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The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will feature nine exceptional players from the NBA and five renowned coaches from the basketball world in the Class of 2021. The Hall of Fame is set to announce its 2021 class on May 16, with the ceremony taking place in September.
The Basketball Hall of Fame goes beyond the NBA, taking into account an individual's career from their college days to their professional basketball days, through to their coaching career. The class of 2020 will be honored a few days before May 16 as their enshrinement in the summer of 2020 could not take place due to the pandemic.
The class of 2020 consists of legends like the late, Kobe Bryant and two of the greatest power forwards of all time in Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.
Basketball Hall of Fame: Predicting the 5 members of Class of 2021
The 2021 class also features previous finalists. The list includes 5x NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, 4x NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace, and 5x NBA All-Star Chris Webber.
Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame said this during the announcement:
“While our timeline of events over the past year has been adaptable and reimagined due to the global pandemic, we have never wavered in our commitment to renovating our beautiful museum and recognizing the greats of the game who deserve to be immortalized there, revealing the finalists for the Class of 2021 today is an exciting step towards honoring the men and women who have contributed greatly to the game we celebrate.”
In this piece, we will take a look at the 5 likely members who could get the nod for the prestigious honor of getting inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
#1 Paul Pierce | Player
The 'Truth' Paul Pierce was the face of the Boston Celtics during his time with the legendary ball club. He is one of the front-runners to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in the 2021 class.
Pierce, a 10x NBA All-Star, reached the summit in the 2008 campaign, winning his first and only NBA title, also bagging the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. Pierce, who grew up in LA, was named California Mr. Basketball (Inglewood High) in 1995. Paul enjoyed a long career in the NBA, ranking 19th all-time in scoring with 26,397 points. Pierce was one of the best clutch players in his prime, with his side trusting him to shoot the ball with the game on the line.
#2 Chris Bosh | Player
Chris Bosh (11x All-Star) has been one of the best power forwards in the NBA over the last two decades. Chris, who earned ACC Rookie of the Year at Georgia Tech, was later drafted by the Toronto Raptors.
He became a bonafide All-Star in Toronto before taking his talents over to South Beach, where he teamed up with LeBron James and D-Wade as the trio won two NBA championships. In his high school days, Bosh led Lincoln High to a national championship with a stellar 40-0 record. He has also made his mark on the international stage, winning an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 08.
#3 Bill Russell | Coach
Bill Russell took over from the legendary Celtics coach Red Auerbach in 1966 as he made history by becoming the first African American coach in the NBA. He led the Celtics to the 1968 NBA championship as a player-coach, becoming the first black head coach to do so.
He followed it up with another trip to the NBA Finals, winning his eleventh ring the following season. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1975. In his time as a coach, he was at the helm of the Celtics, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Sacramento Kings, registering a record of 341-290 (.540) in the regular season while going 34-27 (.557) in the postseason.
#4 Ben Wallace | Player
Another deserving candidate for the 2021 class of the Basketball Hall of Fame is Ben Wallace. Big Ben is one of the best defensive players of all time and has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year on four occasions. Wallace, a 4x NBA All-Star, won his first NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
Ben was undersized against traditional centers back in the day but dominated the game with pure talent and determination. His exploits earned him five All-Defensive Team honors while he led the association in rebounds per game twice. Wallace also enjoyed success at the college level, winning the title of Tournament MVP and a Division II First Team All-American in his time as a collegiate athlete at Virginia Union University.
#5 Tim Hardaway | Player
Tim Hardaway played in the NBA for 13 seasons, accumulating a massive scoring total of 15,373 points in his career. He also found success on the international stage, winning an Olympic Gold Medal in basketball in 2000 with Team USA. He received the the Jack McMahon Award in 1990 while getting selected for the All-NBA First Team. Hardaway was also one of the best passers in the game, ranking 18th in league history with 7,095 career assists to his name.
In his college days, Hardaway was a member of the basketball team at the University of Texas between 1985 to 1989. He is most remembered for his signature move, the 'UTEP Two-step'. Hardaway should finally get inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame with this year’s batch of exceptional players.
