20 NBA Hall-of-Fame careers that were cut short by injury

NBA Hall-of-Fame career cut short: Klay Thompson

We now transition to a pair of active players whose Hall of Fame candidacy is still up in the air to varying degrees. We start with a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection who never averaged more than 22.3 points per game. There are plenty of players left outside of the Hall of Fame with comparable (or better) regular-season resumes, from Kevin Johnson and Amar’e Stoudemire to Mark Price and Marques Johnson.

What should propel Klay Thompson easily into the Hall of Fame is his postseason success, putting up some huge games and being a starter on six NBA Finals teams (and counting) and four NBA Champions. He’s an iconic member of one of the NBA’s dynasties, and history tells us that should make him a shoo-in.

Yet Basketball Reference’s Hall of Fame probability score lists Klay at only 70 percent, far from a lock. Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Chauncey Billups and Kyle Lowry all have higher probabilities and are very questionable to ever make it in. And Thompson’s best chance at improving his odds was probably racking up a few more All-Star appearances, or accumulating a high number of counting stats.

Those paths took a huge hit when Thompson tore his ACL and Achilles in consecutive years, costing him 2.5 seasons worth of games. He is back and playing now but certainly not at the same level, and he has to frequently miss games (such as every back half of a back-to-back) to rest his body. He is still starting on a team that could accrue more postseason success, but his individual accolades are mostly limited now to his spot on the all-time 3-pointers list.

If Thompson had stayed healthy, the Warriors may win the 2019 title and have a great chance at winning in 2020 and 2021. He made five consecutive All-Star games leading into his injury, so it seems fair to give him at least one more. He would have another 4,000 points and 600 3-pointers at least, the latter number pushing him into the top 5 all-time. Klay probably makes it even so, but if he doesn’t get hurt he would have ascended to another level historically.