2025 Basketball Hall of Fame class nominees headlined by Nuggets legend

2024 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony
2024 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony | Joe Buglewicz/GettyImages

The NBA’s regular season is in full swing as the Emirates NBA Cup has come and gone and now the hype of the Christmas Day slate is taking over. The All-Star Game is right around the corner and along with that comes MVP (and other awards) discourse.

Battles for seeding and playoff races are coming together and there’s plenty of chatter around the Play-In Tournament as well. On top of all the great action on the court, the trade deadline is fast approaching and the hot stove is coming to a boil.

Rumors are swirling left and right about star players available on the market, teams deciding to sell and embrace the tank, and other teams ready to go all-in to push for contention. Everything is happening right now in the NBA and it seems like the league is as busy as ever.

For all of those reasons, the 2025 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Induction is probably the last thing on the minds of basketball fans. But on Thursday, the Hoops Hall announced the nominees for induction this time around.

The list was first announced on ESPN’s NBA Today on Thursday. Finalists will be announced on Friday, February 14th during the NBA’s All-Star weekend, and the inductees will be unveiled on Saturday, April 5th during the NCAA’s Final Four.

Carmelo Anthony headlines list of candidates for class of 2025

Like most years, the list of eligible candidates is impressive, but the 2025 class is headlined by one of the greatest players in Denver Nuggets franchise history, Carmelo Anthony. Anthony was drafted third overall by the Nuggets in 2023 and immediately helped turn the organization around.

He helped lead a charge that saw the team make the playoffs in each of his seven seasons with the team, including a 2009 run to the Western Conference Finals. While in Denver, Melo averaged 24.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, making All-NBA four times.

His career with the Nuggets was cut short when he was dealt to the Knicks at the 2010 trade deadline. He went on to have several more excellent seasons before entering the twilight of his career. He hung around the league, contributing for several years as a role player before retiring after the 2021-22 season, and being named one of the 75 greatest players of all time.

Anthony’s career in Denver could have ended on better terms and never reached the ultimate highs, but there’s no doubt he left a lasting imprint on the franchise. He helped build the foundation and lay the groundwork for a solid organization that kept improving into the 2010s and beyond.

He should be fondly remembered as one of the team’s greatest players and his place in franchise history should be secure forever. Nuggets fans should all take a moment to appreciate the greatness of Melo and everything he did for the team as he is sure to soon get his flowers and get immortalized in Springfield next Fall.

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