LeBron James is back with yet another thought-provoking tweet. The Lakers superstar went on X(formerly Twitter) and posed a question about Hall of Fame eligibility, which drew a mixed bag of reactions from his followers. The soon-to-be 39-year-old star’s tweet may have been provoked by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announcing candidates eligible for the Class of 2024.
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The prestigious organization recently released its list of candidates who can be eligible for the prestigious honor. The list contained 152 names, with the most prominent ones being Vince Carter, Bill Lambier, and the 2008 US National Men’s Basketball Team(Redeem Team).
Despite being a part of the Redeem Team, LeBron James is probably still not satisfied with not having his name up there as an eligible candidate. He let the same be known with the tweet, which read,
“Why do players have to be retired before going into the HOF?? Coaches get in while still coaching rightfully so. Wondering what’s the difference though”
That is an interesting question that the King posed. We recently saw Gregg Popovich getting inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall Of Fame as part of the class of 2023. However, no active player has ever made their way to the other side. This drew a lot of mixed reactions from NBA Twitter.
A fan pointed out how badly LeBron James wants to make it to the HOF.
On the other hand, another fan pointed out how if HoopHall makes an exception, it would be for James.
A third fan pointed out how LeBron might want to continue to disrupt history books by becoming the first active player to get to the HOF.
Meanwhile, there were quite a few who were just there to get a laugh.
What LeBron James raised is a valid point. However, coaches can’t get into the HoF without retiring as well, unless they serve a ‘life sentence’ worth as a coach.
What are the Hall of Fame eligibility criteria?
According to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, there are four categories of people who can be included in the prestigious HOF. They are: Players, Coaches, Referees, and Contributors. The eligibility criteria for each of them varies according to the role.
The various eligibility criteria are:
- Players: A player needs to be retired for four whole years before they are eligible for Enshrinement. They can become nominees in their fifth season after retirement. However, an exception can be made if a player decides to come out of retirement for a short period of time.
- Coaches: Just like a player, a coach needs to be retired for four whole seasons before becoming eligible for Enshrinement. However, coaches would be considered in their sixth season after retirement. The only exception is if the coach has been actively coaching for 25 years, in which case, they become eligible for Enshrinement in their 26th season.
- Referees: The criteria for the referees is the same as the coaches. They need to be retired for four whole years, and would be considered in their 6th year; or, serve actively for 25 years, and be considered in their 26th year.
- Contributor: A contributor is someone who has made significant contributions to the sport of basketball. The decision on what is a significant contribution lies on BHOF, its Election Process Committee, and the Contributor Direct-Elect Committee.
Going by the rules, there is no chance that LeBron James would be able to get into the Hall of Fame before 2030(if we consider LBJ retires in 2025).
