Since the inaugural Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame class in 1959, 450 total inductees have been cemented in basketball history. The Chicago Bulls franchise has featured 13 players, most recently Dwyane Wade in 2017, and as many as five on one team in the 1996-97 campaign. Derrick Rose will soon join that list; he is currently the only NBA MVP award winner to be left out of the Hall who is not still playing in the NBA. His eligibility opens in 2028, and he's expected to join the legendary club. At just 23 years old and having no All-Star nominations on his resume, one player on Chicago's current roster is already being penciled in to join the immortal group in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Josh Giddey On Hall Of Fame Pace
Naming any player under the age of 25 to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame is bold, but even more controversial when that player has yet to be named an NBA All-Star, did not have a college basketball resume or any other notable basketball accolades, and hasn't made it beyond the first round in the NBA playoffs. Josh Giddey, whose most impressive stat is his rapidly increasing triple-double count, is already being talked about in the highest regard.
OH. MY. JOSH.
— basketball.com.au (@bouncepassau) December 9, 2025
Yeah it’s early days, but Josh Giddey is already in some ELITE Hall of Fame company when it comes to stuffing the stat sheet 👀 pic.twitter.com/vJVtZCqXkZ
Giddey is currently tied for 23rd all-time in triple-doubles and is in the middle of his fifth NBA season. The only players above him who are not in the Hall of Fame are Russell Westbrook, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, James Harden, Domantas Sabonis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Draymond Green, and Ben Simmons. Seven of those nine players are surefire future inductees. Still, Simmons and Sabonis are in a similar boat as Giddey; the triple-double numbers are impressive, but without other accolades or team success in the NBA, they'll likely be left out.
The Odds Are In His Favor
As it currently stands, 21 out of the 23 names ahead of Giddey in the standings are either already in, or surely headed to, the Hall. It would take another decade of sustained stat-stuffing to pump his numbers up to legendary status, but his pace is undeniably on track to meet the criteria. Not only will he have to juice the totals over a long career, but his teams will need to add some deep playoff runs or NBA titles to qualify. In Chicago, it might be a while.
Josh Giddey has his 22nd career triple-double!
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 23, 2025
He passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Kyle Lowry, Michael Ray Richardson, and Chris Webber on the NBA's all-time list. pic.twitter.com/HmAvoCjDLP
Can Giddey's historic numbers help revive the mangled Chicago Bulls franchise's relevance and contention, or will his efforts contribute to a series of losing years and fade into basketball history?
