Which NBA Players Are Hall of Fame Locks?

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is one of the most debated in all of sports because it is seen as possibly the weakest and most unserious in all of major pro sports. 

It’s mostly due to the fact that they let seemingly anybody in, so even if you were just a really good role player who has the right accolades or were on the right teams, you’re probably getting into the Hall of Fame because of it.

But another reason many hate the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is that it’s just that: the BASKETBALL Hall of Fame. Not the NBA Hall of Fame. 

So many players get in because of their overall careers across high school, college, and the NBA, while some also get in because of what they did on the international circuit either for their country or club overseas in Europe where basketball is also a prominent sport.

While there is no changing the Hall of Fame or how you get in it, there is an always interesting set of questions to ask at the moment: Who currently playing in the NBA is already a lock to make it? 

And who is close to it but not quite there yet? 

And lastly, who is on the right track but still has plenty left to prove? 

HOF Locks

LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, James Harden

These players all have solidified legacies and things that we will remember them for, making them guaranteed HOF locks with no questions left to ask or answer. 

LeBron is the greatest player of all time; Curry is the greatest shooter and greatest point guard of all time; and KD is one of the greatest pure scorers of all time and the most decorated Olympic basketball player of all time.

Jokic and Giannis are the two guys who have spearheaded the bridge generation between LeBron, Curry, and KD and Wemby, Edwards, and Shai, racking up many awards and accolades along the way. 

Kawhi and Draymond are multiple-time champions who are probably the two greatest defenders of the last 15 years; and James Harden, aside from Curry, may be the single most influential player of his generation and the most unguardable player possibly ever. 

Less Obvious, But Still A HOF Lock

Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Jrue Holiday

These four players are also locks to make the Hall of Fame, but they’re a bit less obvious or less in your face because their names aren’t quite as highly regarded as the ones above them.

Klay is the other half of the greatest shooting duo of all time and at times was a better shooter than his counterpart Steph Curry; Anthony Davis is one of the best defensive anchors the game has ever seen and has been exactly that at every single level he’s ever played; Kyrie Irving is the most gifted handler the game has ever seen and possibly the best No. 2 option of all time; and Jrue Holiday is one of the very best defensive guards of all time who has played pivotal roles on countless NBA Championship and Olympic Gold Medal teams. 

Need Another Moment Or Accolade

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Luka Doncic, DeMar DeRozan, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Karl Anthony-Towns, Rudy Gobert, Damian Lillard, Paul George

These players are basically right there and will probably make it, but they could benefit from one more “moment” to just secure their spot without a doubt.

SGA is in the midst of one of the best guard peaks in NBA history, but he still has plenty of damage left to do that is inevitably going to lock him into the HOF relatively soon. 

Brunson and KAT just put an entire city on their backs to earn a hard-fought NBA Championship and etch their name into their city’s history forever, but it does still feel like they need to see their careers play out a bit more before they’re locks.

Luka and DeMar DeRozan are both on pace to finish very high on the NBA’s time-scoring list, but neither of them really has many accolades or team accomplishments to their name that show the fruits of their labor. So it could be said that both men just need one more thing of note to really put them over the edge, whether it be a deep playoff run from DeMar or an MVP or championship from Luka.

Adebayo just put up 83 points in a game on top of a career that’s seen him play pivotal roles on two Olympic Gold Medal teams and two NBA Finals teams, but he’s missing the ring to show for that hard work. He’s one of the best defenders of the last decade, and perhaps the 83-point game was the moment he needed, but he could benefit greatly from a Defensive Player of the Year Award or an NBA Championship, which he’s in a great spot to go for with Giannis at his side. 

Embiid, Butler, Gobert, Lillard, and George all share the status of some of the best players of the last 15 years that just haven’t been able to get the biggest award there is: a ring. While it’s unlikely that most of them get one at this point in their careers, it would certainly be a big help to their cases, but even without it, you can still feel pretty safe in saying by the time their careers come to a close, they’ll have their spots in the HOF reserved.

Still Too Early To Tell

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker

Each of these players is still relatively young with lots of basketball left to play, but they have played enough and done enough to know that they are well on their way to the Hall of Fame with most of the rest of the names we have discussed. 

Tatum and Brown have both won Championships, Finals MVPs, Gold Medals, and been named to All-NBA and All-Star teams plenty of times in their careers, but it feels like their work with each other makes it harder to distinguish them from one another. But now we will watch them play on different teams and learn a lot about how each of them operates in different settings, which could be a good thing for both.

Donovan Mitchell has been one of the 10 or so best players in the league for the last couple of seasons, and he seems to be one of the better scorers in playoff history very quietly. However, it’s the lack of playoff success when leading a team that is holding him back. But it could be his time with a wide-open Eastern Conference this season, so maybe he makes his case a bit more undeniable very soon.

Then you have Devin Booker who has plenty of moments whether it’s the 70-point game or his great run with Phoenix to the NBA Finals, he has a couple of All-NBA selections and five All-Star selections as well as two Olympic Gold Medals as well. But it feels like the big thing he’s missing, like many, is a ring. But even more than that, it just feels like Booker isn’t as in the public’s eye as basically everyone else on this list.

He’s a very quiet and out-of-the-way guy, which in this era is rare, because if he were a bit more flashy and loud for the media to take note of, he may be held in higher regard on that alone.