5 players who should be in the Basketball Hall of Fame

There are few clubs in America as exclusive as the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Only 178 players have been enshrined in Springfield since 1959, and some years have featured as few as three new inductees.

The Hall’s selection committees generally do an outstanding job of choosing suitable candidates, but every now and again they gloss over a truly deserving player. Here are five former stars who should be in Springfield.

Chris Webber

Chris Webber has been eligible for enshrinement since 2014, and every year he’s been passed over in favor of lesser players. Zelmo Beatty, Maurice Cheeks, Dino Radja, and Charlie Scott have all been called to the hall over the past six years, while C-Webb has patiently waited for his turn. It was surprising to see Webber snubbed at first (especially for a serial chain smoker like Radja), but now it’s downright mind-boggling. After all, Webber was a two-time All-American and five-time NBA All-Star who revived a flagging franchise in Sacramento and turned the Kings into NBA heavyweights.

Webber was at his best in 2000-01 when he averaged 27.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game while leading the Kings to 55 wins. If that season had been a one-off it would be understandable why Webber isn’t in Springfield, but he averaged more than 20 points per game for nine straight seasons and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting five times.

Webber’s exclusion likely has more to do with the fact that he accepted illicit loans during his time at Michigan, and was subsequently charged with lying to a grand jury about the nature of his relationship with Wolverines booster Ed Martin. The Hall's Board of Trustees are just as interested in integrity as they are in points per game, and they may continue to punish Webber for his transgressions for years to come.

Ben Wallace

We’ll be the first to admit that Ben Wallace doesn’t fit the profile of a typical Hall of Famer. The rugged Alabama native didn’t truly come into his own until his fifth season in the league and never averaged more than 9.7 points per game. You certainly never would have trusted him to take the final shot in the game and he probably would have finished dead last in any skill contest you could devise.

However, when it came to playing defense, Big Ben was in a class all his own. Wallace won Defensive Player of the Year honors four times over a five-year period from 2002 to 2006, and was a four-time All-Star and two-time rebounding champ. His crowning achievement came in Game 5 of the NBA Finals when he dropped 18 points and 22 rebounds on Shaquille O’Neal and the Lakers. His dominant performance sealed the series and brought L.A.’s dynasty to a crashing halt.

It can be argued that Wallace squeezed out more production from less talent than anyone in NBA history. His heart and hustle deserve to be recognized by the Hall of Fame.

Tim Hardaway

Tim Hardaway checks all the boxes you look for in a bona fide hall of fame candidate. The fearless point guard had an enduring 13-year career, he played in five All-Star games, he was named to five All-NBA teams, and he powered his teams to nine playoff appearances. He also had one of the nastiest signature moves in the league. Hardaway’s patented UTEP Two-Step put defenders on skates and was a staple on SportsCenter top 10s during the 1990s.

Hardaway likely would have been a lock for enshrinement were it not for a controversial media appearance in 2007 in which he professed his hatred for "gay people" in response to the coming out of a former NBA player. He was shunned by the NBA and lost his job as Chief Basketball Operations Advisor to the CBA’s Indiana Alley Cats.

Hardaway has since made amends both publicly and privately, but his outdated opinions may have cost him a spot in Springfield.

Shawn Kemp

Let’s be perfectly honest: At this point in his life Shawn Kemp is probably better known for fathering 15 children than he is for his many accomplishments on the hardwood. His off-the-court antics made him fodder for late night shows during the 1990s and obscured his otherwise impressive career.

That’s a shame, because Kemp was a human wrecking ball during his glory days in Seattle. The 6-foot-10 skywalker entered the NBA in 1989 after a single semester at community college and wasted no time posterizing the league’s interior defenders with his ferocious, rim-rattling slams. His off-the-charts athletic ability led to six All-Star appearances, three All-NBA selections, and six straight seasons in which he averaged a double-double.

The "Reign Man" certainly had his shortcomings, but in his prime he was an undeniable force of nature who made grown men cower in fear as he flew through the lane. That’s the kind of player that deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

Lou Hudson

There was a time, in the not-so-distant past, when Lou Hudson was one of the most lethal scorers in the NBA. The silky smooth shooting guard averaged 25.2 points per game over a six-year stretch from 1970 to 1975 and was a regular fixture at the NBA All-Star Game during that span.

Sure, his scoring prowess never resulted in a title, but it did result in many memorable moments, like his 57-point outburst against the Chicago Bulls in November 1969, or his light-out performance in the 1973 NBA Playoffs, when he led all scorers with a 29.7 points per game average.

Sweet Lou was the 12th leading scorer in NBA history when he retired following the 1978-79 season, and remains a legend in Atlanta, where his number hangs from the rafters of State Farm Arena.

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