A validation of all your efforts, hardwork, perseverance and dedication is something we all wanted to receive and it's no different with basketball players, especially when you are playing for the best basketball league in the world. And being selected as a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, were most of the basketball player around the globe really crave for in which your name would be carve in the history of not just the NBA but of the basketball as a whole for the rest of time.
Some defines a hall of fame as such that you couldn't tell a certain generation or era without mentioning their names. And in Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and Grant Hill's cases you need to mention all their names to tell the whole story about the basketball of the late 90s and early 2000s events. And with that we're going to tackle some of the important highlights of the respective careers of each players mentioned above.
RAY ALLEN, SG
Ray Allen is the 5th pick in the 1996 NBA draft which considered and arguably one of the deepest draft class in the history of the NBA, which featured arguably one of the greatest players in Kobe Bryant, 2 time NBA MVP Steve Nash, Allen Iverson and a lot more. Ray Ray is considered the greatest shooter of the NBA before Steph Curry butted in, he is on another level of taking clutch shots whether it's game tying, dagger or history changing three point shots. He is not shy away of taking the crucial shots and making it when it really matters most, one of the highlights of it is when saved Lebron's ass in the 2013 NBA finals.
"James, catches, puts up the three… Won’t go, rebound Bosh… Back out to Allen… His three-pointer… BAAAANNGG! TIE GAME WITH 5 SECONDS REMAINING! SPURS DO NOT HAVE A TIMEOUT!”
Ray is without a doubt worthy of the hall of fame enshrinement and no one can take that away from him. He is one of the best shooters of our life time, able to beat my favorite player Kobe in the 2008 NBA finals together with his fellow big three companion Paul "The Truth" Pierce and Kevin "Big Ticket" Garnett alongside a young Rajon Rondo. Even though he is not the MVP caliber type of player he is an important piece of every championship he had accomplished and it is for sure an indelible mark in the history of sports.
JASON KIDD, PG
"People don't know, J was the first LeBron [when it came to the attention surrounding one player] coming out of high school," fellow Oakland Bay Area native and Basketball Hall of Famer Gary Payton said. "He was good. Really, really good. In the Bay Area, that's what all the talk was about -- J-Kidd."
Jason Kidd was first called by most as Ason Kidd without the "J" because of his poor jump shooting ability which is his weakness in the first part of his career and made a turn around as one of the best shooters of his generation although this is late in his career. He is a proven triple threat at all times, like Gary Payton said he was the first Lebron not only about the attention surrounding thing but the overall skills as well being a triple double guy considering he is a point guard and he wouldn't have the nickname Mr. Triple Double if he didn't live to this reputation.
Jason Kidd is a sensational basketball player, he helped the 2011 Dallas team to notched a rare NBA championship ring by the defeating and upsetting the heavy favorites Heat team feauturing the Big three of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He is still a defensive threat even at the latter part of his career which is one of the key factors that helped every team he is on. The NBA and basketball community must be really happy to witnessed Jason Kidd for he is a worthy of the Hall Of Fame enshrinement.
STEVE NASH, PG
Steve Nash is the two time NBA regular season MVP which he received during the second half of his career as a basketball player which some says he benefited from the changing of NBA rules from a hard nosed rules into a softer and much entertaining one. Although that is pretty much the case for Nash, he is without a doubt worthy of these accolades. He is not only a genious passer but also a brilliant one, he is very creative with the ball that you would wow the crowd most of the times. Nash couldn't steal an NBA championship ring although he had a pretty good and a title contender team under coach Mike D'Antoni together with great and quality players like Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudamire, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell etc. this is because he is coexisted with Shaq-Kobe era and the Spurs dynasty in the stacked and loaded western conference.
MAVS POWER FORWARD DIRK NOWITZKI:
“What stands out about him is the way he plays with others. He’s one of the best point guards to ever play the game. His support and friendship is something I’ll always cherish. He’s so smart and he always makes the right play. The great thing is he’s so unselfish. He’s not a shoot-first point guard, he’s a pass-first point guard. He’s like an old school point guard in that way and was fun to play with.”
Kobe on Nash HOF Inductee :
“Steve, I’m extremely happy for Steve. Steve, I remember he & I kind of being the outcasts there in that ’96 draft that nobody was really talking about,”
Even though Nash is a pass-first type of point guard he is in the rare 90-50-40 club which is only few players belonged to in that list. It seems he live the same fate like John Stockton a pretty good player but coexisted with generation of talents worthy of the GOAT conversation. Not getting a championship title does not still hinder Nash from taking the Hall of Fame enshrinement this 2018 and is for sure he is worthy of it.
GRANT HILL, SF
Before seeing Grant Hill as a TV host or personality he is one of the best players during his healthy years in the NBA, considering he is a top 3 pick in the 1994 NBA draft. Before Kobe is the next Jordan type of prospect, all the talk was about Grant taking M.J.'s torch as the new face of the NBA because of his atheleticism and ability to score and handle the ball with ease and do a lot of things. Many considered him as Scottie Pippen 2.0 in his first half of his career until injury upset the what seems to be great future for Grant Hill.
Things you should know about Grant Hill;
1. He averaged 21-plus points, 7-plus assists and 6-plus assists in his first six years in the NBA. LeBron James and Oscar Robertson are the only other players to accomplish that.
2. He was the first active player to earn a position in the Hall of Fame’s board of governors.
3. He’s the only perimeter player since Michael Jordan to make the All-Star Game each of his first four years in the NBA.
4. He finished third behind Karl Malone and Michael Jordan in the 1996-97 NBA MVP vote.
5. He sat next to Barack Obama at the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.
6. He played only 39 playoff games in his NBA career.
7. He won his first playoff series at age 37.
8. He had deals with Fila, adidas and Nike.
9. He appears in a Nickelback video.
10. He’s won the NBA Sportsmanship Award more times than any other player.
It's really frustating as a NBA fan to see how Grant's career wind down because of injuries, considering he is in the MVP conversation with all-time greats like Michael Jordan and Karl Malone. Its hard to tell the history of the NBA during later part of Jordan era because they were searching of who MJ goin to pass the title or torch as the best basketball player in the league and most of the league is predicting that Grant is the one. He is without a doubt worthy of the enshrinement even with less accolades or awards with his contemporaries in this year's Hall of Fame class.
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