Do you ever think about the objective of the hall of Fame? The players were inducted into the NBA hall of fame requirements to recognize their outstanding achievements and contributions. Like any other sport, basketball inducts players into the basketball hall of fame for their significant contributions to basketball. The Hall of fame induction is the highest honor for players, coaches, contributors, and teams. In basketball NBA doesn’t own any hall of fame in fact it is the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame that inducts exceptional teams, players, coaches, and contributors for their outstanding performances and efforts toward basketball.
The NMBHOF came into existence in 1959 by Lee Williams to preserve and promote the history of basketball and honor the players for their achievements and services. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is named after its founder James Naismith. The hall of fame induction process started in 1959 when four players were inducted into the hall of fame.
The contributors, coaches, referees, and teams were also inducted into the hall of fame. A total number of 401 players, coaches, referees, teams, and contributors have been honored with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame since 1951. Most basketball lovers don’t know about the actual induction process into the basketball hall of fame so I will guide you thoroughly about the NBA hall of fame requirements.
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1. The Process to File a Nomination for Induction Into the Hall of Fame
Today I will guide you about the nomination process for any individual. The process to file a nomination is quite not complicated. The individual can get the nomination form from NMBHOF management and then submitted to the president of the hall of fame by October 31. The completed nomination forms are submitted to the official ballot and presented to the relevant committees to screen and elect candidates.
2. Who Can Join the Hall of Fame?
If you are thinking that any person related to basketball can induct into the NBA hall of fame requirements then you are wrong. Basketball is a team game and there are many people involved in organizing and playing a game but it doesn’t mean that everyone can be inducted into the hall of fame. There are some specific persons who can join the hall of fame. Let me tell you about those persons who can be inducted into the hall of fame.
- Players
- Coach
- Referee
- Contributor
- Teams
The players, coaches, referees, contributors, and teams can be inducted into the hall of fame for their countless efforts and dedication to the game. The hall of fame is the highest honor for any player, coach, referee, contributor, or team.
3. Individual’s Eligibility Criteria for Hall of Fame Induction
As you know about the individuals who can be inducted into the hall of fame but there is a criterion for every individual in order to be eligible for enshrinement into the basketball hall of fame. If any individual doesn’t meet the following requirements then the individual will not be considered for induction into the hall of fame.
Player:
If a player wants to be considered for induction then the individual must be fully retired from that role for three full seasons. The waiting time period was five years but it was changed to 4 years and then to three seasons in December 2017.
Coach:
The retirement time period for coaches is the same as for players which is three full seasons; however, coaches are eligible for the induction process upon 25 years of full-time service at the high school level or above after retirement. The coaches were only eligible for induction after 25 years of full services even being active in the same role before the induction class of 2018 but the Changes were made in 2017 to the criteria for consideration of active coaches. Now it is compulsory for active coaches to meet the above service years for consideration and be at least 60 years old.
Referee:
The induction process for referees is also the same as for players and coaches. The referee must be retired from the same role for three full seasons. The retirement time period must not be less than years otherwise screening committee did not consider the individual for induction.
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Contributor:
The rules for contributors are different from the above individuals. You will be surprised to know that there is no condition for completing service years for contributors. A contributor is eligible at any stage for their countless and prominent contributions to the game of basketball. Contributor direct election committee and other committees can directly elect a contributor.
4. Criteria for Hall of Fame Induction
There are some requirements that need to be fulfilled in order for induction into the hall of fame. The individuals for the hall of fame induction are reviewed by 3 authorities. One is the screening committee second is the board of trustees and the third one is the honors committee.
A screening committee reviews individual requests to be considered for induction into the hall of fame and then the board of trustees reviewed the finalist whether the individual is worthy of enshrinement or not. If the individual is not worthy of enshrinement and caused damages to the integrity of the sport then the individual can be removed from consideration by the board of trustees while the honors committee approved the candidate for induction into the hall of fame.
Each screening committee selects a limited number of candidates and submits it to the honors committee for approval. The selection depends upon a voting system. The honors committee carefully reviews the selected finalist profiles before casting a vote in favor or against their Enshrining in the basketball hall of fame. The honors committee’s members can be basketball executives, administrators, media members, Hall of Famers, and other experts in the basketball field.
The two honors committees North American and Women’s consist of 24 voting members on each Committee. Any individual who got 18 affirmative votes from the honors committee is approved for induction into the hall of fame. The individual candidacy can be suspended for five years in case of receiving zero affirmative votes for three consecutive years. Do you know about these screening committees if not then check out the below details.
The below four screening committees screen the selected candidates.
- North American Screening Committee (NASC)
- Women’s Screening Committee (WSC)
- International Screening Committee (ISC)
- Veterans Screening Committee (VSC)
Despite these four screening committees, three other committees were introduced in 2011 for the purpose of direct election of one candidate for each induction class.
- Contributor Direct Election Committee (CDEC)
- Early African-American Committee (EFAC)
The members of the above committees serve three-year tenure and the inductees don’t know about the committee’s members for the purpose of secrecy. These committees have a right to directly elect an individual for each induction class. The four direct elect committees have a right to directly elect an individual after reviewing the nominations of each candidate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Hall of Famers are in basketball?
The basketball hall of fame inducted 401 individuals. You can say that there are more than 400 individuals in the basketball hall of fame.
Who is in the Basketball Hall of Fame twice?
There are several individuals who join the hall of fame twice. John Wooden, Lenny Wilkens, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, and Bill Russell have been inducted into the hall of fame twice as players and coaches.
Who got inducted to the Hall of Fame 2022 NBA?
A total of 13 individuals were rewarded with the hall of fame induction in 2022. Below is the list of the individuals who earn the basketball highest honor.
- Swin Cash
- Larry Costello
- Hugh Evans
- Manu Ginobili
- Tim Hardaway
- Del Harris
- Lou Hudson
- Bob Huggins
- George Karl
- Theresa Shank-Grentz,
- Radivoj Korać
- Lindsay Whalen
- Marianne Stanley
Conclusion
The hall of fame is the highest basketball honor that is awarded to individuals for their efforts and dedication to the game. The basketball hall of fame voting process is kept secret from the public and from nominees. The purpose of keeping the voting process secret is transparency therefore nominees and committee members don’t become aware of each other. I hope you can become familiar with the NBA hall of fame requirements with the help of this article.