After one year at Duke, Jayson Tatum was a proven lottery pick, taken third overall in the 2017 Draft.  It didn’t take long for Tatum to prove the Celtics correct in selecting him.

Blessed with incredible footwork and slick shooting, Tatum was an All-Rookie and an immediate starter, usually at Small Forward, and has there been a season thus far where we have not seen his game improve?  Tatum went to his first of what is currently four straight All-Stars in his third season (2019-20), which was when he netted his first 20-plus PPG year (23.4).  The year after, he raised that to over 26, and was now the unquestioned leader of the Celtics and an upper-echelon perfomer.  If there was any doubt of that, it was erased in 2021-22, where he took Boston to the NBA Finals (losing to Golden State) but captured the inaugural Eastern Conference FInals MVP.  He was also named a First Team All-Star.  In 2022-23 season, Tatum broke 30 Points per Game, and was the league-leader in Points with 2,225.  He was again named a First Team All-NBA player.

Tatum had his ultimate breakthrough last year when he led the Celtics to the NBA Championship off of a 26.9 PPG year and third consecutive First Team All-NBA.  This propelled Tatum into the Celtics stratosphere, and if he remains with Boston for years to come, it is possible that a top-five rank on the most prestigious basketball franchise could come his way.

Taken number 3 in the 2016 Draft after playing a year at California, Jaylen Brown has to date played five seasons with the Boston Celtics where he emerged as an All-Star

Brown was an All-Rookie player, but he would become a starter in his second year, doubling his PPG from 6.6 to 14.5. His third season was a year of regression, as he lost his shooting touch, and only started 20 Games, but Brown’s fourth year showed the exact progression that the Celtics brass hoped for.  The Shooting Guard increased his PPG to over 20 with his advanced metrics also rising.  

Three years ago, Brown made his first All-Star and had career bests in Points (24.7), Assists (3.4) and PER (19.9), and the year after had similar numbers.  Brown elevated his game to another level last season, adding All-Star number two and pricuring his first All-NBA nod (Third Team).  He set personal bests in Points (26.6) and Rebounds per Game (6.9), and became a top teir player, though he was still direspected.

Brown and the Celtics rocketed to an easy NBA Championship in 2024, with him winning the ECF and NBA Finals Player of the Year.  Brown proved his mettle, though in many circles he enter the 2024-25 Season as disrespected as ever.  

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that Philadelphia Eagles have announced two new members to their franchise Hall of Fame, Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan.

Thomas was a 1998 First Round Pick (11^th Overall) from Florida State who immediately won the starting job at Left Tackle.  Named to the Pro Bowl three times (2001, 2002 & 2004), Turner stayed with the Eagles until 2008.

Runyan arrived in Philadelphia as a Free Agent from Tennessee in 2000, where he became the Eagles’ starting Right Tackle.  A Pro Bowler in 2002, like Thomas, he remained with the Eagles until 2008.  The Two Tackles were a part of a run to the Super Bowl in 2004.

This brings the amount of Eagles Hall of Fame inductees to 47.

We would like to congratulate Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan for earning this honor.

Pro Football Players. 

No one can deny that Football is probably the most loved sport in the US. We all love watching it, betting on it, and keeping up to date on how our favorite pro football players are doing. However, some superstars and much loved celebs have had a career in Pro Football at one time or another, and who can blame them, who doesn’t want to have a chance on the field. 

As much as it is a very loved sport, this sport is also probably the heaviest bet on sport in America, which means it is a big buck game, with fantastic sites like www.fanduel.com giving you all you need to win some cash on the next big game. You can place bets on who will win, by how much, and you can even bet on more player specific factors. 

The real question is, how many of today’s stars had a football career?

Phil Robertson. 

You may know this man from the popular reality television series ‘Duck Dynasty’. However, while he was in high school, he had the opportunity to attend Louisiana Tech in Ruston as a quarterback on a Football scholarship in the late 60s. He played the first-string quarterback for the Bulldogs, ahead of Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw. He was considered to be a top prospect for the NFL, but instead he chose to follow his true passion, hunting. 

Mark Harmon.

You may know his man for his famous performance as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS. However, he is also the son of the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tom Harmon. His father was the first overall selection by the Chicago Bears in the 41 draft. He declined their offer and instead played for the New York Americans in the American Football League. 

Mark followed in the footsteps of his father when he was in college, where he played the same position for UCLA for about two years. In 73, he received the National Football Foundation's Award for All-Around Excellence. However, when graduated, he pursued a career in law and then became a very successful actor. 

Ed O’Neill. 

Ed is best known for his role as the main character on ‘Married… with Children’. He earned two Golden Globe nominations for this sitcom alone, and many fans will also remember his role as Jay Pritchett in ‘Modern Family’. 

However, before he became an actor, he attended Ursuline High School and earned a football scholarship at Ohio University, he then earned an invitation to the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp in 69. Yet, he didn’t make the cut. 

Terry Crews. 

Terry is well known for his role in ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ as well as some commercials. He earned an Art Excellence scholarship, followed by a full-ride athletic scholarship as a footballer at Western Michigan University. He played a major role in his team, WMU Broncos, Mid-American Conference Championship victory in 88. Furthermore, he also signed with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams in 91. 

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. 

Before Dwayne made his title as a real Hollywood superstar, he was crushing on the gridiron for the Miami Hurricanes. He played on the defensive line and was part of the 91 squad that won the national title- a team that also included the future Pro Football Hall of Fame player Warren Sapp. 

He did not get drafted into the NFL, and he spent some time with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League. He leveraged the experience in his HBO series ‘Ballers’ in which he portrayed a star NFL player transitioning into a financial management career. 

Of course, ‘The Rock’ was also known for being one of WWE’s biggest starts. Football was not his only sporting stardom prior to his acting career. 

Burt Reynolds. 

Burt Reynolds became a big movie star, however, things would be very different if he stuck to his first career- football. He was first team all-state at Palm Beach high school, and he went on to play running back at Florida State. He was injured during his freshman year and was then later in a car accident that aggravated this injury, which ended any chance for him to have a football future. He finished his time with the Seminoles with just 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns, however, he still has a spot in the Florida State Hall of Fame. He later got a chance to combine his acting passions with his football passions in ‘The Longest Yard’.