Induction in to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an incredible honor. It’s even more special when a player is enshrined in their first year of eligibility. That distinction is reserved for only the absolutely elite players in the NBA but at this point it’s amazing to see how many of them there truly are. NBA players must be retired for four seasons to be eligible for induction in to the Hall of Fame but if we look at the list of the top players in the association right now we can already narrow down a list of potential first-ballot inductees. Here is a look at the active NBA players that will be first ballot Hall of Famers.
LeBron James
There has never been a player in the history of the NBA that fits the same mold as LeBron James. He is as big and strong as some of the best power forwards to ever play the game, and yet he can still pass the ball like a true point guard and move with the athleticism of some of the premier shooting guards in NBA history. His accomplishments certainly speak for themselves as he’s won four MVP awards, three NBA championships and three NBA Finals MVPs. James has never averaged less than 20.0 points per game in any season in his career and he has averaged at least 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds every single season. There is no doubt he has already cemented his legacy as one of the five best players of all-time and it this point it’s clear LeBron will be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee.
Stephen Curry
Curry is still in his prime and he’s already won two NBA MVP awards, an NBA championship and he was the best player on a team that set the single-season record for most wins. Already regarded as the best pure shooter in the history of the game, Curry has only started to put together an already incredible resume. Some will be hesitant to call him a first ballot Hall of Fame player already but based on what he has accomplished in such a short period of time there should be no doubt that Curry is a future first-ballot Hall of Fame player. And remember, with Kevin Durant on his team for the next two seasons, he should be able to collect at least one more ring – if not two.
Dirk Nowitzki
The NBA’s first international superstar has an NBA MVP award, a championship ring and an NBA Finals MVP with 13 All-Star game appearances. Nowitzki’s career scoring average is 22.0 points per game and he showed he still has it a year ago at 37-years-old when he averaged 18.1 points per game. Nowitzki has spent his entire career building up the Dallas Mavericks franchise and at this point, there is a very good chance he will be a first ballot Hall of Fame player. He’ll add at least one more quality season to his resume in 2016-17 and should without question end up in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
Kevin Durant
Durant is the only player on this list that hasn’t won an NBA championship, but that could change in the very near future now that he has joined the Golden State Warriors. Remember that he specifically left the Thunder because he believed that he had a better chance to win with the Warriors than Oklahoma City. Although he had a pretty good set up with the Thunder and he could have earned more money by staying with them, he wanted to cement his legacy, which includes vying for a title.
Durant already has an NBA MVP award and he has led the league in scoring four times through his first nine seasons. Those are incredible numbers for a player who is still somewhat underrated based on the fact that he never led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a title but it won’t be long before he gets his hands on a ring and once he does Durant will be a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer.
