Ranking the Basketball Hall of Fame's Inductees
Saturday, April 4th was a historic date in basketball. No, it wasn't the NCAA Final Four scheduled for that day which was supposed to lead into the National Championship, the culmination of a turbulent college basketball season. Unfortunately, March Madness was scrapped due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, some legends were still crowned in early April. Kobe Bryant, the Laker superstar who was mourned after dying in a helicopter crash, was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with an abundance of other hoops greats including Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Tamika Catchings. Even in a class as deep as this one, some of the inductees were less dominant than others. We rank the men and women getting inducted into Springfield on their career achievements.
9.Patrick Baumann(former FIBA Secretary General)
Baumann was a great executive and supporter of international basketball. He helped push the growth of 3x3 basketball, a sport which I can't wait to see next year in Tokyo at the Olympics. However, his accomplishments don't stack up with the records and titles owned by many of the others on this list.
8.Barbara Stevens(NCAA DII Women's Coach of Bentley University)
Stevens is a 5 time DII coach of the year. She's won a DII national championship, 17 regular season titles, 17 conference tournament titles, over 1,000 games, and she's still adding to her resume. Stevens has boasted an impressive career indeed, and props to her for putting a tiny school like Bentley on the national women's basketball map. On the other hand, I just can't look past the second I in DII. The Hall of Fame should honor those who have succeeded on the highest levels, like DI and pro ball. Until Stevens proves she can win at the next level, when battling juggernauts like Connecticut and South Carolina, she must take a backseat to some of the people on this list who have triumphed in the top flights of the game.
7.Eddie Sutton(former NCAA DI Men's Coach)
This is where things get very difficult. Sutton is a coaching great. He has amassed over 800 wins, led 4 teams to the NCAA Tournament and 2 to the Final Four. He's a 100% deserving candidate to go to Springfield. The problem is, Sutton can't quite get to the next level as many of those above him can. He's an undoubtedly good coach, but the former Oklahoma State Cowboy just can't step into household name status the way other stars on the list are able to.
T5.Kim Mulkey(NCAA DI Women's Coach of Baylor University)
Mulkey has made unique company with her success as both a player and a coach. She won a title as a player for Louisiana Tech and has coached Baylor to 3 more. Plus, Mulkey took home 4 state titles as a high school player. At 57, she has no vision of retiring soon. Don't be surprised if she leads the Lady Bears to a few more titles in her career. The only reason she didn't flirt with the top of this list was because the LA Tech alumna didn't play professionally. That wasn't her fault though, as the WNBA was not established yet when she graduated college.
T5.Rudy Tomjanovich(NBA Player and Coach of the Houston Rockets)
Tomjanovich in the pros is like what Mulkey was at the amateur level. He's a 5 time All-Star and is third on the Rockets all time scoring list. He then coached the Rockets to back to back titles in 1994 and '95. The Rocket great also coached the US National Team to the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games. As a player, scout, and coach, Tomjanovich was employed by the Rockets for 33 years. He's a legend hanging from the rafters in Houston, but the entire nation doesn't have the same familiarity with him as they might with some of the greats being inducted.
4.Kevin Garnett(former NBA Player)
Garnett paved the way for legends like Kobe and LeBron to forgo college and head directly to the NBA. From the start, The Big Ticket was poised to be a star, winning USA Mr. Basketball in High School. He went on to be a 15 time All-Star, winning MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and an NBA title on the way. Garnett has been everything he was supposed to be. He accomplished everything. Yet, KG never quite put the pieces together to be a face of the NBA who everyone could recognize.
3.Kobe Bryant(former NBA Player for the Los Angeles Lakers)
Kobe is the opposite of Garnett. Everyone knew him, and he knew everybody. Save for Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the Black Mamba was the most iconic player in the league. He won 5 titles, plus an MVP award. The thing is, his reputation is greater than the man himself. He shot under 33% in his career from 3 and under 50% from 2. His trophy case is indisputable, but his stats suggest he's not completely the player his rep makes him out to be.
2.Tamika Catchings(former NCAA DI Women's Player for Tennessee and former WNBA Player for the Indiana Fever)
Catchings' career achievements are some of the greatest in basketball history. She's won titles in the Olympics, college basketball, and the WNBA. Also, she took home the 2012 MVP trophy. Catchings is one of the greatest players in women's basketball, accomplishing everything you could ask for. Unfortunately for her, Tim Duncan, the player ahead of her also has an incredible resume.
1.Tim Duncan(former NCAA DI Player for Wake Forest and NBA Player for the San Antonio Spurs)
Duncan started out as a swimmer, but in 9th grade, he switched to basketball and soon the only thing he'd be swimming in were awards. He won National Player of the Year as a college senior at Wake Forest, and was picked first by the San Antonio Spurs. He spent his entire career with the Spurs, winning 5 titles and 2 MVPs. He's still with the Spurs, now as an assistant coach. Don't be shocked if you see him head coaching title bound teams in a few years. Duncan has had a fantastic career to become the best player in a great class.
9.Patrick Baumann(former FIBA Secretary General)
Baumann was a great executive and supporter of international basketball. He helped push the growth of 3x3 basketball, a sport which I can't wait to see next year in Tokyo at the Olympics. However, his accomplishments don't stack up with the records and titles owned by many of the others on this list.
8.Barbara Stevens(NCAA DII Women's Coach of Bentley University)
Stevens is a 5 time DII coach of the year. She's won a DII national championship, 17 regular season titles, 17 conference tournament titles, over 1,000 games, and she's still adding to her resume. Stevens has boasted an impressive career indeed, and props to her for putting a tiny school like Bentley on the national women's basketball map. On the other hand, I just can't look past the second I in DII. The Hall of Fame should honor those who have succeeded on the highest levels, like DI and pro ball. Until Stevens proves she can win at the next level, when battling juggernauts like Connecticut and South Carolina, she must take a backseat to some of the people on this list who have triumphed in the top flights of the game.
7.Eddie Sutton(former NCAA DI Men's Coach)
This is where things get very difficult. Sutton is a coaching great. He has amassed over 800 wins, led 4 teams to the NCAA Tournament and 2 to the Final Four. He's a 100% deserving candidate to go to Springfield. The problem is, Sutton can't quite get to the next level as many of those above him can. He's an undoubtedly good coach, but the former Oklahoma State Cowboy just can't step into household name status the way other stars on the list are able to.
T5.Kim Mulkey(NCAA DI Women's Coach of Baylor University)
Mulkey has made unique company with her success as both a player and a coach. She won a title as a player for Louisiana Tech and has coached Baylor to 3 more. Plus, Mulkey took home 4 state titles as a high school player. At 57, she has no vision of retiring soon. Don't be surprised if she leads the Lady Bears to a few more titles in her career. The only reason she didn't flirt with the top of this list was because the LA Tech alumna didn't play professionally. That wasn't her fault though, as the WNBA was not established yet when she graduated college.
T5.Rudy Tomjanovich(NBA Player and Coach of the Houston Rockets)
Tomjanovich in the pros is like what Mulkey was at the amateur level. He's a 5 time All-Star and is third on the Rockets all time scoring list. He then coached the Rockets to back to back titles in 1994 and '95. The Rocket great also coached the US National Team to the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games. As a player, scout, and coach, Tomjanovich was employed by the Rockets for 33 years. He's a legend hanging from the rafters in Houston, but the entire nation doesn't have the same familiarity with him as they might with some of the greats being inducted.
4.Kevin Garnett(former NBA Player)
Garnett paved the way for legends like Kobe and LeBron to forgo college and head directly to the NBA. From the start, The Big Ticket was poised to be a star, winning USA Mr. Basketball in High School. He went on to be a 15 time All-Star, winning MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and an NBA title on the way. Garnett has been everything he was supposed to be. He accomplished everything. Yet, KG never quite put the pieces together to be a face of the NBA who everyone could recognize.
3.Kobe Bryant(former NBA Player for the Los Angeles Lakers)
Kobe is the opposite of Garnett. Everyone knew him, and he knew everybody. Save for Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the Black Mamba was the most iconic player in the league. He won 5 titles, plus an MVP award. The thing is, his reputation is greater than the man himself. He shot under 33% in his career from 3 and under 50% from 2. His trophy case is indisputable, but his stats suggest he's not completely the player his rep makes him out to be.
2.Tamika Catchings(former NCAA DI Women's Player for Tennessee and former WNBA Player for the Indiana Fever)
Catchings' career achievements are some of the greatest in basketball history. She's won titles in the Olympics, college basketball, and the WNBA. Also, she took home the 2012 MVP trophy. Catchings is one of the greatest players in women's basketball, accomplishing everything you could ask for. Unfortunately for her, Tim Duncan, the player ahead of her also has an incredible resume.
1.Tim Duncan(former NCAA DI Player for Wake Forest and NBA Player for the San Antonio Spurs)
Duncan started out as a swimmer, but in 9th grade, he switched to basketball and soon the only thing he'd be swimming in were awards. He won National Player of the Year as a college senior at Wake Forest, and was picked first by the San Antonio Spurs. He spent his entire career with the Spurs, winning 5 titles and 2 MVPs. He's still with the Spurs, now as an assistant coach. Don't be shocked if you see him head coaching title bound teams in a few years. Duncan has had a fantastic career to become the best player in a great class.
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