Worst NBA Hall of Famers

The Hall of Fame missed the mark with these players.

Worst NBA Hall of Famers

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, is the ultimate destination for the game's greatest talents. But it has come under heavy scrutiny over the years. And for good reason. It's a hot mess.

The voting process is so secretive, exclusive and convoluted you need an advanced physics degree and top CIA clearance to understand it correctly. And the fact that the college basketball Hall of Fame and the professional basketball Hall of Fame aren't completely separate entities (there actually is a College Basketball Hall of Fame run by the NCAA) is a head-scratcher.

More than anything, though, the standard by which NBA players enter the Hall of Fame is the most bothersome. Because it has no rhyme or reason. These NBA players should have their Hall of Fame credentials revoked.

30. Bernard King

Born: Dec. 4, 1956 (Brooklyn, New York)

Hall of Fame year: 1990

Position: Small forward

Career: 13 seasons (1977-1985, 1987-91, 1993)

Teams: New Jersey Nets (1977-79, 1993), Utah Jazz (1979-80), Golden State Warriors (1980-82), New York Knicks (1982-87), Washington Bullets (1987-91)

Career stats: 874 G, 22.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.3 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Bernard King

This one really hurts to add to the list, but we've got to find some way to get our point across.

Bernard King is one of the greatest scoring talents in NBA history, but a devastating leg injury cost him the entire 1985-86 season, and he never really became the player he was before.

While he became a better passer as the years went on, his rebounding was horrendous.

29. Grant Hill

Born: Oct. 5, 1972 (Dallas, Texas)

Hall of Fame year: 2018

Position: Small forward

Career: 19 seasons (1994-2013)

Teams: Detroit Pistons (1994-2000), Orlando Magic (2000-07), Phoenix Suns (2007-12), Los Angeles Clippers (2012-13)

Career stats: 1,026 G, 16.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG. 4.1 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Grant Hill

This is definitely a hard player to include here for the length of his career and his influence on the game, but it's hard to get around the fact that Grant Hill's career has a clear delineation.

For the first six seasons of his career, he was one of the NBA's elite players. After a devastating ankle injury in 2000, he was a role player.

Injury aside, he made it past the first round of the playoffs just once in 19 seasons.

28. Chris Mullin

Born: July 30, 1963 (Brooklyn, New York)

Hall of Fame year: 2011

Position: Shooting guard/small forward

Career: 16 seasons (1985-2001)

Teams: Golden State Warriors (1985-97, 2000-01), Indiana Pacers (1997-2000)

Career stats: 986 G, 18.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.5 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Chris Mullin

"NBA Jam" fans know this one hurts, but for someone who was forced into playing small forward for big stretches of his career, Chris Mullin didn't seem to do much well besides shoot the ball.

And he shot it great. Don't get us wrong. But he's in the Hall of Fame because of his college, Olympic and NBA careers combined.

His time in the NBA wasn't quite at the all-time great standard to get there alone.

27. Gail Goodrich

Born: April 23, 1943 (Los Angeles, California)

Hall of Fame year: 1996

Position: Shooting guard

Career: 14 seasons (1965-79)

Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (1965-68, 1970-76), Phoenix Suns (1968-70), New Orleans Jazz (1976-79)

Career stats: 1,031 G, 18.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.7 APG

NBA titles: 1 (1972)

Bottom Line: Gail Goodrich

The thing that stops us cold when it comes to Gail Goodrich's Hall of Fame candidacy is he only averaged 4.7 assists per game for his career.

And he did this while playing alongside Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for eight out of the nine seasons he was on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Give up the rock.

26. Earl Monroe

Born: Nov. 21, 1944 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Hall of Fame year: 1990

Position: Point guard

Career: 13 seasons (1967-80)

Teams: Baltimore Bullets (1967-71), New York Knicks (1971-80)

Career stats: 926 G, 18.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.9 APG

NBA titles: 1 (1973)

Bottom Line: Earl Monroe

Let's say it upfront — an elite point guard shouldn't have a career assists average of 3.9 per game. The thing Earl Monroe did better than anyone was that he had style.

The guy was a master at showmanship, and you can make a good argument no one ever had as much fun out on the court as "Earl the Pearl."

But his career stats and the fact he won just one title and made one All-NBA Team don't equal the Hall of Fame.

25. Chet Walker

Born: Feb. 22, 1940 (Bethlehem, Mississippi)

Hall of Fame year: 2012

Position: Small forward

Career: 13 seasons (1962-75)

Teams: Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1962-69), Chicago Bulls (1969-75)

Career stats: 1,032 G, 18.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.1 APG

NBA titles: 1 (1967)

Bottom Line: Chet Walker

Before Wilt Chamberlain joined the Los Angeles Lakers, Chet Walker was probably his best teammate, and the two teamed up to win an NBA title in 1967 with a win over the mighty Boston Celtics.

Walker's career wasn't the wasteland you think it would be after he was traded to the Bulls in 1969, but it definitely wasn't Hall of Fame worthy.

24. Walt Bellamy

Born: July 24, 1939 (New Bern, North Carolina)

Died: Nov. 2, 2013 (age 74, College Park, Georgia0

Hall of Fame year: 1993

Position: Center

Career: 13 seasons (1961-74)

Teams: Chicago Packers/Zephyrs/Baltimore Bullets (1961-65), New York Knicks (1965-68), Detroit Pistons (1968-70), Atlanta Hawks (1970-74), New Orleans Jazz (1974)

Career stats: 1,043 G, 20.1 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 2.4 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Walt Bellamy

This is not to say that Walt Bellamy wasn't a great player. His career numbers show a player who dominated in some fashion.

But he never won an NBA title, only made four All-Star games, and his playoff record was disastrous.

He also was the fourth (or fifth) best center of his era and never even played in the NBA Finals.

23. Zelmo Beaty

Born: Oct. 25, 1939 (Hillister, Texas)

Died: Aug. 27, 2013 (age 73, Bellevue, Washington)

Hall of Fame year: 2016

Position: Center

Career: 8 seasons (1962-69, 1974-75)

Teams: St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1962-69), Los Angeles Lakers (1974-75)

Career stats: 570 G, 16.0 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.5 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Zelmo Beaty

Zelmo Beaty played his first seven seasons in the NBA before taking a five-year sojourn in the ABA with the Utah Stars and then returning to the NBA for his final season in 1974-75.

It's telling that Beaty, who struggled mightily in the NBA at times (mainly with fouls) became such a big star in the ABA.

It seems to speak to a dropoff in the level of competition he was facing.

22. Chuck Cooper

Born: Sept. 29, 1926 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

Died: Feb. 5, 1984 (age 57, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

Hall of Fame year: 2019

Position: Power forward/small forward

Career: 6 seasons (1950-56)

Teams: Boston Celtics (1950-54), Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954-56), Fort Wayne Pistons (1956)

Career stats: 409 G, 6.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.8 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Chuck Cooper

If we're looking at things from a purely historical perspective, Chuck Cooper deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

He was the first African-American drafted by an NBA team, taken in the second round by the Boston Celtics in 1950, and also became one of the NBA's first African-American player with Nat Clifton and Earl Floyd that same year.

But if we're looking at things just how they were on the court — which is the whole point of this exercise — Cooper's numbers don't come close to earning a place in Springfield.

21. Bailey Howell

Born: Jan. 20, 1937 (Middleton, Tennessee)

Hall of Fame year: 1997

Position: Small forward/power forward

Career: 12 seasons (1959-71)

Teams: Detroit Pistons (1959-64), Baltimore Bullets (1964-66), Boston Celtics (1966-70), Philadelphia 76ers (1970-71)

Career stats: 950 G, 18.7 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.0 APG

NBA titles: 2 (1968, 1969)

Bottom Line: Bailey Howell

In another case of a really good but not great player making it to the Hall of Fame, Bailey Howell isn't even being considered for induction without four late-career seasons with the Celtics.

Howell won two titles with the Celtics as a role player, but his best years statistically were early in his career.

This is another head-scratcher. All the old Celtics don't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.

20. Sarunas Marciulonis

Born: June 13, 1964 (Kaunas, Lithuania, Soviet Union)

Hall of Fame year: 2014

Position: Shooting guard

Career: 8 seasons (1989-97)

Teams: Golden State Warriors (1989-94), Seattle SuperSonics (1994-95), Sacramento Kings (1995-96), Denver Nuggets (1996-97)

Career stats: 363 G, 12.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.2 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom line: The inventor of the "Euro Step" move, Sarunas Marciulonis was the first Soviet player to play in the NBA.

Marciulonis didn't spend his entire prime overseas and was in the NBA by the time he was 25, so his career numbers of 12.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists are a pretty good indicator of what his ceiling was.

If not just a little bit higher.

Bottom Line: Sarunas Marciulonis

The inventor of the "Euro step" move, Sarunas Marciulonis was the first Soviet player to play in the NBA.

If not just a little bit higher.

19. Charlie Scott

Born: Dec. 15, 1948 (New York City, New York)

Hall of Fame year: 2018

Position: Point guard/shooting guard

Career: 8 seasons (1972-80)

Teams: Phoenix Suns (1972-75), Boston Celtics (1975-77), Los Angeles Lakers (1977-78), Denver Nuggets (1978-80)

Career stats: 560 G, 17.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 4.8 APG

NBA titles: 1 (1976)

Bottom Line: Charlie Scott

Charlie Scott didn't play long enough in the ABA (two seasons) for his time there to impact his legacy in the NBA.

Scott put up some great numbers and was a three-time All-Star with the Suns, but his career averages for rebounds and assists, even for a combo guard, don't jump off the page.

In a weird twist, his lone NBA title came with the Celtics in 1976, the season after he was traded from the Suns.

18. Bill Bradley

Born: July 28. 1943 (Crystal City, Missouri)

Hall of Fame year: 1983

Position: Shooting guard/small forward

Career: 10 seasons (1967-77)

Teams: New York Knicks

Career stats: 742 G, 12.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.4 APG

NBA titles: 2 (1970, 1973)

Bottom Line: Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley's impact on the game was enormous.

The Princeton-educated Rhodes Scholar, NCAA player of the year and future U.S. senator delayed his NBA debut two years to study at Oxford.

Bradley was a great role player on two NBA championship teams for the Knicks, but to say his role was anything more than that seems like rewriting history.

17. Guy Rodgers

Born: Sept. 1, 1935 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Died: Feb. 19, 2001 (Los Angeles, California)

Hall of Fame year: 2014

Position: Point guard

Career: 12 seasons (1958-70)

Teams: Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (1958-66), Chicago Bulls (1966-67), Cincinnati Royals (1967-68), Milwaukee Bucks (1968-70)

Career stats: 892 G, 11.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.8 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Guy Rodgers

Guy Rodgers was a great point guard in his era, led the NBA in assists two seasons and played alongside some of the greatest players in NBA history, including racking up 20 assists in Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962.

But Rodgers, who also teamed up with Oscar Roberston and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, never won an NBA title, and his career average of 11.7 points leaves a lot to be desired.

16. Arnie Risen

Born: Oct. 9, 1924 (Williamstown, Kentucky)

Died: Aug. 4, 2012 (age 87, Beachwood, Ohio)

Hall of Fame year: 1998

Position: Center

Career: 10 seasons (1948-58)

Teams: Rochester Royals (1948-55), Boston Celtics (1955-58)

Career stats: 637 G, 12.0 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 1.7 APG

NBA titles: 2 (1951, 1957)

Bottom Line: Arnie Risen

Arnie Risen can claim something many Hall of Famers can't. He led a team to an NBA title in his prime when he won with the Rochester Royals in 1951.

He won another NBA title in a reserve role with the Celtics late in his career, but his scoring fell off so dramatically it's hard to understand what Hall of Fame voters were thinking.

15. Arvydas Sabonis

Born: Dec. 19, 1964 (Kaunas, Lithuania, Soviet Union)

Hall of Fame year: 2011

Position: Center

Career: 7 seasons (1995-2001, 2002-03)

Teams: Portland Trail Blazers

Career stats: 470 G, 12.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.1 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Arvydas Sabonis

Arvydas Sabonis could have been playing in the NBA as early as the 1989-90 season. But he chose to stay in Europe until 1995, when he finally joined the Portland Trail Blazers after the team drafted him in 1986.

His body ravaged by injuries, Sabonis was a pretty decent role player for six seasons. However, NBA fans never got to glimpse the player he once was.

14. Adrian Dantley

Born: Feb. 28, 1955 (Washington D.C.)

Hall of Fame year: 2008

Position: Small forward

Career: 15 seasons (1976-91)

Teams: Buffalo Braves (1976-77), Indiana Pacers (1977), Los Angeles Lakers (1977-79), Utah Jazz (1979-86), Detroit Pistons (1986-89), Dallas Mavericks (1989-90), Milwaukee Bucks (1990-91)

Career stats: 955 G, 24.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.0 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Adrian Dantley

The one statistic that jumps off the page about Adrian Dantley is 24.3 points per game over his 15-year career — numbers that match up with almost anyone in the Hall of Fame.

But Dantley's real story was off the court as a malcontent and bad teammate, and his trade from the Pistons to the Mavericks in 1989 jump-started back-to-back NBA titles for Detroit.

13. Calvin Murphy

Born: May 9, 1948 (Norwalk, Connecticut)

Hall of Fame year: 1993

Position: Point guard

Career: 13 seasons (1970-83)

Teams: San Diego/Houston Rockets

Career stats: 1,002 G, 17.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 4.4 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Calvin Murphy

It's pretty amazing what Calvin Murphy did in the NBA considering he was only 5-foot-9, but setting that aside, he's one of a long list of shoot-first point guards who made it to the Hall of Fame but shouldn't have.

The facts don't lie. Murphy never won an NBA title, made one All-Star team and never made an All-NBA Team.

Yet, somehow, he's in the Hall of Fame.

12. Bob Davies

Born: Jan. 15, 1920 (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

Died: April 22, 1990 (age 70, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina)

Hall of Fame year: 1970

Position: Point guard

Career: 7 seasons (1948-55)

Teams: Rochester Royals

Career stats: 462 G, 14.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.9 APG

NBA titles: 1 (1951)

Bottom Line: Bob Davies

While it's almost impossible to compare players from different eras at times, we don't really have that problem with Bob Davies. He only played seven seasons and averaged 4.9 assists per game for his career, which is low even for that era.

Davies, who was a star at Seton Hall, wasn't even the best point guard during his NBA playing days, and it's worth pointing out the league didn't even begin integrating until 1950.

11. Carl Braun

Born: Sept. 25, 1927 (Brooklyn, New York)

Died: Feb. 10, 2010 (age 82, Stuart, Florida)

Hall of Fame year: 2019

Position: Shooting guard/point guard

Career: 13 seasons (1947-50, 1952-62)

Teams: New York Knicks (1947-50, 1952-61), Boston Celtics (1961-62)

Career stats: 788 G, 13.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.7 APG

NBA titles: 1 (1962)

Bottom Line: Carl Braun

The NBA title Carl Braun won in 1962, in his final season, came without much contribution from Braun, who only averaged 3.7 points that season.

Even for his era, Braun's numbers really don't jump off the page at 13.5 points and 3.7 assists. His greatest contribution might be inventing the term "swish" after making a basket.

This selection is truly mind-numbing.

10. Louie Dampier

Born: Nov. 20, 1944 (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Hall of Fame year: 2015

Position: Point guard

Career: 3 seasons (1976-79)

Teams: San Antonio Spurs

Career stats: 232 G, 6.7 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 2.8 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Louie Dampier

Louie Dampier was one of the greatest college point guards of all time at Kentucky and one of the best ABA point guards of all time with the Kentucky Colonels, where he played nine seasons.

But he was 32 years old before he played in his first NBA game and his three seasons in the league were as a role player.

9. Drazen Petrovic

Born: Oct. 22, 1964 (Sibenek, Croatia, Yugoslavia)

Died: June 7, 1993 (age 28, Denkendorf, Germany)

Hall of Fame year: 2002

Position: Shooting guard

Career: 4 seasons (1989-93)

Teams: Portland Trail Blazers (1989-91), New Jersey Nets (1991-93)

Career stats: 290 G, 15.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.4 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Drazen Petrovic

Drazen Petrovic's life was tragically cut short when he died in a car accident in Germany shortly after completing his fourth NBA season and making his first All-NBA Team.

It would have been really difficult but not impossible to make a Hall of Fame case for Petrovic after four seasons, but his first two seasons were a wash as he rarely got off the bench for Portland before forcing a trade.

8. Dino Radja

Born: April 24, 1967 (Split, Croatia, Yugoslavia)

Hall of Fame year: 2018

Position: Center/power forward

Career: 4 seasons (1993-97)

Teams: Boston Celtics

Career stats: 224 G, 16.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.8 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Dino Radja

Dino Radja made it into the Hall of Fame for his contributions to European basketball. You can't make an argument he was anything more than an above-average NBA player in three-and-a-half seasons with the Celtics in the mid-1990s.

It's worth noting Radja chose not to play in the NBA, against the best competition, for three years before eventually joining the team in 1993.

So there's that.

7. Al Cervi

Born: Feb. 12, 1917 (Buffalo, New York)

Died: Nov. 9, 2009 (age 92, Rochester, New York)

Hall of Fame year: 1985

Position: Point guard

Career: 4 seasons (1949-53)

Teams: Syracuse Nationals (1949-53)

Career stats: 202 G, 7.9 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 3.2 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Al Cervi

Al Cervi was a defensive standout who never won an NBA title as a player, never made an All-Star team and only played four seasons.

Cervi's career highlight was making one All-NBA Team, in 1950, and ended up averaging 7.9 points for his career.

He was a pretty decent coach after his career was over, but not Hall of Fame material by any means.

6. Vlade Divac

Born: Feb. 3, 1968 (Prijepolje, Serbia, Yugoslavia)

Hall of Fame year: 2019

Position: Center

Career: 16 seasons (1989-2005)

Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (1989-96, 2004-05), Charlotte Hornets (1996-98), Sacramento Kings (1998-2004)

Career stats: 1,134 G, 11.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.1 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Vlade Divac

There's a big difference between the perception and reality of Vlade Divac's career.

He didn't spend a substantial amount of time playing overseas before making it to the NBA by the time he was 21 years old. He made one All-Star team in a 16-year career. He never won an NBA title. And he's more known for flopping than anything else.

Why is he in the Hall of Fame?

5. Richie Guerin

Born: May 29, 1932 (Bronx, New York)

Hall of Fame year: 2013

Position: Shooting guard

Career: 13 seasons (1956-67, 1968-70)

Teams: New York Knicks (1956-63), St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1963-67, 1968-70)

Career stats: 848 G, 17.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.0 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Richie Guerin

Richie Guerin was a beloved player on the New York Knicks in the late 1950s and early 1960s and put up big numbers on some terrible teams, only making the playoffs once in seven seasons.

He did a lot better as a player/coach with the Hawks for most of the 1960s, but he never made the NBA Finals as a player or as a coach.

4. Tracy McGrady

Born: May 24, 1979 (Bartow, Florida)

Hall of Fame year: 2017

Position: Shooting guard/small forward

Career: 16 seasons (1997-2013)

Teams: Toronto Raptors (1997-2000), Orlando Magic (2000-04), Houston Rockets (2004-10), New York Knicks (2010), Detroit Pistons (2010-11), Atlanta Hawks (2011-12), San Antonio Spurs (2013)

Career stats: 938 G, 19.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.4 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Tracy McGrady

Never has a player benefited more from his era more than Tracy McGrady, a product of the post-Jordan, no-defense, soft-as-tissue era where talent was diluted across the league.

McGrady put up big numbers and won two NBA scoring titles, but he went so in the tank down the stretch of his career that his scoring average dropped below 20 points.

The greatest indictment of McGrady's career is his abject failure in the postseason. He played past the first round once, in 2013, as a bench player averaging 5.2 minutes per game for the Spurs in his final season. Woof.

3. Ralph Sampson

Born: July 7, 1960 (Harrisonburg, Virginia)

Hall of Fame year: 2012

Position: Center

Career: 9 seasons (1983-92)

Teams: Houston Rockets (1983-87), Golden State Warriors (1987-89), Sacramento Kings (1989-91), Washington Bullets (1991-92)

Career stats: 456 G, 15.4 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.3 APG

NBA titles: None

Bottom Line: Ralph Sampson

There have been few bigger basketball curiosities than Ralph Sampson — a 7-foot-4 center who was in the spotlight from the time he was in high school.

Sampson was billed as the next Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But he never even came close. That's what make this Hall of Fame induction most mind-numbing.

It's almost like Sampson got the call based on what he should have been and speaks to the absolute disconnect between those who induct players and reality.

2. Mitch Richmond

Born: June 30, 1965 (Deerfield Beach, Florida)

Hall of Fame year: 2014

Position: Shooting guard

Career: 13 seasons (1989-2002)

Teams: Golden State Warriors (1989-91), Sacramento Kings (1991-98), Washington Wizards (1998-2001), Los Angeles Lakers (2001-02)

Career stats: 976 G, 21.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.5 APG

NBA titles: 1 (2002)

Bottom Line: Mitch Richmond

Mitch Richmond's induction in 2014 best underlined the modern beef with the Hall of Fame's process of picking NBA players.

Want to make the case against Richmond? His career numbers for rebounds and assists are low, even for a shooting guard. And he only has 23 career playoff games.

Is he even a top-five shooting guard for his era?

1. Frank Ramsey

Born: July 13, 1931 (Corydon, Kentucky)

Died: July 8, 2018 (age 86, Madisonville, Kentucky)

Hall of Fame year: 1982

Position: Small forward/shooting guard

Career: 9 seasons (1954-55, 1956-64)

Teams: Boston Celtics

Career stats: 623 G, 13.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.8 APG

NBA titles: 7 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964)

Bottom Line: Frank Ramsey

The inclusion of Frank Ramsey in the Hall of Fame has us convinced there is actually a Celtics cabal running things on the voting side of this process.

There is no sane reason Frank Ramsey should be in the Hall of Fame. He never made an All-Star team. He never made an All-NBA Team. He won seven titles with the Celtics, which seems to be his main qualification.

Ridiculous.