Days After Dwyane Wade’s Hall of Fame Induction, Shaquille O’Neal Backs Gilbert Arenas’ Rant about Eligibility Criteria: “2x All-Star in the HOF?”

Gilbert Arenas recently reopened the debate regarding the eligibility criteria for Hall of Fame induction. According to the former Washington Wizards star, some of the players who have been accorded the highest basketball honor should not have been on the list. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal seemed to agree with Agent Zero. He shared a video of Arenas’ rant on his Instagram story. Interestingly, the take comes just days after the induction of players like Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker into the Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Fame.

The 2023 HoF class included some of the most legendary players in NBA history. Wade won three championships and a Finals MVP award in his illustrious career. On the other hand, Dirk, Parker, and Paul Gasol all won NBA Championships as pivotal figures in their teams. So, it is highly unlikely that Arenas was alluding to them.

Gilbert Arenas says individual accolades should be the number one criteria for HoF induction

On his podcast Gil’s Arena, Arenas expressed his disappointment regarding what he thought was a very low threshold for Hall of Fame induction of players. The former Wizards player said that players without significant individual accolades should not be inducted into the prestigious Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. According to Agent Zero, HoF players should be able to stand alone with their individual stats even if they are stripped of their championships. According to Arenas:

“Hall of Fame should be your number one option. You are talking about your fourth, fifth, get the f*** out of here. Team success should have nothing to do with this… There has to be a benchmark of games you played before you can even access. That’s what makes the Green jacket. You have to be able to stand on your own, take all the names off of the stat, take off all the rings and you by yourself should be able to stand proudly vs you are a 2X All-Star in the Hall of Fame! The f***!“

Arenas’ dissatisfaction is understandable. He himself was an exciting player during his NBA days with three NBA All-Star selections. However, he was never considered for the Hall of Fame.

Arenas doesn’t think Tony Parker is a tier-one Hall of Famer

One of the players inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame was Spurs legend Tony Parker. Speaking on Parker’s induction, Arenas said that he wouldn’t consider the former Spurs player the ultimate standard for Hall of Fame induction. Arenas disregarded Parker’s 2007 NBA Finals MVP and put him in a tier-two category of players. One of the arguments that Agent Zero gave was the absence of any impressive stats in Parker’s favor. Tony didn’t have a jaw-dropping stat sheet in his resume. 

The French national was one of the most crucial pieces in bringing in four Championships for the Spurs dynasty. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginóbili, and Parker together formed one of the deadliest line-ups in the league. Parker was also a six-time All-Star and a four-time NBA Champion, perhaps something Arenas should have paid more attention to.