and won two titles, but his story is similar to that of Grant and Wallace in the sense he never won in college or international competition. Laimbeer was a nominee for the first time this year, though.
Shawn Kemp, who famously posterized Laimbeer, is up next and he had career averages of 14.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in the NBA. Kemp was a six-time All-Star and won the gold at the 1992 FIBA World Championship. The lack of a title in the NBA or college (came into the league straight from high school) to go with drug issues hurt his case, though.
The late Cliff Robinson, meanwhile, had career averages of 14.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in the NBA. Robinson only made one All-Star team and won SMOY in 1993, so the chances of him making it in were never great.
Robert Horry is another of O’Neal’s former teammates on this list and his case is quite interesting. Horry averaged just 7.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in the NBA and never made an All-Star team. He never played for Team USA either and failed to win a national title in college.
Horry did, however, win seven NBA championships and many argue he should make it in for that reason. Will he? I don’t think so.
Alvin Robertson is next and his resume is pretty impressive. First of all, Robertson had career averages of 14.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.7 steals (NBA record), and 0.4 blocks per game in the NBA. He was a four-time All-Star, who won DPOY and MIP in 1986.
Robinson did not win the national title in college but did win the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics. There were some off-the-court issues, though, and with him having not made in all this time, I doubt he ever will.
Shawn Marion is the second to last name here and he had career averages of 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game in the NBA. Marion was a four-time All-Star who won a championship in 2011 and the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics. He has been a nominee a few times, so I think there is a fairly decent chance that Marion gets in one day.
Marion’s former teammate Amar’e Stoudemire is the last name on the list. Stoudemire dealt with injury problems for much of his time in the NBA but still had career averages of 18.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. He was a six-time All-Star and won the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics alongside Marion.
The lack of a championship in college (came into the league straight from high school) or the NBA does hurt Stoudemire, but for what it’s worth, he did win a couple of titles in Israel. I think he has less of a chance of getting in than Marion, but does have a shot at it unlike some of the others on this list.
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