Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame remains a benchmark for sustained greatness, with standards that differ sharply from other sports' halls.
- Several active players already stand as near-certain Hall entrants, based on All-NBA selections, MVPs, and championship impacts.
- Four current stars carry resumes that could cement their legacies with just one more elite season and deep playoff performance.
Most people are chasing greatness in some capacity. You might be working day and night to ensure you make that last sale so your bonus can be nice and full next month. Some people know exactly what it takes to level up in their line of work, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is no different.
The list of active players on their way to Springfield is long. Some criticize the legitimacy of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame because it's perceived as easier to make than its football or baseball counterparts. But the Basketball Hall considers every basketball accolade — it is not strictly the NBA Hall of Fame.
Regardless, the NBA celebrates its elite players. Whether you were an eight-time All-Defensive player or a five-time All-NBA player, the Basketball Hall rewards sustained success. Those with to-the-moon standards may find issue with the following list, but the precedent has already been set.
Active locks to make the Basketball Hall of Fame
Let's get the NBA75 players out of the way. You can feel however you want about some of these players in big spots, but making the anniversary team is virtually a guaranteed trip to the Hall.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Stephen Curry
- Anthony Davis
- Kevin Durant
- James Harden
- LeBron James
- Kawhi Leonard
- Damian Lillard
- Russell Westbrook
None of those players deserve a second thought with the precedent set. Everybody above is either an MVP or has made at least five All-NBA teams.
Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis were the only three that did not make at least 10 All-NBA teams or win an MVP. Kawhi has one of the most clutch playoff runs of his generation, multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards and two Finals MVPs — not a bad list of guys to be grouped with. Lillard is a top-10 shooter to ever touch a basketball, a nine-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA performer, arguably the Portland Trail Blazers' best player of all time and he scored at an unprecedented level for a point guard. He took the score-first archetype to another level. And Davis? Well, he was just the 1B on a championship team, one of the best defenders in his era, a lethal postseason performer and a measly 10-time All-Star.
Larry Foust is the only eight-time All-Star omitted from the Hall, and he only made All-NBA twice. Every active player with more than eight All-Star selections have more All-NBA appearances than Foust.
Almost certain active Hall of Famers
- Nikola Jokić
- Joel Embiid
- Paul George
- Kyrie Irving
- Luka Dončić
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Draymond Green
- Klay Thompson
- Jayson Tatum
Jokić should have made the NBA75 team in hindsight. Embiid is a former MVP; we will see if he or Derrick Rose becomes the first NBA MVP who does not make the Hall, and injuries will likely be considered when voters put pen to paper for those two.
George and Irving are all multi-time All-NBAers, All-Stars and Olympic gold medalists. Remember: All of their basketball accolades come into play here. Dončić has an incredible resume globally, but keeping it strictly NBA, he is still a virtual lock if he keeps on this trajectory. Dončić already has more first-team All-NBA nods (six) than Steph Curry, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki. He has the same amount of scoring titles as Kobe Bryant. It is early, but you can count Dončić in the Springfield party.
Tatum has as many first-team All-NBA appearances (four) as the three greats mentioned above. He is on track. Klay and Draymond do not have the stellar individual accolades as the MVP candidates on this list with them, but both were can't-win-without-them pieces in the Warriors dynasty. Green is an all-time defender, and Klay might be the second greatest shooter ever after Steph. Huge contributors on historic dynasties eventually get in; heck, Michael Cooper finally made it 34 years after he retired.
The precedent is set with a player like SGA: Every eligible two-time MVP is in the Hall of Fame. And precedent matters so much in these Hall discussions, which is why Jaylen Brown and Jalen Brunson are tough cases.
Players on the brink of the Hall of Fame
Cedric Maxwell of the 1981 Celtics is the only eligible Finals MVP not currently in Springfield. Andre Iguodala of the 2015 Warriors could join that list once he is eligible in 2027. He will not be first-ballot, but could get in due to his contributions to the Golden State dynasty.
Brown and Brunson have FMVPs and other eye-popping accomplishments on their resumes. Brown is an ECF MVP, two-time All-NBAer and a five-time All-Star. Brunson is an ECF MVP and a three-time All-NBAer and All-Star.
Their resumes mirror Chauncey Billups, who was inducted into the Hall in 2024. His All-Star (five) and All-NBA (three) count was not top-of-the-top, but he has an FMVP to his name and made a few All-Defense teams as well. Tim Hardaway Sr. was inducted in 2022 as a five-time All-Star and All-NBAer. Making five All-NBA teams seems like a decent benchmark. Sorry, Kevin Johnson, one day you will get your due.
One could argue Brunson and Brown need a few more stellar years to lock them into Springfield, but they have done a lot of what those before them have done. The next group of players has a bit more to prove before moving to the brink of Hall of Fame candidacy, though.
Players who could increase their Hall of Fame chances with an elite season
C Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
- Resume: 2026 NBA champion, 2016 Rookie of the Year, six-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA
KAT is arguably already there. He is the best 3-point shooting center our game has seen, and he was an integral piece of ending the Knicks' title drought.
If he can snag another All-NBA nod, his resume gets close to undeniable. Towns is also in position to make his name as a tremendous playoff performer in this Knicks team context. These guys could be playing deep into May for a while.
G Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
- Resume: Five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two Olympic gold medals
Booker was the best player (or at least the leading scorer) on a Finals team. He scored 70 points before he was legally allowed to crack one open, and he's also on track to become one of the best Team USA players in recent memory.
He already has two Olympic gold medals, and he played the dirty work/glue guy role in both settings. Stars do not always sacrifice as he did. Booker already has the most points in Suns history. An unexpected solid season from Phoenix with a touch of playoff success will boost Book's Hall chances.
C Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Resume: Four-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2017 blocks leader, 2022 rebounds leader, three-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defense, two Olympic silver medals
Gobert's resume is stacked. If the general public valued defense as much as offense, this would be a no-brainer. But instead, you will hear pushback when you slam the table and rightfully declare Gobert a future Hall of Famer. Naysayers will point to offensive deficiencies or a perceived lack of trust in Gobert's perimeter defense. Just tell those people to check the precedent.
Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo are in Springfield. That pair has accomplished more than Gobert, but his resume stacks up nicely compared to theirs. They all have four DPOYs, and Gobert has more All-Defense selections than both. Gobert also has more All-NBA appearances than Mutombo. This is not to say he is better than those defensive game-breakers, but the precedent is the precedent. Gobert is well on his way. A Finals run from he and the Timberwolves will make his Hall case inarguable.
G Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Resume: Seven-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA
Mitchell and Gobert always show up on lists together; the former Jazzmen are inseparable. Many thought Mitchell would have more success than Gobert after their split, but Gobert has impacted regular-season games more consistently and shifted playoff series in his team's favor. Mitchell has not been a slouch in those departments himself, to be fair.
Mitchell led the Cavaliers to the No. 1 seed in 2025, and he has some top-10 MVP finishes. Mitchell's playoff highs jump off the screen as he's carried Cleveland at times. His All-Star count is getting up there, and he's bound to continue racking up All-NBAs while averaging over 25 points and leading his team into May. A deep playoff run for the Cavs will end any Hall of Fame doubt here.
The young Gen Zers all have time to prove themself. Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham and Cooper Flagg all project to stay on a Springfield path, but all have work to do.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is not easy to get into. The Hall just celebrates sustained greatness more than other leagues. It seems like one must be a top-10 player of the era to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame — you cannot tell me a guy like Tory Holt doesn't belong in Canton. He was elite for a long enough stretch to receive a gold jacket.
If to-the-moon standards are your vibe, then cheers! But the Basketball Hall's standard is more inclusive and represents who the elite players of their time truly were. You can be elite without being in Michael Jordan's and LeBron James' tier.
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