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The current talent pool in the NBA is frightening, and if the 2021 NBA Playoffs taught us anything, it is that the next generation has plenty of greatness to show in the upcoming decade.
In the modern game, we've witnessed some of the greatest players in NBA history and some have achieved unique all-time feats. We saw Russell Westbrook average a Triple-Double for an entire season on multiple occasions, Stephen Curry making more than 400 three-pointers in a season and LeBron James leading an NBA Finals series on every statistic.
Reigning NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to just their second championship in franchise history with some legendary performances in the 2021 NBA Finals.
10 active NBA Players who will surely be inducted into the Hall Of Fame
There's been a lot of talk about the Greek superstar's resume in the NBA at age 26. Many were quick to point out that he already has the body of work of a Hall-of-Famer.
In this article, we will give you the 10 active players who will surely enter the Nismith Memorial Hall of Fame when available.
A player must be fully retired for four full seasons before being eligible for Enshrinement (according to the Hoop Hall website), and most deserve a first-ballot induction.
Without further ado, let us start.
#10 Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis is definitely a future Hall-of-Famer. His resume is already rich on an individual and collective level for him to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial when eligible.
Davis has been in the NBA since the 2012-13 season and had an immediate impact, though Damian Lillard beat him to the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
Throughout his career, Davis has one NBA championship with the LA Lakers and has been selected to the All-Star Game eight times. He also made it to the All-NBA on four occasions and the All-Defensive team four times in nine years in the league.
He has career averages of 23.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game with a 51/31/79 shooting split in the regular season.
#9 Carmelo Anthony
Though his participation in today's NBA has been reduced to a secondary role, Carmelo Anthony will surely be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame at the first chance he appears on the HOF ballot.
Anthony, who entered the NBA after winning the 2003 NCAA championship with Syracuse as a freshman, has been an All-Star 10 times and appeared on the All-NBA squad six times.
He has not won an NBA championship, but Anthony's individual display of greatness has been on show numerous times throughout his NBA career. Anthony won one scoring title and could've arguably been the 2003-04 NBA Rookie of the Year over LeBron James.
#8 Chris Paul
Though he remains without an NBA championship on his resume, Chris Paul is likely to become a Hall-of-Famer exactly four years after his retirement from the NBA. This is when he'll be available for induction for the first, and only, time in his career.
Paul has been in the NBA since 2005 and has received many individual accolades and recognitions for his tremendous skills as a point guard.
He has been selected for the All-Star Game on 11 occasions. Paul has also been on the All-NBA teams 10 times, the All-Defensive teams nine times and has led the league four times in assists per game.
Moreover, Paul has career averages of 18.3 points and 9.4 assists per game with 47/37/87 shooting splits.
#7 Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is a player who plays as hard as he can in seemingly every possession of an NBA game and also boasts incredible talent. Westbrook has put his name in the history books in the form of Triple-Doubles, as he is the all-time leader in Triple-Doubles recorded, and has averaged the feat for an entire year on four occasions.
An NBA MVP winner, Westbrook has attended the All-Star Game nine times and is also a nine-time All-NBA player.
In his career since the 2008-09 season, Westbrook has career averages of 23.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game. He's led the league in assists three times and has also won a scoring title.
#6 James Harden
A tremendous offensive player, James Harden has made a career of putting up brilliant stats that have often turned into regular-season success for his teams.
Harden is an NBA MVP winner and has been brilliant in different roles. He was the Sixth Man of the Year for the OKC Thunder early in his career before becoming a unique offensive weapon for the Houston Rockets. Harden now plays as a facilitator for the Brooklyn Nets. He's done it all at a high level.
The only drawback for Harden is that the NBA title has evaded him and he's struggled in the NBA Playoffs. Regardless, there's no denying his impact on this era and his future as a Hall-of-Famer.
Harden's career averages in the regular season are at 25 points, five rebounds and six assists per game with 44/36/85 shooting splits. He has also been in nine All-Star Games and has received seven All-NBA selections in 12 years.
#5 Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard's career is definitely a weird one. He started off with the San Antonio Spurs in 2011 and evolved from a role player, to a promising talent and finally became a superstar.
His defensive skills have always been great since the start of his NBA career, but he has also managed to become a huge threat on offense and led teams to NBA championships in both areas.
Leonard is a two-time Finals MVP award winner and also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Even though he started as a role player, Leonard's resume is already filled with accolades from a 10-year long career.
He's made it to five All-Star Games, five All-NBA teams and seven All-Defensive teams. A two-time NBA champion, Leonard has also been an All-Star MVP and has career averages of 19 points, six rebounds and three assists per game in his regular-season career.
#4 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo has already constructed a unique NBA career that has propelled him to the highest echelon of current players. His run to the 2021 NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks has made many analysts name him the best current player in the NBA. Antetokounmpo, at just 26, already boasts a historic resume.
He is a two-time MVP winner, has won the Defensive Player of the Year and is the reigning NBA Finals MVP award winner after an iconic performance in the 2021 championship round.
The Greek is one of three players to win regular-season MVP, DPOY and Finals MVP in their careers, alongside Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. Antetokounmpo has also gone to five All-Star games, in addition to achieving five All-NBA selections and five All-Defensive selections.
He has won the Most Improved Player award as well, showing the progress he has made from his early days in the league, and is the reigning MVP of the All-Star Game.
#3 Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is one of the greatest offensive players in NBA history given his efficiency and consistency. His skills also allow him to be an offensive threat in almost every area of the game. Durant has won two NBA championships and two Finals MVPs in his career.
He has been mired in controversy since making the move to the 73-9 Golden State Warriors before the 2016-17 NBA season. But the move helped him reach NBA glory as he won two consecutive NBA championships in 2017 and 2018.
A four-time scoring champion and NBA MVP winner, Durant's career started in 2007. He has since been selected to 11 All-Star games, nine All-NBA selections and a couple of All-Star MVPs.
#2 Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is a three-time NBA champion and two-time NBA MVP winner, with one of those MVPs coming in unanimous fashion. He remains the only player in NBA history to achieve the latter feat.
There is enough reason to suggest Curry will be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The only reason he will have to wait until after retirement is due to the four-year rule between retirement and the first year of possible enshrinement.
Curry has changed the NBA with his long-range shooting, and the next generation of players might just shoot three-pointers the way the past generation shot layups. The Golden State Warriors point guard's resume includes seven All-Star Game trips, seven All-NBA selections and two scoring titles.
He also has the record for most three-pointers made in a single NBA season in league history with 402 in the 2015-16 NBA season, the year he won his unanimous MVP award.
#1 LeBron James
Some NBA legends deserved to be inducted into the Hall of Fame during their playing days itself. LeBron James would've definitely met that criteria as he is arguably the greatest player in the history of the NBA and has been an exemplary individual on and off the court throughout his 18-year career.
James is a four-time NBA champion, four-time Finals MVP award winner and four-time NBA MVP winner. His resume is filled with all kinds of records, especially those having to do with his age. He is the youngest player to reach every thousand-point mark right from 1,000 to 35,000.
James is the all-time leader in postseason games, wins and points, and has reached the NBA Finals 10 times (tied for third-best ever). He is also second in NBA Playoffs history in Triple-Doubles and has had numerous glorious performances in the NBA Playoffs.
His greatness and longevity might help him surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points) and make him the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.
Also Read: NBA Trade Rumors: Golden State Warriors in talks with Indiana Pacers for Myles Turner
