The Current NBA Players Who Will Be First-Ballot Hall Of Famers

In basketball or any sport, being enshrined in the Hall Of Fame at the end of one’s career is the ultimate ending. The selection cements a legacy that will live on forever through their place in the Hall Of Fame and their contributions to the game. These legends gave fans their very best on a nightly basis and sacrificed almost everything to reach the pinnacle of their sport. Being named a Hall of Famer is an honor that no basketball player, coach, or other honoree should take or has ever taken lightly. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame is no different and in today’s game, there are many current players who will soon receive their busts and take their rightful place amongst the greats.

There are some misconceptions when it comes to the Hall Of Fame that I would like to clear up before we honor these current stars. First, the Basketball Hall Of Fame is just that, a basketball honor. It is not limited to solely one’s contributions to the NBA. The selection is made while also taking into account a player’s accomplishments in the NCAA and on an international level. This leads me to my second point. There seems to be a sentiment that making the Hall Of Fame is easy. This is usually because people do not understand the first point I made. Being a Hall of Famer is something that each player works for their entire life. To diminish it is an injustice to their sacrifice.

Now that is out of the way, let us dive into the current players we think are undoubtedly first-ballot Hall of Famers already and the ones we think are right on the cusp.

The Players Who Could Be First-Ballot Hall Of Famers

Kyle Lowry

Career Stats: 14.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG,6.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Achievements and Awards: 1x NBA Champion, 6x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection

At first glance, Kyle Lowry does not have a resume as a basketball Hall of Famer. He has average stats for a point guard and a lack of individual accolades that voters seem to care more about than anything. At his peak, however, Lowry was one of the better point guards in basketball who led the Toronto Raptors to new heights as a franchise. Sure, he couldn’t get the team over the hump before 2019 and the arrival of Kawhi Leonard, but that isn’t the end all be all.

Kawhi gets most of the credit for the 2019 championship he helped deliver to the City Of Toronto. Without Kyle Lowry’s leadership, it has become clear that the Raptors may not have been in that position at all. For the 2019 playoffs, Lowry averaged 15.0 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 1.3 SPG. Beyond the numbers, Lowry was the one that reeled his teammates back in when things looked out of control and when the going got tough. It is a quality that he carried with him every season he was in Toronto. Lowry may not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he certainly should be there at some point.

Damian Lillard

Career Stats: 24.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 1x Rookie Of The Year, 6x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Team Selection

Let’s get this out of the way. Damian Lillard is definitely a Hall of Famer. It is the first-ballot selection when things get a bit blurry. There is no denying his talent as one of the better shooters and scorers of the past 10 years. He electrifies audiences with his unlimited range and incredible scoring outbursts. His biggest criticism happens to be that he is loyal to the Portland Trail Blazers to a fault. Even as they currently rebuild and try to get back to being a perennial contender, Lillard has refused to leave Portland and chase that elusive championship ring.

I cannot fault a player that wants to deliver a championship to the teams that drafted him into the NBA. If he ran and went to a contender by now, fans and the media would be dragging him through the mud. The lack of a championship on his resume may be the only thing holding him back as far as being selected to the Hall Of Fame on the first ballot. Being selected as a member of the Top 75 NBA players of all time still gives him a chance. First ballot or not, there’s no doubt that he will stand amongst the greats in Springfield, Massachusetts when it is all said and done.

Paul George

Career Stats: 20.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 1x Most Improved Player, 7x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Team Selection, 4x All-Defensive Team Selection

Paul George is yet another player who, if the Hall of Fame voted on pure skill, he would be in on the first ballot. George is one of the best two-way wing players of the past 15 years. He has shown that he can be a leader. George has shown that he can lock down any elite scorer on defense. He has shown that he can play at an MVP level and be the reason why his team garners success. Unfortunately for George, he is more revered for his shortcomings.

Early on in his career, Paul George was headed for superstardom. He was leading young and inexperienced Pacers teams to Eastern Conference Finals series and taking LeBron James to 7 games. He sustained one of the most gruesome injuries in the Olympics when he snapped his leg in half in 2014. His comeback to finish 2nd in MVP and Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2018 alone is Hall of Fame worthy, in my opinion. The one thing that could put George over the top as far as Hall of Fame voting goes would be bringing a title to the Los Angeles Clippers for the first time in team history. Could 2022-23 be the year?

Kyrie Irving

Career Stats: 23.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 1x NBA Champion, 1x Rookie Of The Year, 7x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 3x All-NBA Team Selection

If the Hall of Fame was based purely on talent and skill, Kyrie Irving would be a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. He possesses possibly the greatest ball-handling skills we have ever seen and finishes with a layup package that is out of this world. Irving is an efficient scorer, passer, and playmaker. He even is one of the few members of the 50/40/90 club. What will hold Irving back from being voted into the Hall of Fame is, unfortunately, things that have nothing to do with basketball and they could hold him back from being voted in entirely depending on if the voters want to be petty or not.

Kyrie’s biggest case for being a Hall of Famer is his contributions to the Cleveland Cavaliers championship in 2016. Kyrie’s efforts get a bit overshadowed by the presence of LeBron James, but the Cavs do not come back from down 3 games to 1 without the presence of Kyrie Irving. For the series, Irving averaged 27.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 3.9 APG. This included a 41-point Game 5 performance that helped spark the comeback. Irving has made some decisions in his career that make us as fans shake our heads at times, but can’t we separate that from the game of basketball?

Draymond Green

Career Stats: 8.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Achievements and Awards: 4x NBA Champion, 1x Defensive Player Of The Year, 4x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, 7x All-Defensive Team Selection

Draymond Green is one of the players in the NBA currently whose Hall of Fame status is all dependent on what the voters value. He is not the flashy, scoring threat that attracts viewership and coverage. He loves to speak freely about how he feels about the game and his peers. That may rub some people the wrong way but should not take away from what he has meant to the game of basketball. What he does on the court simply cannot be quantified by numbers on a stat sheet, although outside of scoring, they’re pretty good.

Draymond has been the engine that makes the Golden State Warriors go on their 8-year run that saw the team net 4 championships. He is the on-floor leader, constantly taking the younger players under his wing and helping them adjust to the game. Green is the team’s best playmaker, patiently slowing the game down at times to run the offense, which can look stagnant at times when Green is not on the court. He is also the team’s best and most versatile defender. He takes on the game’s best bigs in the paint but can also step out and disrupt the offensive flow on the perimeter. Green may not have Hall of Fame numbers, but he certainly has a Hall of Fame impact.

Klay Thompson

Career Stats: 19.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 4x NBA Champion, 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, 1x All-Defensive Team Selection

Much like his teammate Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson has become one of the best 3-point shooters we have ever seen. His catch-and-shoot abilities are second to none in today’s NBA, even after suffering 2 career-threatening lower leg injuries. His constant propensity to come through in big-time situations and in big-time games is well documented and has even given Klay the nickname, “Game 6 Klay”. Defensively, he had been one of the better perimeter defenders in basketball and certainly the 1st or 2nd-best on the Golden State Warriors throughout their 4 championship runs.

Thompson has appeared in 145 career playoff games in his 11-year NBA career. In the playoffs, Thompson averages 19.2 PPG and 1.0 SPG on 44.0% shooting overall and 40.9% from 3-point land. Thompson has also appeared in 33 career NBA Finals games. In those games, he averages 18.5 PPG on 43.5% shooting overall and 39.8% from three. They may not be the numbers of an MVP or superstar, but definitely Hall of Fame worthy for a guy that has been a No. 2 or No. 3 option his entire career.

The Current NBA Players Who Are Definite First Ballot Hall Of Famers

Carmelo Anthony

Career Stats: 22.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 10x All-Star, 6x All-Time NBA Team Selection

The selection of Carmelo Anthony as a first-ballot Hall of Famer may spark some controversy, but it is about as clear-cut as it gets. Carmelo is one of the best pure scorers in NBA history. He was deceptively strong and in his prime would demolish defenders in the post. He has also always been able to shoot the ball well from pretty much anywhere on the court, making him an elite three-level scoring threat. Anthony’s selection to the Hall of Fame will also go back to my point of it being based on things that go beyond the NBA.

First, Carmelo Anthony put on a show as a freshman at Syracuse University and led them to a National Championship in his only year there. He was also named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Carmelo also used to dominate the Olympic competition. Anthony used to hold the all-time scoring record for Team USA until it was broken in 2021 by Kevin Durant. Anthony is another current NBA player who still hasn’t captured an NBA championship and also another player who will not affect his nomination to the Hall of Fame.

Anthony Davis

Career Stats: 23.8 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 2.3 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 1x NBA Champion, 8x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 4x All-NBA Team Selection, 4x All-Defensive Team Selection

Anthony Davis has spent the better part of the last 2 seasons struggling with injuries as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. This has somehow allowed people to forget how dominant he was in New Orleans and how much he meant to the Lakers’ 2020 championship run. Davis has been one of the better two-way bigs in basketball for the better part of a decade since being drafted in 2012. He has gone from a dominant paint scorer and a consistent lob threat to that plus someone who can step out and knock down medium to long-range jump shots. He is a proficient shot-blocker and alterer, averaging over 2.0 BPG for his career.

Many could doubt Davis’ first-ballot selection, but when you dive a bit deeper, there is no doubt to be had. From 2014 through 2019, with New Orleans, Davis averaged at least 20.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 2.0 BPG in every season. In his first season with the Lakers, Davis averaged 26.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 2.3 BPG. He helped lead them to a championship by averaging 27.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in the playoffs. His selection earlier in 2022 to the NBA’s Top 75 players list is another solid indication that Davis will be headed to the Hall Of Fame in his first year of eligibility. 

Dwight Howard

Career Stats: 15.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.8 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 1x NBA Champion, 3x Defensive Player Of The Year, 8x All-Star, 8x All-NBA Team Selection, 5x All-Defensive Team Selection

It has been years since Dwight Howard was considered to be in his prime. His peak days in Orlando were the best days of his career and what will certainly earn him his first-ballot Hall of Fame selection. Howard was a defensive wrecking ball in Orlando, with opponents legitimately filled with fear as they entered the paint and hoped their shot attempts weren’t sent 10 rows back into the stands. He was named the Defensive Player of the Year 3 times and led the league in blocks twice. He was also the game’s best rebounder, leading the league 5 times in RPG.

He was no slouch offensively either as a consistent lob threat and athleticism that saw him easily dunk on a 13-foot rim. He won dunk contests and took the world by storm with his comedic antics and incredible abilities. The only doubt that gets thrown in with Howard not getting into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot is his already rocky relationship with the media. Howard was snubbed from the NBA’s Top 75 Players list, which could lead one to believe his selection to the Hall of Fame may be a difficult one. Hopefully, by that time, the voters realize that he deserves to be immortalized forever and join his colleagues in the Hall of Fame.

Russell Westbrook

Career Stats: 22.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 8.4 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 1x MVP, 9x All-Star, 2x All-Star Game MVP, 9x All-NBA Team Selection

It has been downright sad to watch Russell Westbrook’s name get dragged through the mud over the last year because, like it or not, the man is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Westbrook is one of the most athletically gifted point guards to ever play the game, and he used that to his advantage to become the all-time leader in triple-doubles. His triple-double record comes into question as not being conducive to winning, but his teams win over 70.0% of the games in which he records one, so that is another false narrative surrounding Westbrook.

Westbrook’s resume is filled with accomplishments that make him a sure pick for the Hall of Fame. He won 2 scoring titles in 2015 and 2017, averaging 28.1 PPG and 31.6 PPG respectively. Westbrook led the league in assists 3 times and has averaged over 10.0 APG in a season 5 times. He won the 2017 MVP when he recorded the first full-season triple-double since Oscar Robertson in 1962. Westbrook will be remembered as one of the best and most exciting point guards in NBA history and an easy first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Nikola Jokic

Career Stats: 19.7 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 2x MVP, 4x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Team Selection

Nikola Jokic’s status as a first-ballot Hall of Famer has been cemented over the past 2 seasons. After taking home back-to-back MVP awards, Jokic Has established himself among some of the greatest centers in NBA history. First, his scoring has been superb with a really soft touch around the basket and the ability to step out and knock down long jumpers. He has become the best passing and playmaking big of all time, hitting teammates in stride to the basket and cross-court from the high post.

Jokic’s performance over the past 2 NBA seasons has been mesmerizing to watch, as he was named the MVP in both 2021 and 2022. In these 2 seasons, Jokic has led the Nuggets to the playoffs despite his 2 best teammates missing significant time with injuries. He has averaged 26.7 PPG, 12.3 RPG, and 8.1 APG on 57.5% shooting overall. Jokic has the Nuggets primed to make multiple runs at NBA titles if the team can remain healthy. A championship at this point would only further solidify Jokic’s status as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Chris Paul

Career Stats: 18.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 1x Rookie Of The Year, 12x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 11x All-NBA Team Selection, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection

Chris Paul is one of the 10 best point guards we have ever seen play the game of basketball. His Hall of Fame nod will come on the first ballot as he heads into his 18th season of NBA service. Offensively, Paul is one of the best at getting maximum effort and production out of the teams he is in command of. He is a pure mid-range and 3-point shooter while also being one of the best facilitators in the game’s history, especially when he gets penetration into the lane.

His defense tends to go underrated as well, but he is pesky on that end as well. He averages over 2.0 SPG for his career and he has led the league in steals 6 times. He was a runner-up for the 2007-08 MVP award and has finished Top 5 in the voting 4 times. The biggest “dent” in the career of Chris Paul is obviously his lack of an NBA championship. Whether injuries or flat-out bad play, Paul has always come up just shy of taking home a title. This will not stop him from being a first-ballot Hall of Famer given his incredible body of work.

James Harden

Career Stats: 24.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 1x MVP, 1x Sixth Man Of The Year, 10x All-Star, 7x All-NBA Team Selection

James Harden is one of the game’s greatest scorers at his peak and a solidified Top 5 shooting guard of all time. Harden took offense to a different level during his time with the Houston Rockets, winning 3 straight scoring titles from 2018 through 2020. Harden could score from anywhere on the floor. He could set up his outside shots with his handles and patented step-back maneuver. He could get to the rim easily with his unguardable Eurostep and stuffed the stat sheet with his innate ability to draw contact and get to the free-throw line.

From 2016 through 2020, there was not a better scorer in basketball than James Harden. Over that time, he averaged 31.7 PPG on 44.3% shooting overall, 35.9% from three, and 86.2% from the free throw line. He won the 2018 MVP award when he averaged 30.4 PPG and came back the next season to average 36.1 PPG in 72 games played. Harden is also trying to fight for his first NBA championship, but with one of the greater peaks of the last 20 years, his selection is already solidified to the Hall of Fame.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Career Stats: 21.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.3 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 1x NBA Champion, 1x Finals MVP, 2x MVP, 1x Defensive Player Of The Year, 1x Most Improved Player, 6x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Team Selection, 5x All-Defensive Team Selection

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the great two-way players of this generation. Despite his skill being called into question, he has won 2 MVP awards and led the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA championship while dominating the NBA Finals. Seems pretty skilled to me. Anyway, Giannis has taken the NBA by storm over the last 5 seasons, becoming an unstoppable force on offense, especially if it happens to be on the fast break. He is nearly unguardable in the paint and if he has a head of steam behind him, there aren’t many defenders who stand a chance of stopping him. He has put on a show defensively in his career as well, earning a Defensive Player of the Year award and averaging over 1.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG every season since 2016.

The general consensus is that Giannis is the best player in the world and I happen to be aboard that train as well. He has shown that he can be a leader, a scorer, a passer, a rebounder, and an overall dominant force in the NBA. He does everything at an elite level aside from his 3-point shooting. When nobody can stop you in the paint, do you really need an outside shot? There is no doubt in my mind that if Giannis were to shockingly retire today, he would be voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Kawhi Leonard

Career Stats: 19.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 2x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 2x Defensive Player Of The Year, 5x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 5x All-NBA Team Selection, 7x All-Defensive Team Selection

Do you see that list of accolades? That is more than enough to establish someone as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Kawhi Leonard has made a career of making an opposing team’s best offensive player’s life a living hell on the basketball court. With his big hands and wingspan, quick feet, and natural instincts, Kawhi has become one of the better defenders in league history. His offensive game has become more and more polished over the years too. He explodes to the rim on drives to the lane and is a certified weapon in the open court. He can shoot the mid-range jumper and from 3 fairly well also, making him an elite three-level threat when he turns it on.

We have seen Kawhi Leonard lead 2 separate franchises to NBA championships and another franchise to the greatest heights they have ever been as a team. With the Spurs early on in his career, he became a Defensive Player of the Year and a Finals MVP for his efforts in slowing down one LeBron James. After he departed San Antonio, he led the Toronto Raptors to their first title in team history, which included knocking down one of the more iconic playoff buzzer beaters in playoff history. Currently, he resides in Los Angeles with the Clippers with whom he has struggled to stay healthy. When he has remained healthy, he has been the catalyst for a team that advanced to the Western Conference Finals. Leonard is one of the more definitive first-ballot selections on this list.

Kevin Durant

Career Stats: 27.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.1 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 2x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 1x Rookie Of The Year, 12x All-Star, 2x All-Star Game MVP, 10x All-NBA Team Selection

Kevin Durant is one of the most prolific scorers the NBA has ever had in their ranks. He could almost be considered the Greek God of offense with his 7’0’’ build mixed with the handles of a point guard and an efficient jumper that is almost automatic from anywhere on the floor. Durant may have caught a bad reputation for jumping ship from Oklahoma City to Golden State, but what he did during this time has undeniably cemented his Hall of Fame selection when his career is done.

Durant would help to lead the Golden State Warriors to 3 straight NBA Finals from 2017 through 2019. He would collect back-to-back Finals MVP awards in both 2017 and 2018. Durant suffered an Achilles injury in the 2019 Finals that would sideline him until 2021. He has since come back with the Brooklyn Nets and continued to be one of the best scorers in basketball. Regardless of how you feel about his attitude or career decision, Kevin Durant is undoubtedly a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Stephen Curry

Career Stats: 24.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 4x NBA Champions, 1x Finals MVP, 2x MVP, 8x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 8x All-NBA Team Selection

The next 2 players on the list of first-ballot Hall of Famers are 2 of the most obvious choices here today. The first of them is the greatest shooter to ever pick up a basketball, Stephen Curry. He revolutionized the entire game of basketball with his flair for the dramatic and unlimited range shooting the three ball. Curry’s volume of 3-point shots and efficiency shooting them are things that no other player has done in the history of the game.

Stephen Curry has been a member of the Golden State Warriors since 2009. During that time, he has led the Warriors to 4 championships in 8 seasons from 2015 through 2022. He became an MVP in 2015 and in 2016; he became the first and only unanimous MVP in NBA history. Curry was finally able to capture the only award that had alluded him so far in his career, the Finals MVP, in 2022. The Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in 6 games in the 2022 NBA Finals, the 4th title for Golden State in 8 seasons. Something tells me that Curry is not done adding to his already Hall of Fame career.

LeBron James

Career Stats: 27.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Awards and Achievements: 4x NBA Champion, 4x Finals MVP, 4x MVP, 1x Rookie Of The Year, 18x All-Star, 3x All-Star Game MVP, 18x All-NBA Team Selection, 6x All-Defensive Team Selection

The final selection to our list is a clear-cut case for LeBron James. LeBron has established himself over the past 20 years as one of the 2 greatest players to ever step foot in the NBA. He has become the poster boy for consistency, skill, production, and overall greatness over the past 20 years in the league. He has led 3 different franchises to 4 championships, including delivering one to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.

The greatness of LeBron James can never be understated. He is the ultimate ceiling and floor-raiser, having taken teams that had no business being in the playoffs all the way to the NBA Finals on multiple occasions. He made 8 straight NBA Finals from 2011 to 2018, meaning he was the ultimate piece to have on your team if you wanted to contend for a championship. LeBron is still adding to his legacy as he approaches 39 years old with the Los Angeles Lakers. After delivering them a championship in 2020, James has struggled to get his team back to the Finals to compete for a title. He is also set to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a feat that no man thought they would ever see broken. If anyone on this list is going first-ballot into the Hall Of Fame, LeBron gets in before anybody else.

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