On Friday, the finalists for the 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 were revealed. The list includes four players who were named as finalists due in large part because of their NBA playing career. Here are those four, listed in alphabetical order by last name, and some of the accolades they accomplished during their career. The first two listed are finalists in their first year of Hall of Fame eligibility.
The other finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 include:
Women’s basketball – Jennifer Azzi, Sue Bird, Molly Bolin, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore
Head coaches – Billy Donovan, Mark Few, Jerry Welsh
Tal Brody, Israeli basketball star
Dusan Ivkovic, Serbian basketball coach
Danny Crawford, NBA referee
Heat owner Mickey Arison
2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team
Curt Gowdy Media Award winners: George Blaha, Clark Kellogg, Michelle Smith, Adrian Wojnarowski
Careers Of 4 Former NBA Players That Are Hall Of Fame Finalists
Carmelo Anthony
A walking bucket, Carmelo Anthony currently ranks 10th in NBA history with his 28,289 career points. Over 19 seasons, he was a 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA member, and the 2012-13 scoring champ. Anthony is also one of the most legendary team USA performers (three Olympic gold medals) and won a national championship with Syracuse in his lone college season in 2002-03. He was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. Basketball Reference lists his Hall of Fame probability at 98.4%.
Dwight Howard
Sometimes it can be easy to forget how awesome Dwight Howard was, particularly while with the Magic. The first overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, the 6-foot-10 center won Defensive Player of the Year for three straight seasons (2008-09 until 2010-11). He was the leader on the Magic team that reached the NBA Finals in 2009, and he won a ring with the Lakers as a key reserve in 2020. Howard led the league in rebounding five times, blocks twice, and field goal percentage once. He finished top-seven in MVP voting five consecutive seasons from 2007-08 until 2011-12. Basketball Reference lists his Hall of Fame probability at 99.7%.
Marques Johnson
More people became familiar with Marques Johnson when it was revealed in “The Last Dance” that Michael Jordan had his poster on the wall while the Bulls legend was in college. A five-time All-Star, Johnson mostly made his mark in the 1980s while with the Bucks. The 6-foot-7 forward made the All-NBA first team once and second team twice. He would average 20.1 points for his career and averaged more than 20 points in six different seasons. Basketball Reference lists his Hall of Fame probability at 25.2%.
Buck Williams
The 1981-82 Rookie of the Year, Buck Williams hit the glass with the best of them. In each of his first seven seasons, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged at least 11.9 rebounds. He is 16th all-time with his 13,017 career rebounds. A three-time All-Star with the Nets, Williams was also the starting power forward on two Trail Blazers teams that reached the NBA Finals. With Portland, he led the league in field goal percentage in both 1990-91 and 1991-92. Basketball Reference lists his Hall of Fame probability at 8.0%.
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