The NBA world was shocked this past week on April 15th when LaMarcus Aldridge retired from the Brooklyn Nets. Aldridge was one of the top buyouts this season and was thought to have a significant impact in the Nets title run. It is sad to see a veteran player like Aldridge have to retire with such high title aspirations.
Hopefully, if the Brooklyn Nets win the title Aldridge will get his first championship ring. The real question is however if Aldridge’s career was prestigious enough to make the hall of fame?
His Case
LaMarcus Aldridge’s stats at first glance may not wow you, but really he has put together hall of fame caliber numbers. His career averages are very solid and stand at 19.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. These stats show some of the consistency that fans have seen from Aldridge throughout his career. Aldridge has also been an all-star seven times something that certainly will help boost his résumé.
One thing that does set Aldridge apart from others is the fact that he’s been on an All-NBA team five times over the course of his career. He has had seasons where he averaged close to 25 points per game something that common NBA players can’t do. Something else that would’ve helped Aldridge boost his case was that he was very close to reaching 20,000 points for his career, another impressive feat. He has also had many good playoffs runs throughout his career having averaged 26 and 23.6 in two different playoff runs.
The real question today is: what is the cutoff line to actually get into the hall of fame? I feel like these days, the hall of fame is easier to get into. This could mean Aldridge may have a realistic chance to get in. One player that seems to help Aldridge’s hall of fame case is Vlade Divac. In 2019, Divac made the hall of fame as a player with career averages of only 11.8 points and 8 rebounds. Divac was also only a one-time all-star. Divac’s career resume makes Aldridge seem like a sure-thing Hall of Famer.
Then on the other hand someone like Chris Webber who has not yet made the hall of fame makes Aldridge look bad. Webber’s numbers are nearly the same as Webber averaged 20.7 points per game and 9.8 rebounds.
Will Aldridge Get In?
These numbers make it seem that some who get into the hall of fame in the NBA are random. Overall, I feel like LaMarcus Aldridge has a solid chance to make the hall of fame. I just believe that he most likely will not be a first-ballot hall of famer when his time comes.