When we started this Hall of Fame Watch series, the idea was to look at active NBA stars and see who had the credentials necessary to reach basketball immortality. Naturally, the list of active players with arguable resumes can’t go on forever. Looking at the guys we haven’t covered yet, are any of them — Josh Howard, Antoine Walker, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson, Michael Finley, Peja Stojakovic, etc. – really legit candidates? So now we’re going in another direction: looking at the retired players who either haven’t been voted in or aren’t yet eligible for induction. Today’s candidate: Tim Hardaway.
TIM HARDAWAY (13 yrs., Warriors/Heat/Mavericks/Nuggets/Pacers)
17.7 points, 8.2 assists, 1.6 steals per game
Why: In his prime Hardaway was one of the best point guards in the game, and leaves a legacy as the man who popularized the crossover; which is now a staple of any star guard’s repertoire. The Chicago native’s influence can be seen today in everyone from Iverson to Kobe to D-Wade to streetball phenoms like Hot Sauce. A five-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, Hardaway ranks fifth all-time in NBA history in three-pointers made and 12th all-time in assists. Only Oscar Robertson reached the 5,000-point/2,500-assist plateau faster than Hardaway. He’s also one of only seven players in NBA history to have averaged at least 20 points and 10 assists in a season, a list that includes Tiny Archibald, Oscar Robertson (five times), Michael Adams, Magic Johnson (three times), Isiah Thomas (four times) and Kevin Johnson (three times). Hardaway did it twice. In an era loaded with talent at his position, Hardaway stayed right on par with and often outshined the likes of John Stockton, Kevin Johnson, Mark Price, Isiah Thomas, Gary Payton, Penny Hardaway, Jason Kidd and Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury.
Why not: In nine postseason appearances, Hardaway only made one deep playoff run, with the Heat in 1997. Injuries caught up to him later in his career, and Tim’s most recent venture into the public spotlight came when he made some anti-gay comments in the media that could hurt his reputation with voters.
Our call: IN
The H.O.F. Watch archive
12/17 - Dennis Rodman
12/10 - Mitch Richmond
12/7 - Rasheed Wallace
12/6 - Michael Redd
12/5 - “Too Early”
12/3 - Bruce Bowen
11/30 - Dikembe Mutombo
11/29 - Ron Artest
11/28 - Pau Gasol
11/27 - Kevin Garnett
11/26 - Manu Ginobili
11/21 - Amare Stoudemire
11/20 - Rip Hamilton
11/19 - Baron Davis
11/16 - Shaquille O’Neal
11/15 - Steve Francis
11/14 - Ben Wallace
11/13 - Sam Cassell
11/12 - LeBron James
11/9 - Tim Duncan
11/8 - Steve Nash
11/7 - Yao Ming
11/6 - Gilbert Arenas
11/5 - Robert Horry
11/2 - Kobe Bryant
11/1 - Grant Hill
10/31 - Dirk Nowitzki
10/30 - Tony Parker
10/29 - Elton Brand
10/26 - Carmelo Anthony
10/25 - Vince Carter
10/24 - Penny Hardaway
10/23 - Alonzo Mourning
10/22 - Allen Iverson
10/19 - Dwyane Wade
10/18 - Chauncey Billups
10/17 - Stephon Marbury
10/16 - Jason Kidd
10/15 - Shawn Marion
10/12 - Ray Allen
10/11 - Chris Bosh
10/10 - Chris Webber
10/9 - Paul Pierce
10/5 - Jermaine O’Neal
10/4 - Gary Payton
10/3 - Tracy McGrady
December 28th, 2007 at 11:03 am
no way says:
FIRST!!!!!!!!……..out sorry timmy…a great pg but he will always be remembered most for “You got any skeeeeeeeeellz”
December 28th, 2007 at 11:32 am
control says:
That mustache he’s wearing in some of the highlights on that youtube vid…those anti-gay statements make sense…
December 28th, 2007 at 11:49 am
gary says:
IN. no doubt in my mind, maybe because he was 1/3 of RUN T.M.C and i just have asoft spot for tim. oh and the UTEP 2 step….wow…i remember being in my backyard and just wanting to ne tim hardaway and chibbs….wow. memories.
December 28th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Keith says:
Yo Tim’s SPIN game is official….I remember the crossover but some of those spin moves were SICK!
December 28th, 2007 at 11:56 am
YOUNGFED says:
The Utep-2step was the greastest dribble move ever. Tim is as real as it gets even though in the end he was saying some crazy stuff.
December 28th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Myrie says:
Timmy Hardaway was the sh*t!! UTEP 2-STEP and the Killer Cross-Over was hurting cats all over the league. When was the last time a PG averaged 20-10?
Anti gay remarks may have been offsides (but I repsect any grown man who speaks his mind truthfully–even if he may be wrong. truthful is more important to me).
But how about the class he showed to the game in 1992 when he allowed Magic Johnson to start in his place at the All Star Game in Orlando.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Brown says:
His stats alone are pretty impressive, coupled with the fact that he was the master of the crossover and helped revolutionize the way guards play the game, he’s gotta get in.
I’m still pissed G-State traded him back in the early 90s (to Miami for Rony Seikaly WTF). That was the beginning of their downfall post Run-TMC. They had Sprewell, Webber, Mullin and Hardaway - great building blocks they somehow screwed up.
Hardaway helped make me a Warriors fan back then, so I guess I have a soft spot for him, but he still deserves to get in.
Those gay comments might be the only thing that hurts him.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
hahns says:
IN! i was waaaaaaiting for dime to do this one. i was a huge knicks fan in the 90’s (still am, but today’s team makes me sick) and can still remember timmy killin the knicks, burying threes left and right, and owning the sickest cross over in nba history. if it wasnt for the gay comments id say he was a lock, but with the ultra sensitive public audience we have today, people wont put him in.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Chaos Rob says:
IN, he needs to be in. he was one of the most productive and exciting pgs in his era man. and no one could stop the crossover…NOBODY!! if u look at the way he plays today, he was the prototype pg for todays pgs skill wise
December 28th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
smity says:
chicago represent. definately in. crossing over without carrying the ball too. he was dribbling for real….
December 28th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
YOUNGFED says:
Dime this ones really easy IN IN IN!!!
However he was never on par with the likes of Isiah or AI
December 28th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Zach says:
if your doing retired players could we get one on my all time favorite player Glen Rice, with his college career I think he would be in but I wanna know what yall think
December 28th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
mike says:
yo what song is this?
December 28th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Myrie says:
Glen Rice should get in on his wifes account alone. Google that shorty if you have never seen her. yummy.
December 28th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Myrie says:
Imagine in Timmy went into the HOF and John Amechi gave the inductee intro speech. How crazy would that be…..
December 28th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
alex says:
i’d have to say OUT. For somebody who didn’t win a ring to get to the HOF, they’d have to carry a team for years, or have a huge impact on the game (Nique, KG, Barkley) to be in. If Tim Hardaway gets in, then so should Kevin Johnson, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Webber. All are out IMHO.
December 28th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
RAP says:
Who is Michael Adams?
December 28th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
sam says:
re mike: the track is ‘little brother - watch me’
hardaway is in for me, great numbers (20-10 is the holy grail for point guards), he influenced a generation of point guards and made the crossover the most electrifying move in sports entertainment!!
December 28th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Jah says:
IN.
December 28th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Dave says:
I say IN. I had to think about Tim-bug for a bit, but the bottom line is that he was consistently among the top 5 guards in a strong era for the position. The fact that he popularized a signature move just adds to his resume.
Unless some, I don’t believe that the gay thing will amount to much. He’s since apologized, and I always thought the whole thing was blown out of proportion anyway.
December 28th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
K-Dizzle says:
I gotta say IN cuz Tim changed the game.I remember dude just use to destroy John Stockton and made you wonder if he could d up, but Tim was just that good. All them points that look to score and can set up their teammates have only to look at Tim and Kevin Johnson and GP later on. Anybody remember KJ comin back to help out the Suns in the playoffs and him averagin like 20-10 with no regular season warm-up. The anti-gay shit shocked me, cuz Bug was that dude on Inside Stuff every week, actually enjoyin his job and always clownin. It coulda been sick if he actually got to play with C-Webb, but that was the year he tore up his leg so they never got to ball together. A damn shame cuz that was the beginnin of the end. Playin on no knees in Miami and destroyin dudes and still being all-NBA gets Tim in. Toughest point guard ever…..sorry Isiah
December 28th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
doc says:
He’s in. And 10 years ago wasn’t nothing wrong with not liking gay people now they wanna cut off your nuts. He spoke his mind. As long as he meant dudes only because gay girls is the shit long as they aint the rough type.
December 29th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
williams says:
i aint really seen enough of him to say in/out, but that crossover is on a whole other level.
nice touch with the video too dime.
December 30th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Reed Ewing Frazier says:
He might get in most of the voters are anti gay anyway so his comments will not matter. I’m 50/50 on him getting in but he was a good almost great player I enjoyed watching. I do not agree with what he said about gay people but it pissed me off hearing all the crap he got when a lot of people feel the same way he does or did feel. I don’t care what anybody says most people in the USA hate gay people. But he was still stupid to say it but everybody makes mistakes
December 30th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
taz says:
Tim had the best crossover of all time, even allen iverson looked up to him.
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:27 am
The Mad Hatter says:
“Who is Michael Adams?” DAMN!
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Ian says:
alex u r right
hes out at least the ones u mentioned should go ahead of him
hardaway is an idiot
and didnt carry his team anywhere just one deep playoff run puh pleaseee
thats my same knock on kg but at least kg has the numbers and had a bad team
plus he was i remember him talking crap about not winning ROY over david robinson (24 12 3) thats a freakin mvp season
that was hilarious hardaway had to be smoking something special
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:58 am
skywarp says:
Yep a lot of guys are anti-gay 4 sure even the priest are anti gay NBA are just trying to cover his ass!..
anyway timmy is in! just for sbeing reaL!
January 7th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Sacto J says:
T- the Hardway did not revolutionize the guard spot. The person to do that in his era would have been Magic Johnson, and then after that, Tim just held the torch. He never outshined the likes of A-I, Stockton, Kidd or K-J, and if he did it was only offensively. He was good, damn good, but the Hardway teams never could compete quite as well in the playoffs, where HOF-ers are supposed to elevate their play. There’s just not enough there for me for this candidate to earn my vote…..OUT!