Former and current New Orleans Pelicans that could make the Hall of Fame
After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will induct its newest class on May 15. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett headline the class as the only players to join the Hall of Fame.
Bryant and Duncan spent the entirety of their careers with one franchise in the Lakers and Spurs, respectively, a rarity in the modern NBA. Even Kevin Garnett spent 14 of his 21 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves and another six seasons with the Boston Celtics.
That type of loyalty is rare, though, as the era of player empowerment has led to more movement from the top players in the league. As a result, many of those great players have played for multiple franchises.
A number of former Pelicans could be on their way to Hall of Fame inductions by the end of their career and one notable current player is laying the foundation for one. Here’s a look at the Hall of Fame case for former and current Pelicans, sorted by Basketball Reference’s Hall of Fame Probability calculator.
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The player who most likely came to mind first, Chris Paul is almost certainly a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame after his retirement. The only thing lacking from Paul's resume is an NBA title. Outside of that, Paul has four First Team and four Second Team All-NBA nods, seven First Team All-Defense selections and 11 All-Star game appearances. While Paul only spent his first six years in New Orleans (and Oklahoma City), multiple of those honors came during his time with the franchise, also including Rookie of the Year. Per Basketball Reference's calculator, Paul is one of three players along with LeBron James and Kevin Durant who come in with a 100% Hall of Fame probability.
Anthony Davis
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Certainly not a popular figure for fans with the franchise, Anthony Davis' career in New Orleans came to a tumultuous end but featured magnificent highs. Davis earned multiple All-NBA and All-Defensive First and Second Team honors during his seven seasons with the Pelicans. His 2017-18 season featured First Team selections for both the All-NBA and All-Defense teams, a year which also included a memorable run in the playoffs. A cruel twist of irony is that Davis' trade and subsequent NBA title with the Lakers makes his case far more credible. Basketball Reference has his probability of making the Hall of Fame at 98.5% and considering he's just 28 years old, that number will only continue to grow.
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A Pelican for just one season, Rajon Rondo's time in New Orleans is looked back upon fondly by fans. He was also a part of that 2017-18 team that swept the Trail Blazers before falling to the eventual champions Golden State. Rondo's season with the Pelicans did not lead to any individual accolades but with titles in Boston and Los Angeles, a handful of All-Defense and All-NBA team inclusions and routinely being one of the leaders in assists in the league, Rondo currently sits at a 60.5% probability of making the Hall of Fame.
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Another polarizing figure that had a positive stint with the Pelicans, DeMarcus Cousins helped form one of the most fascinating frontcourts in recent league history. A mid-season trade in 2016-17 paired Cousins with Davis, an experiment that largely had positive results for their season-and-a-half together. Ultimately, though, Cousins only played 65 games with the Pelicans before a torn Achilles in the 2017-18 season cut short his time in New Orleans. Cousins has some of the individual accomplishments with a pair of All-NBA team selections and four All-Star game appearances needed to make the Hall of Fame. However, he lacks a title and multiple more seasons at an elite level, sitting at just a 1.5% probability.
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One of the franchise's most beloved players of all-time, Jrue Holiday will go down as a legend for the Pelicans. His jersey may very well be retired by New Orleans for his contributions to the city on and off the court. Long one of the most underrated players in the league, Holiday lacks nearly all of the individual honors needed to build a Hall of Fame case. He was named to an All-Defense team just twice and voted an All-Star just once. Even a run of success in Milwaukee likely won't be enough to get him into the Hall of Fame as he has a 0.14% chance by Basketball Reference's calculator. However, that won't ever negate his impact to the franchise.
Zion Williamson
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It is entirely too early to mention Hall of Fame and Zion Williamson in any serious manner yet, but through his first two seasons, he's already on a great trajectory. While he wasn't named Rookie of the Year due to injury, he was named an All-Star in his second season. He very well could find himself on an All-NBA team this season, which would be a huge step in the right direction as well. The constant record-setting streaks and performances by Williamson routinely put him in company with Hall of Famers and basketball's elite. He's moving in the right direction but is still far, far, far away from ever being in that conversation.
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