$15 NBA Players Who Don\'t Belong In The Hall Of Fame$

15 NBA Players Who Don't Belong In The Hall Of Fame

By Joshua Broom

When one conjures images of those enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, legacies of enduring greatness, longevity and singular/collective success come to mind. Though many enshrinees came to epitomize these qualities over their illustrious careers, others, however, did not. That’s not to say that the 15 players presented on this list weren’t worthy of acclaim; they just did not cross the requisite barrier from “very good” to “immortal.”

In that sentiment, this is a list of the 15 NBA players currently in the Naismith Memorial Hall Of Fame who likely shouldn’t be.

$15 NBA Players Who Don\'t Belong In The Hall Of Fame$

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Chris Mullin — I will preface the first entrant on this list by stating that this is the "Hall of Fame," not the "Hall of Very Good." And though very good "Mully" no doubt was, his prolific 16-year career never reached the heights of greatness one would ideally associate with the hallowed halls of those truly meant to comprise the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Mitch Richmond — Though Richmond averaged 21 points a contest and scored over 20,000 career points, "The Rock" only made the postseason four times in a 14-year NBA career. During Los Angeles' 2002 championship run, Richmond appeared in just two games, scoring three points. The lack of postseason success hurts Richmond's overall claim as being hall worthy.

Ralph Sampson — One half of the celebrated "twin-towers," Sampson's NBA career certainly got off to a towering start. Unfortunately for the ultra-talented 7-foot-4 Sampson, chronic injuries would derail his burgeoning path to professional greatness. College Hall of Famer? Yes. Naismith Hall of Famer? Not quite.

Bernard King — Though the epitome of a "professional scorer," the oft-injured King simply didn't garner enough postseason accolades to be considered among the all-time greats. King's claim to fame is his 22 point per game scoring average and 1985 league scoring title.

Bill Bradley — Though the former Senator and two-time NBA champion has certainly led a Hall of Fame life, that's not necessarily the case as a professional basketball player. Bradley was a key-cog on New York's early 1970s championship teams, but for his career, Bradley averaged a pedestrian 12.4 points and 3.2 rebounds.

Walt Bellamy — A virtuoso performer in his first handful of seasons in the league, the 1961-62 NBA Rookie of The Year saw his averages starkly decline as injuries plagued him into retirement. When balancing out the breadth of Bellamy's career -- especially sans championship ring -- it's apparent that he doesn't quite make the A-list cut.

Adrian Dantley — Due to a lack of overall team success, Dantley, a prolific scorer and fine all-around player, falls just short of being truly worthy of the hall. Though A.D. led the NBA in scoring twice, while averaging 24.3 career points, he was always overshadowed by the era's defining players.

Earl Monroe — Earl "The Pearl" Monroe was an electrifying scorer and all-around showman. Monroe averaged 20-plus points seven times in his 13-year NBA career which culminated with a championship for the '73 Knickerbockers. The only thing keeping "The Pearl" out of the Hall is his underwhelming career assist average of 3.9. Also, Monroe's PER wasn't what you'd expect from a Hall of Fame caliber player.

Dikembe Mutombo — "Mt. Mutombo" enjoyed one of the longest, highly-decorated defensive careers of all time. He racked up superlatives such as four-time defensive player of the year, 10-time NBA All-Star and the second highest amount of blocked-shots in NBA history. Unfortunately, Mutombo's peak doesn't quite reach the stratified air of true greatness. "Deke" never finished higher than 13th in award shares in a season.

K.C. Jones — Yes, K.C. Jones played for the 1950s Celtics; yes, he won eight consecutive NBA titles; and yes, Jones averaged just 7.4 points and 4.3 assists per game for his career. The eight championships are nice, but he isn't Hall of Fame worthy.

Dave Bing — One of the better scorers of his generation, Bing misses out on being classified as a genuine legend due to only having made the playoffs five times in a 12-year NBA career. The anointed ones combined eye-popping stats with deep postseason runs. In 901 games played in the NBA regular season, Bing registered a meager 31 playoff contests.

Drazen Petrovic — The late Drazen Petrovic was one of the finest pure-shooters the NBA has ever seen. A true European-to-NBA trailblazer due to his untimely death at age 28, most of Petrovic's body of work was achieved in Europe. At the time, European basketball was a far-cry in quality from what it has become today. By virtue of this, Petrovic falls short of proving himself as one of the greatest to have ever played the game.

Arvydas Sabonis — In the manner in Petrovic was excluded from the Hall on this list, the same basic criteria applies to another Euro-legend in Sabonis. But that's not to say Sabonis wasn't an absolute beast in Europe and then a surprisingly solid 30-something NBA center (while essentially playing on two reconstructed knees). Sabonis' postseason duels with a prime Shaquille O'Neal were 90s gold.

Bill Walton — Bill Walton was a certified UCLA legend, but unfortunately, injuries cut short what should have been a properly fitting professional Hall of Fame career. Walton will always be remembered for his two NBA titles, especially the 1977 league MVP/championship run.

Alonzo Mourning — If not for a life-threatening kidney ailment that struck Alonzo Mourning down at the height of his powers, the former Hoya-destroya likely would've been among the pantheon of truly deserving H.O.F. inductees. Unfortunately, this was not the case, as Mourning spent the second half of his standout career as a tenacious backup. With that said, it was a joy to see Mourning win it all with Shaquille O'Neal in 2006.

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