5 current NBA players who will be in Hall of Fame feat. LeBron James & more
For any basketball player, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is the apogee of their career. The induction into the HoF eventually immortalizes the players’ career and their overall greatness in basketball.
The 2023 Hall of Fame class saw players such as Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker get inducted. The are also players currently in the NBA who could be included in the basketball HoF.
While players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are some of the obvious choices, others like Jimmy Butler, Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis have strong cases but need more to be inducted.
While there are multiple active players who are surely destined for the Hall of Fame, the list includes only five. Players like Nikola Jokic, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook have not been included due to the shortness of the list.
Here is a list of five current NBA players who will be in the Hall of Fame in the future.
5 current NBA players who will be in Hall Of Fame
#5 Giannis Antetokounmpo
It might be too soon to include Giannis Antetokounmpo in this list, however, in his 11 years in the NBA, he has achieved more than most players do in their careers.
Antetokounmpo is the only player on this list who has won the Most Improved Player award (2017). When he entered the league, there was no big noise around him but he has grown to become the modern version of a dominant big man in the league.
Antetokounmpo is an NBA champion and an NBA Finals MVP. Widely known as Greek Freak, he has also won two NBA MVP awards and a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020. He is in the elite club of three players who have won DPOY and the MVP award in the same season. The others being Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Antetokounmpo had made it to seven All-NBA Teams and five NBA All-Defensive teams. In just a decade, the Greek Greak established himself as one of the greatest in the league and was included in the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
#4 Chris Paul
One of the biggest criticisms against Chris Paul’s career is that he has never won a championship in19 years in the NBA. Known as the Point God, Paul has cemented himself among the greatest point guards of all time. He is also one of the obvious choices on the list.
In his almost two decades in the NBA, Paul is a 12-time All-Star and an 11-time All-NBA player. Despite being just 6 foot, Paul has been a defensive monster throughout his career. He has made it to nine All-Defensive teams, seven of which were to the first team.
A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, CP3 is a five-time assists leader and a six-time steals leader. He also has won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA.
Despite not having a great playoff record, Paul is surely a first-ballot Hall of Famer and his career resume speaks for itself.
#3 Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant has been one of the best players in the league since his debut in 2007. He has established himself as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.
Durant is a two-time champion, a two-time Finals MVP and the 2014 league MVP. In his 16 years in the NBA, he has played for four teams and been an All-Star 13 times. He has been selected to 10 All-NBA Teams.
Moreover, KD’s two championships came against LeBron James, which validates his championships even more. Durant has four scoring titles, most by an active NBA player. He has been in the 50-40-90 club twice in his career.
#2 Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is arguably the greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history and that easily grants him an entry into the Hall of Fame. Curry's four championships make him an easy contender for HoF induction.
Curry has won four titles in the LeBron James era and there was a legit argument to be made during the 2015 and 2016 seasons that Curry was the best player in the league.
He has single-handedly changed the game as most players now focus on 3-point shooting. It is all the Steph Curry effect.
Steph is a nine-time NBA All-Star, two-time league MVP and a Finals MVP. He has also made it to nine All-NBA teams. Curry is also a two-time scoring champion and a steals leader in 2016.
Even if Curry retires from the NBA today, he still has the resume of a certified Hall of Famer. Whenever and wherever the NBA is talked about, the story won't be without Steph Curry.
#1 LeBron James
LeBron James is a no-brainer on the list. He is not just considered one of the greatest but the best in history.
After playing for 21 seasons, there is barely a record that LeBron hasn't touched yet. He is top 10 in almost every NBA category.
LeBron is the highest scorer in NBA history, eighth in total career steals, seventh in 3-points made, fourth in assists and first in field-goals made.
LeBron has made it to 19 All-NBA teams, is a 19-time All-Star and a five-time member of the All-NBA Defensive First Team. He has also won four titles, four Finals MVP and four regular-season MVPs.
What he is doing in his 21st NBA season is just the cherry on top. He has defied the conventional notion of a 38-year-old by playing at an unprecedented level. It is hard to believe, but LeBron James is still the best player on the Lakers roster.