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The Basketball Hall of Fame features some of the greatest NBA players who have put a tremendous amount of effort into making successful careers in the league.
Quite a few of the current active NBA players are widely regarded as future Hall of Famers, thanks to the exceptional achievements they have had in their careers. Some notable mentions for the same would be LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and many other NBA champions.
Interestingly, many other potential Hall of Fame candidates, who have a realistic chance of being inducted, are yet to win an NBA championship. On that note, we list the top five prospective candidates from the NBA who could end up as one of the few players that made it to the Basketball Hall of Fame without winning a ring.
#5 Carmelo Anthony
37-year old Carmelo Anthony is heading towards the twilight of his career and is yet to reach the NBA Finals. Anthony debuted in the NBA in 2003 after being picked third overall by the Denver Nuggets. He came into the league with high expectations as he was coming off a National Championship win in his freshman year in college. He was also named as the NCAA Tournament's most outstanding player in 2003.
Anthony led the Nuggets in six playoff appearances between 2004-2010. He averaged at least 20 points per game every season he played for Denver. He was then traded to the New York Knicks mid-way through the 2010-11 season, where he flourished even more after hitting the prime of his career. Eight of his ten All-Star appearances came when Anthony played for the Knicks. He also won the scoring title in 2013.
The majority of his career achievements only came with the Nuggets and the Knicks. He played for the OKC Thunder and Houston Rockets after that, where he did not enjoy much success and was also without a contract for one whole year.
Anthony returned to the NBA for the 2019-2020 NBA season after the Portland Trail Blazers signed him to a veteran-minimum contract. He has been a viable option off the bench for the side. Anthony shares the record for most points scored in a single quarter of an NBA game (33) and is 10th on the All-Time list for most points scored by a player in the NBA.
Anthony is one of the most successful players on the international stage in men's U.S basketball history. He represented the national team in a record four Olympic tournaments, winning one bronze medal and three gold medals. His last appearance in the Olympics was during the 2016 Rio Olympics.
These are outstanding records for a player who is still considered an invaluable member of a contending team in the NBA. His offensive prowess and shot-making ability is right among the best players in the NBA. Even if Anthony doesn't win a title by the end of his career, his individual accolades are attractive enough for him to become a Hall of Famer.
#4 Damian Lillard
Carmelo Anthony's Portland Trail Blazers teammate Damian Lillard is next on the list. Lillard is widely regarded as one of the most clutch players in the NBA currently. His three-point shooting range is absolutely lethal and sets him apart from the rest of the players in the league.
Lillard is 31 and has a significant amount of time to win an NBA title in his career. He has been loyal to the Trail Blazers since making his debut in 2012 and has been the driving force behind their eight consecutive NBA Playoffs appearances since 2013.
He won Rookie of the Year in his debut season and went on to average at least 20 points per game every season since his sophomore year in the NBA. Lillard has five All-NBA teams in his career and has six NBA All-Star appearances so far.
He has been a constant mention concerning the league's MVP award and has multiple top-eight finishes in the final voting for the highest individual honor in the NBA.
Lillard still has many years left before he calls time on his career, but it has been stacked with record-breaking numbers and rare accolades that he continues to achieve, which makes him a highly rated prospect for being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
#3 James Harden
2018 NBA MVP James Harden is one of the most prolific scorers the NBA has ever seen. The former Houston Rockets shooting guard debuted in 2009 with the OKC Thunder, and after a slow start where he initially played as a bench player, he discovered his true potential when he was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012.
After playing in the shadows of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for the first three years of his career in OKC, Harden became one of the best players in the league on a team that he was a leader on. He went on to play with Houston in all eight seasons that he played with them from 2012 to 2020.
As a Houston Rockets player, he made eight NBA All-Star appearances, six All-NBA first teams, won the scoring title for three consecutive years, and also won his only MVP award in 2018.
Harden has also won one Olympic gold medal and also won the World Championship on the international stage with the men's U.S basketball team.
He is currently playing for a star-studded Brooklyn Nets lineup featuring Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, which could help him land his first-ever NBA title in his 12 season-long career.
#2 Russell Westbrook
Mr. Triple-Double, Russell Westbrook is next on the list of potential Hall of Fame inductees who haven't won an NBA championship yet. Westbrook has been a beast since his debut season in the NBA. He started playing for the OKC Thunder in 2008 and went on to represent them for 11 straight seasons.
The Thunder made the playoffs every season from Westbrook's sophomore year to his last season with the team. Westbrook has a long list of career achievements, most of them coming during his time with the OKC Thunder.
He went on to win the MVP award in 2017, after averaging a triple-double per game during the entire 2016-17 NBA season. He made nine All-Star game appearances, winning the All-Star game MVP in back-to-back seasons (2015, 2016) and also led the league in scoring twice and assists thrice between 2015-2020.
Westbrook averaged a triple-double in three consecutive years in the NBA and four in total, with the last such instance taking place last season. He also leads the NBA for most triple-doubles by a single player in the history of the league, with 184 triple-doubles to his name so far.
#1 Chris Paul
Chris Paul missed the opportunity to win his first NBA title this season after the Phoenix Suns lost the Milwaukee Bucks in six games in the finals despite leading by a 2-0 margin.
It was the closest he's ever come to winning a ring in his 16 season-long career so far. Paul is regarded as one of the best point guards to ever play in the NBA. His high basketball IQ and court vision make him one of the floor generals in the league even at the age of 36.
Paul started his career with the New Orleans Hornets in 2005. He went on to win Rookie of the Year in his debut season. He made his All-Star game debut in 2007 which is also when he rose to stardom. Paul went on to make three NBA Playoffs appearances for the Hornets before being traded to the LA Clippers in 2011.
The majority of his individual achievements came with the Clippers as he formed a terrific partnership with Blake Griffin. Paul has made 11 All-Star game appearances and won the All-Star game MVP award in 2013. He is also widely regarded as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and has led the league in steals six times in his career so far.
CP3 has 10 All-NBA team selections and 7 All-Defensive First-team selections so far. He ranks fourth on the all-time list for most assists in the NBA and is one of the six players to record 10,000 + assists.
