Lafayette “Fat” Lever was a two-time All-PAC 10 Selection at Arizona State, and the defensively skilled Point Guard was drafted by Portland 11^th Overall in 1982.  Lever played for Portland for only two years before he was traded to Denver, and in Mile High he became s atarter.

Lever’s first two seasons as a Nugget saw him average 13.3 Points, 7.5 Assists and 2.4 Steals, but the four years that followed were the best of his life.  In 1986-87, Lever increased his totals to 18.9 Points, 8.0 Assists and 2.5 Steals, and along with his good rebounding skills, was a constant threat to have a triple-double game.  Lever was a Second Team All-NBA, and was ninth in MVP voting.and was one of the most well-rounded players in basketball.  Lever remained strong in 1987-88 with his second straight 18.9 PPG and ninth-place MVP finish, with his first trip to the All-Star Game.

Lever never had MVP votes again, but he arguably had his best season in 1988-89 when he had career-highs in Points (19.8) and Rebounds (9.3) without sacrificing his anything in Steals (2.7) and Assists 6.7).  He landed his second and final All-Star, and in the season after had another excellent campaign (18.3 PTS/9.3 Rebounds).  The Nuggets traded Lever to the Dallas Mavericks in 1990, but his peak period was over.

Lever began succumbing to injuries, specifically his knee.  He only played four Games in 1990-91, and 31 in 1991-92, but averaged only 11.2 Points per Game.  Laver missed the entirety of the 1992-93 campaign, and though he played 81 Games in 1993-94, he was ineffective with 6.9 Points with 24.0 Minutes per Game.  He retired after that, and had his knee not betrayed him, Lever might have had another All-Star in him.

What is it about Brazilian athletes and their penchant to go by one name?  Whatever the answer might be, one of the best Brazilian basketball players of all-time, Nene Hilario, opted to just go by simply Nene, and that works for us.

Nene made history in 2002 when he became the first player from Brazil to be drafted in the First Round (7^th Overall). Taken by the Knicks but traded to Denver, Nene was an All-Rookie, and although he never developed into a star, he became a highly efficient player.  In 2008-09 and 2009-10, Nene led the NBA in True Shooting Percentage, and in Effective Field Goal Percentage and 2-Point Field Goal Percentage in 2010-11.

Nene’s run as a Nugget ended when he was traded to Washington during the 2011-12 Season, and he played there for four more years before finishing his NBA career as a Rocket for three seasons. 

He would overall appear in 965 Games, averaging 11.3 Points and 6.0 Rebounds per Game.

Pre-2019-20 Rank: #29, Pre-2020-21 Rank: #30, Pre-2021-22 Season Rank: #30, Pre-2022-23 Season Rank: #31, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #31.

Peak Period:  From 2012-13 to 2018-19.

The Peak Period of Jordan's career is long over; nevertheless, his advanced stats are much better than his lone All-Star Game Selection reflects.  Still, Jordan will need a lot of help for Springfield enshrinement, and it would have to come in the form of multiple titles, which was bolstered by winning his first title in 2022.  

There won’t be a lot more opportunities for Jordan going forward.

Pre-2019-20 Rank: #42, Pre-2020-21 Rank: #31, Pre-2021-22 Rank: #13, Pre-2021-22 Rank: #8, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #6

*Peak Period: 2017-18 to 2023-24.

What does it say about the quality of active players in the NBA when we have a three-time MVP and one-time NBA Champion who we have at only #6 among active players for HOF contention?

Nikola Jokic goes into the 2024-25 season as a three-time MVP and the favorite to win it again.  His Nuggets are also top contenders, and he is also a four-time All-NBA First Team Selection.  The only question for the “Joker” is not when he is a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee but when that will occur. 

Jokic gives us Tim Duncan vibes, as he is unassuming, does not seek the spotlight, and is the consummate team player.  He is now in the conversation as the greatest European player of all time, and he has the goods in him to be a top ten all-time player. 

We are blessed to be able to watch him play basketball.

Somehow, we might have convinced ourselves to place him at #2, but that could quickly happen with a fourth MVP, and notably, he is still in his peak.

Pre-2019-20 Rank: #6. Pre-2020-21 Rank: #6, Pre-2021-22 Season Rank: #6, Pre-2022-23 Season Rank: #7, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #8.

*Peak Period: 2013-14 to 2019-20.

At one time, Russell Westbrook was the master of the Triple-Double, a perennial MVP candidate (he won it in 2016-17), and proved he could lead a team deep into the playoffs.  A member of the NBA 75^th Anniversary Team, Westbrook was a nine-time All-NBA Selection, nine-time All-Star, two-time Scoring Champion, and three-time Assists Champion.  All of that equates to the Point Guard entering the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on his first shot, and it should erase any narrative that the last three years have given.

Bluntly, when Westbrook joined the Lakers in 2021, his shot-making skills did not follow, and his overall playmaking skills have eroded.  He begins this year in Denver as a reserve player on a contending team chasing the only accolade that has eluded him: an NBA Championship. 

Regardless of what happens in Los Angeles and Denver in the future, the legacy he laid out in Oklahoma City was legendary.

We kind of knew this already as many of you have seen that we have ranked Allen Iverson at the top of our revised rankings for the Notinhalloffame.com Basketball list.  During this past Basketball Hall of Fame weekend, the institution made his eligibility official, a fact that was not made clear to many.

There were two sticking points that cluttered the opinion as to when his eligibility was.

Dale Ellis was a great shooter, although we don’t think the Basketball Hall of Fame likes shooters.  His 19,000 career points and sixth position all time in three pointers easily gets him on this list.  Quite simply, he was a great shooter at Tennessee, he was a great shooter in Milwaukee and he was a great shooter in Seattle.  Oh and did we mention that he played forever?

A powerful force in the paint, Antonio McDyess had a very good career going until 2001 when a severe knee injury rendered him only part of the player he used to be. Prior to that, he was really coming into his own with capable blocking and boarding skills and was rewarded with his first All Star appearance and a spot on the American Dream Team. He would rehab himself back into the rotation by totally reinventing his skill set and moving away from the paint to put up jumpers. It kept him in the league, but he was never the same force that he was again.