Getting enshrined in the NBA Basketball Hall of Fame is arguably the most prestigious award a player can have in his career. Only a few people can get in and certainly not everyone has gathered the necessary career accolades to be considered for the honor. However, there are times when an NBA player seemingly had the trajectory to be enshrined but due to some unfortunate luck or circumstance, the basketball community shied away from honoring the basketball individual despite his evident success during his career.
With that said, let’s talk about the 10 NBA players that would definitely be Hall of Famers if it weren’t for one mistake they did in the past.
Which mistakes hampered the possible Hall of Fame nominations of these players in their NBA career?
F Derrick Coleman
The 1st overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft, Derrick Coleman was a talented big who had the potential to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame but failed to do so because of an apparent attitude problem and some issues off the court.
Coleman was named a two-time member of the All-NBA third team and was selected as an all-star in 1994. He averaged more than 20 ppg and 11 rpg for three straight seasons, which is quite an impressive feat to do in the 1990s.
However, as brilliant as Coleman was on the court, he was an extremely toxic presence in the locker room. He also had some beef with players from other teams, particularly Jazz forward Karl Malone.
G/F Latrell Sprewell
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When Latrell Sprewell first played in the NBA, it certainly looked like he was destined to become a Hall of Famer due to his impressive play on the court. He was selected in four all-star games and was a one-time member of the All-NBA First Team in 1994, at just the age of 24.
But despite his brilliant on-court play, Sprewell was perceived as a hothead who could not take any criticism well. This was on full display when he choked his former Golden State Warriors head coach, P.J. Carlesimo, during a dispute at practice, which eventually led to a lengthy suspension from the league.
After rehabbing his career in New York and Minnesota years later, Sprewell again landed in hot waters as he infamously declined a three-year 21 million extension from the Wolves as the amount was deemed not enough to “feed his family.”
G Stephon Marbury
There was a time when the New York-born Marbury was considered as one of the future faces of the NBA. It’s hard to argue with that thought as Marbury was definitely a star in his own right, appearing in two all-star games and was also selected in a couple of All-NBA Third Teams. His play was dynamic and his scoring prowess was at par with the NBA’s best during his heyday.
But as Marbury’s star continued to shine in the league back then, his ego also grew into epic proportions. He clashed with multiple coaches, especially during his time with the Knicks. It came to a point that he threatened to sit out for an entire season if New York continued to employ former head coach and Pistons great Isiah Thomas on the sideline.
After Marbury was inevitably outplayed by a second-string point guard for the starting spot in the roster, the 6-foot-2 guard immediately fell out of favor with everybody in the league and was out of an NBA job in 2009.
F Shawn Kemp
While Kemp still has the time to realistically make the Hall of Fame someday, it seems like the latter part of his NBA career will be held against him, including the off-the-court problems he had to go through after he retired from the league.
During his heyday, Kemp was arguably one of the best power forwards in the entire league. He was selected to six all-star games and was a three-time member of the All-NBA Second Team. Kemp – a well-known high flyer and scorer in his time with the SuperSonics – battled with weight problems and was perceived as a lazy individual during his time with the Cavaliers, Blazers and Magic.
Also read: 10 NBA Hall of Famers With the Sketchiest Lives off the Court
G Gilbert Arenas
From 2005 to 2007, Gilbert Arenas was one of the best players in the entire league. His unprecedented rise from a second-round pick to a bonafide superstar was unheard of during that time and Arenas made the Wizards a must-watch on national television whenever they play.
A Hall of Fame enshrinement was definitely in the cards for Arenas once he called it a career, but things quickly went south after his firearm incident in 2009 inside an NBA locker room. The incident quickly became viral back then and Arenas was eventually hit with a couple of legal actions because of it.
Arena never recovered after the incident and his play declined significantly in the subsequent years. One bad action can truly spoil a potentially great NBA career and Arenas is a living example of it.
F Antoine Walker
Who could forget the shimmy of Antoine Walker whenever he hits a momentum-shifting three-pointer? While most fans remember Walker as a role player for the championship-winning 2006 Miami Heat squad, he was once a franchise start for the Boston Celtics from 1996 to 2003. The 6 foot 9 forward was selected in three all-star games and was an All-NBA First Team member in 1997.
Walker’s first sign of trouble happened in 1997 when he was included in a lawsuit filed by an unidentified woman regarding an unfortunate incident. While Walker came out unscathed, his personal problems did not end there. He struggled with financial problems during his time in the league, which indirectly affected his play on the court and resulted in a steep decline in his production as a player.
The Hall of Fame was once destined for Walker, but his turmoil off the NBA court was definitely a bad look for him.
F Len Bias
This is a case of what could have happened if Bias had had the chance to showcase his skills in the NBA. As we all know now, Len Bias’s NBA career did not materialize due to a cocaine overdose the night after he was drafted in 1986.
It’s not too far-fetched to call him a future NBA Hall of Famer, as he was already a superstar in college while playing for Maryland. Some even said that Bias played eerily similar to Bulls great Michael Jordan, but that’s still up for debate. Nonetheless, Bias was drafted as the second overall pick by a loaded Boston Celtics team in 1986.
If he had the chance to play, maybe the Celtics would continue their dominant ways until the early to mid-90s.
G Derrick Rose
I was compelled to include the 2011 NBA regular season MVP in this list as I don’t consider suffering a career-altering injury a part of it, but in Rose’s case, it’s quite clear that the story of how his career declined unexpectedly should be discussed. There’s not a single doubt that if Rose had stayed healthy, he would have been on the first ballot in the NBA Hall of Fame once he decided to retire.
Suppose then-Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau subbed out Rose early in a semi-blowout game against the Sixers in the first game of the 2012 playoffs, his injury would have never happened. In that case, there’s an argument around the league circles that he might have avoided the devastating ACL injury he suffered, which eventually derailed his NBA career.
The blame will always be on Thibodeau, not on Rose. Fans around the league are still bitter about what happened to the beloved former MVP to this day.
G Steve Francis
Steve Francis was arguably one of the best point guards in the entire league in the early 2000s. His thunderous dunks and ball-handling wizardry were truly ahead of his time, as he often embarrassed defenders with his stellar play on the court for Houston.
He was a three-time all-star and a beloved star in a Rockets uniform. However, after his time in H-Town, his play inexplicably declined at an alarming rate. Francis showed up at the Orlando Magic training camp out of shape and was deemed a cancer inside the locker room. The Magic suspended him multiple games in 2006 due to his behavior around the team.
F Metta Sandiford-Artest (Ron Artest)
While Artest eventually turned his life around and became a beloved figure for Lakers fans during their 2010 NBA championship run, his Hall of Fame bid will forever be tainted because of his role in the infamous “Malice at the Palace” brawl in 2004.
While many fans may not see Artest as a possible Hall of Famer, the personal accolades he gathered under his name may dispute the masses’ doubt. He was named an all-star, selected to the All-NBA Third Team, and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2004. Plus, he was a member of four-time All-NBA Defensive Teams throughout his career.
If the 2004 Pistons-Pacers brawl never happened, people might remember Ron Artest differently today.
Also read: 10 NBA Players That Would Definitely Be Hall Of Famers If It Weren’t For Horrible Injuries
