11 NBA Stars in Line for Basketball Hall of Fame
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- Amar'e Stoudemire is the sole NBA player inducted in this year's class, which is dominated by WNBA standouts Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne and Chamique Holdsclaw, with Hall rules requiring NBA players to be retired for three full seasons before becoming eligible.
- LaMarcus Aldridge is eligible now and stacks up favorably against Stoudemire, compiling more than 20,000 points and 8,000 rebounds across 16 seasons with seven All-Star nods and 115.6 career win shares — more than either Stoudemire or 2026 finalist Blake Griffin.
- Marc Gasol is eligible now as an international nominee after being passed over this year, carrying a 2019 NBA championship with Toronto, a 2013 Defensive Player of the Year award, and two Olympic silvers, two FIBA World Cup golds and five EuroBasket medals as part of Spain's "Golden Generation."
- Andre Iguodala is eligible now with four championships and a 2016 Finals MVP with Golden State plus a 2012 Olympic gold, and the source points to Michael Cooper's 2024 induction as a precedent for role players on dynastic teams.
- Chris Paul becomes eligible in 2029 as a first-ballot lock, ranking second all-time in assists and steals, fifth in career win shares, and ninth in career wins, with 12 All-Star nods, 11 All-NBA selections and two Olympic gold medals.
- Kyle Lowry is also 2029-eligible after a late-blooming career that peaked with six consecutive All-Star selections and a 2019 NBA championship with Toronto, joining an elite 16,000-point, 7,000-assist club that includes only one other borderline candidate, Andre Miller.
- Shawn Marion is eligible now as the only player besides Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Garnett to combine such gaudy career totals in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, with four All-Star nods and a 2011 championship ring with Dallas.
Why it matters: The Hall's three-year retirement rule guarantees a slow drip of new candidates, but Stoudemire's induction as this year's lone NBA pick — alongside a WNBA-heavy class — means voters have unusually little NBA volume to process in 2026, giving Aldridge, Griffin, Iguodala, Marion, Gasol and Joe Johnson strong cases for first-time inclusion while 2029 brings clearer no-doubt first-ballot entries in Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry.
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