Basketball Hall-of-Famers by Team, 2013 Edition

For this list, I'm only including NBA players, coaches and executives, not guys who got in mostly on the basis of their college or pre-NBA pro tenure. I'm also relaxing the 4-season rule, because a lot of guys were with teams for less than that but were still vital contributors to an NBA title with a team.

I'm also amending my separate-cities rule to include all Nets -- "New York" (Long Island), "New Jersey" and "Brooklyn," ABA and NBA -- as the same franchise.  And I'm not doing this because I still root for them.  At the moment, I remain an NBA free agent, a fan without a team.

First list: All HOFers  Second list: Living HOFers.

1. Boston Celtics, 20: Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Ed Macauley, Frank Ramsey, Tommy Heinsohn (elected as player, was also coach & broadcaster), Bill Russell (player & coach), K.C. Jones (player & coach), Sam Jones, Tom "Satch" Sanders, John Havlicek, Bailey Howell, Dave Cowens, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Dennis Johnson, Walter Brown (founder & owner), Red Auerbach (coach & executive), Johnny Most (broadcaster).

2. New York Knicks, 17: Dick McGuire (player, coach & executive), Harry Gallatin, Tom Gola, Willis Reed (also coached for them), Dave DeBusschere (player & executive), Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Bill Bradley, Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, Jerry Lucas, Patrick Ewing, Joe Lapchick (coach), Red Holzman (coach), Pat Riley (coach), Ned Irish (owner), Marty Glickman (broadcaster), Bob Wolff (broadcaster), Marv Albert (broadcaster).  Hubie Brown coached the Knicks, but was elected as a broadcaster, and not for the Knicks.    Phil Jackson played for the Knicks, but was elected as a coach, and has never coached them.  Larry Brown only coached one season, possibly the worst of his career, partly the fault of general manager Isiah Thomas.  Because he never played for the Knicks, and he was not elected as an executive, you can't count Isiah as a Knick HOFer -- and why would you want to?

3. Los Angeles Lakers, 14: Elgin Baylor, Jerry West (player & executive), Gail Goodrich, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Bob McAdoo, James Worthy, Bill Sharman (coach), Pat Riley (coach), Phil Jackson (coach), Jerry Buss (owner), Chick Hearn (broadcaster).  Shaquille O'Neal (whose Number 34 will be retired by the Lakers on April 2) will join them.  So will Kobe Bryant, if his Colorado incident isn't held against him.  Rod Hundley played for the Lakers, but was elected as a Utah Jazz broadcaster.

4. Detroit Pistons, 12: Dave DeBusschere, Bailey Howell, Bob Lanier, Dave Bing, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Chuck Daly (coach), Larry Brown (coach), Fred Zollner (owner), William Davidson (owner), Bob Wolff (broadcaster).  If Grant Hill is ever elected, it will be for what he did at Duke, but he can be counted here.

5. Philadelphia 76ers, 11: Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham (player & coach), Julius "Doctor J" Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, Alex Hannum (coach), Larry Brown (coach), Harvey Pollack (executive), Bill Campbell (broadcaster).  Allen Iverson will probably be elected.  Doug Collins, the current head coach and a former player for the Sixers, has been elected as a broadcaster, but not for the Sixers, and thus can't be counted with them.  Dolph Schayes was the team's first coach after it moved from being the Syracuse Nationals in 1963, but can't be counted as a Sixers' HOFer.  Jack Ramsay is in the Hall as a coach, but for his performance elsewhere, and was largely responsible for the breakup of the 1965-68 Sixer team that really should have won more, and was turned from the best record the NBA had yet seen (68-13 in 1967) into still the worst it has ever seen (9-73 in 1973) in just 6 seasons.

6. Chicago Bulls, 8: Chet Walker, Artis Gilmore, Jerry Sloan, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson (coach), Jim Durham (broadcaster).  Doug Collins has been elected as a broadcaster, but not for the Bulls.

Philadelphia Warriors, 8: Joe Fulks, Paul Arizin, Andy Phillip, Neil Johnston, Tom Gola, Wilt Chamberlain, Eddie Gottlieb (founder & owner), Bill Campbell (broadcaster).

St. Louis Hawks, 7: Bob Pettit, Cliff Hagan, Alex Hannun (player-coach), Ed Macauley, Clyde Lovellette, Slater Martin, Lenny Wilkens.

Rochester Royals, 7: Al Cervi (player & coach), Arnie Risen, Bob Davies, Bobby Wanzer, Red Holzman, Maurice Stokes, Les Harrison (owner).  Holzman was elected as a Knicks coach, but could have been elected as a player anyway, so I'm counting him here.


7. Houston Rockets, 6: Elvin Hayes, Calvin Murphy, Moses Malone, Ralph Sampson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler.  Oddly, former player and coach Rudy Tomjanovich has not yet been elected.

8. San Francisco/Golden State Warriors, 6: Nate Thurmond, Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes, Robert Parish, Chris Mullin, Don Nelson (coach).  Since they've only moved within the San Francisco Bay Area since 1962 (San Francisco to Oakland in 1971, and plan to move back to San Francisco by 2017), I'm counting them as a single team.  Wilt Chamberlain wasn't with this version of the Warriors long enough to count, although I would count him if the Warriors had won, rather than lost, the 1964 NBA Finals.  Bill King was the longtime radio voice of all 3 Oakland teams -- the Athletics, the Raiders and the Warriors -- but, for all the respect he earned, strangely, never received any of sport's Hall of Fame's award for broadcasters during his lifetime, and still hasn't since his death.

Minneapolis Lakers 6: George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, Clyde Lovellette, Vern Mikkelsen, John Kundla (coach).  Essentially, their starting 5 and their head coach for their 5 NBA Championships in 6 seasons, 1949-54.  Bud Grant, the Hall of Fame coach of the Minnesota Vikings, also played for the Minneapolis edition of the Lakers, but obviously he can't be counted here.

9. Portland Trail Blazers, 6: Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Arvydas Sabonis, Scottie Pippen, Jack Ramsay (coach), Bill Schonely (broadcaster).  Pippen was only a Blazer for 3 seasons, but that included a trip to the Western Conference Finals, when they were probably cheated out of the NBA Finals by the Lakers, so I'm counting him here.

Cincinnati Royals, 5: Jack Twyman, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Wayne Embry.

Fort Wayne Pistons, 5: Andy Phillip, Bob Houbregs, Bobby McDermontt, George Yardley, Fred Zollner (owner).

10. Milwaukee Bucks, 5: Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Lanier, Don Nelson (coach), Wayne Embry (executive).

11. Utah Jazz, 5: Adrian Dantley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jerry Sloan (coach), Rod Hundley (broadcaster).

12. Atlanta Hawks, 4: Walt Bellamy, Pete Maravich, Dominique Wilkens, Lenny Wilkens (coach).  'Nique and Lenny spell their names differently and are not related.  Lenny played for the Hawks, but that was in St. Louis.

Baltimore Bullets, 4: Buddy Jeannette (player-coach), Gus Johnson, Earl Monroe, Wes Unseld.  There were actually 2 separate teams with this name, 1947-54 and 1963-73.  Unseld spent most of his career with the franchise in Washington, but played 5 seasons with them in Baltimore.


13. Indiana Pacers, 4: Mel Daniels, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Jack Ramsay (coach).  Although Larry Bird was a head coach and executive for them, that's not why he was elected, and so he can't be counted here.

14. Denver Nuggets, 4: Dan Issel, David Thompson, Alex English, Larry Brown (coach).

Syracuse Nationals, 4: Al Cervi (player & coach), Dolph Schayes, Earl Lloyd, Danny Biasone (owner, whose idea for the 24-second shot clock may have made the NBA's long-term survival possible).

15. Phoenix Suns, 4: Connie Hawkins, Charles Barkley, Jerry Colangelo (owner), Al McCoy (broadcaster).  Despite being at least competitive, and usually very good, for most of their 45 seasons in the NBA, the Suns have really been short-changed.  Paul Westphal (who played and coached for the Suns), Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle and coach Lowell "Cotton" Fitzsimmons should all be in the Hall by now.  Cases could also be made for Alvan Adams, Walter Davis, and coach John MacLeod.  If Grant Hill is ever elected, it will be for what he did at Duke, but he can be counted here.

16. San Antonio Spurs, 3: George Gervin, Artis Gilmore, David Robinson.  Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich will join them, and Tony Parker might.

17. Cleveland Cavaliers, 3: Wayne Embry (player & executive), Lenny Wilkens (coach), Joe Tait (broadcaster.  LeBron James, of course, will be added eventually.

18. New York/New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, 2: Julius Erving, Drazen Petrovic.  Eventually, Jason Kidd and Vince Carter will probably be added.  As should Buck Williams, but he probably won't make it.  No, you can't count Rick Barry (played briefly for them in the ABA), Billy Cunningham (ditto), Lou Carnesecca (coached them to an ABA Division title between stints at St. John's), Larry Brown (coached them 2 seasons), Chuck Daly (ditto), or even, due to their broadcast work for the Nets, Bill Raftery (SportsChannel) or Marv Albert (appropriately, on the network named YES!).

19. Washington Bullets/Wizards, 2: Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld.  Says a lot for this franchise that they've had next to nothing for the last 30 years.

20. Seattle SuperSonics, 2: Lenny Wilkens (player & coach), Dennis Johnson.  I'm counting them as an active franchise, as it looks like the Sacramento Kings' move, and name change to revive the Sonics name, will happen in time for next season.

Buffalo Braves, 2: Bob McAdoo, Jack Ramsay (coach).

New Orleans Jazz, 1: Pete Maravich.  Only played half of the team's first season in Utah, yet has his Number 7 retired by both the Jazz and the New Orleans Hornets... excuse me, Pelicans.

21. Miami Heat, 1: Pat Riley (coach & executive).  Shaquille O'Neal, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James will be elected.  Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Chris Bush also might be.

22. Dallas Mavericks, 1: Don Nelson (coach).  Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd will make it.

23. Toronto Raptors, 1: Lenny Wilkens (coach).  Vince Carter will probably be elected, and can be counted as a Raptor.  No, you can't count Isiah Thomas as a Raptors executive -- and why would you want to?

24. Orlando Magic, none: No, you can't count Dominique Wilkins (one season), Patrick Ewing (2, plus was an assistant coach) or Chuck Daly (2 seasons as a coach).  When Shaquille O'Neal is elected, he can be counted.  If Grant Hill is ever elected, it will be for what he did at Duke, but he can be counted here.

25. Minnesota Timberwolves, none: No, you can't count Kevin McHale (coach & executive).  You can, when he is elected, count Kevin Garnett.  If Christian Laettner is ever elected, it will be for what he did at Duke, but he can be counted here.

26. Oklahoma City Thunder, none: A bit too soon to tell, but Kevin Durant could be their first HOFer, unless current head coach Scott Brooks gets in first.

27. Charlotte Bobcats, none: No, you can't count owner Michael Jordan.

28. New Orleans Pelicans (Hornets until this season), none: If Chris Paul is elected, he can be counted with this franchise, even though he only played for them as the Hornets.

29. Memphis Grizzlies, none: No, you can't count Jerry West for his time as a Grizzlies executive.  If Pau Gasol is elected, he can be counted, although he'll most likely be remembered mainly as a Laker.

30. Los Angeles Clippers, none: No, you can't count longtime executive Elgin Baylor.  Nor can you count Bill Walton, who hardly played for the franchise, and left before they were moved from San Diego to Los Angeles.

Charlotte Hornets, none: If Alonzo Mourning is elected, he can be counted with them.  He is much more likely to be elected than Larry Johnson or Del Curry. 

Sacramento Kings, none: Mitch Richmond and Chris Webber have chances, but are not yet in.  You'll notice I have the Kings in italics, as I'm accepting their move to Seattle as a fait accompli, and thus the team as a former NBA team. 

*

Now, for each team's living Hall-of-Famers.  In this case, I'll count only the current teams:

1. Boston Celtics, 15: Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Frank Ramsey, Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Tom "Satch" Sanders, John Havlicek, Bailey Howell, Dave Cowens, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Nate "Tiny" Archibald.

2. Los Angeles Lakers, 12: Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Bob McAdoo, James Worthy, Bill Sharman, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Jerry Buss.

3. New York Knicks, 11: Harry Gallatin, Tom Gola, Willis Reed, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Bill Bradley, Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, Jerry Lucas, Patrick Ewing, Pat Riley, Bob Wolff, Marv Albert.  Hubie Brown coached the Knicks, but was elected as a broadcaster, and not for the Knicks.    Phil Jackson played for the Knicks, but was elected as a coach, and has never coached them.  Larry Brown only coached one season, possibly the worst of his career, partly the fault of general manager Isiah Thomas.  Because he never played for the Knicks, and he was not elected as an executive, you can't count Isiah as a Knick HOFer -- and why would you want to?

4. Philadelphia 76ers, 9: Hal Greer, Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, Larry Brown, Harvey Pollack, Bill Campbell.

5. Detroit Pistons, 8: Bailey Howell, Bob Lanier, Dave Bing, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Larry Brown, Bob Wolff.

6. Chicago Bulls, 7: Chet Walker, Artis Gilmore, Jerry Sloan, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson.

7. Houston Rockets, 6: Elvin Hayes, Calvin Murphy, Moses Malone, Ralph Sampson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler.

8. Golden State Warriors, 6: Nate Thurmond, Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes, Robert Parish, Chris Mullin, Don Nelson.

9. Portland Trail Blazers, 6: Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Arvydas Sabonis, Scottie Pippen, Jack Ramsay, Bill Schonely.

10. Milwaukee Bucks, 5: Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Lanier, Don Nelson, Wayne Embry.

11. Utah Jazz, 5: Adrian Dantley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jerry Sloan (coach), Rod Hundley (broadcaster).

12. Indiana Pacers, 4: Mel Daniels, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Jack Ramsay.

13. Denver Nuggets, 4: Dan Issel, David Thompson, Alex English, Larry Brown.

14. Phoenix Suns, 4: Connie Hawkins, Charles Barkley, Jerry Colangelo, Al McCoy.

15. San Antonio Spurs, 3: George Gervin, Artis Gilmore, David Robinson.

16. Atlanta Hawks, 3: Walt Bellamy, Dominique Wilkens, Lenny Wilkens.

17. Washington Bullets/Wizards, 2: Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld.

18. Cleveland Cavaliers, 2: Wayne Embry, Lenny Wilkens.

19. Miami Heat, 1: Pat Riley.

20. Dallas Mavericks, 1: Don Nelson.

21. Toronto Raptors, 1: Lenny Wilkens.

22. Orlando Magic, none.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves, none.

24. Oklahoma City Thunder, none.

25. Charlotte Bobcats, none.

26. New Orleans Pelicans, none.

27. Memphis Grizzlies, none.

28. Los Angeles Clippers, none.

29. Seattle SuperSonics, 1: Lenny Wilkens.

30. New York/New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, 1: Julius Erving.