The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame celebrates the sport’s storied history, and the NBA’s most storied organizations are well-represented in the building.
Since its founding in 1959, the Hall of Fame has annually been inducting NBA greats. That will continue in 2022, as Manu Ginobili, Tim Hardaway, Lou Hudson and George Karl are among the 13-person class.
Those four incoming members represented a combined 12 NBA franchises during their careers. Where do those 12 franchises rank when it comes to Hall of Fame members?
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Here’s a look at the teams with the most former players and head coaches enshrined in Springfield, Mass.
Which NBA team has the most Basketball Hall of Famers?
The Boston Celtics lead the pack when it comes to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Forty-one players who either played for or were head coach for the team are in the Hall. While the Original Celtics were inducted as part of the inaugural 1959 class, Ed McCauley became the first Celtics player to be enshrined a year later.
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Two of those 41 Hall of Famers won championships with the Celtics as players and coaches. Tommy Heinsohn was inducted as a player in 1986 before entering the Hall again as a coach in 2015. The late Bill Russell was enshrined for his unprecedented resume as a player in 1975 and was later honored for his coaching accolades as part of the 2021 class.
At least one former Celtic entered the Hall of Fame every year from 2018 through 2021. Those players include Ray Allen (2018), Charlie Scott (2018), Dino Radja (2018), Chuck Cooper (2019), Carl Braun (2019), Paul Westphal (2019), Kevin Garnett (2020) and Paul Pierce (2021).
After the Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers (33), New York Knicks (29) and Detroit Pistons (26) have the most players and head coaches from their respective franchises in the Hall of Fame.
Which NBA team has the fewest Basketball Hall of Famers?
The New Orleans Pelicans are the only franchise without a single Hall of Famer in franchise history.
The team’s history dates back to the 2002-03 season when they were founded as the New Orleans Hornets. Alonzo Mourning, Robert Parish and Vlade Divac are the three Hall of Famers to ever wear Hornets jerseys, but they were on the Charlotte Hornets.
Like the Pelicans, no player that has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder is in the Hall of Fame yet. However, the franchise has 14 players and head coaches enshrined in Springfield from their 41 seasons as the Seattle SuperSonics.
The Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves are tied for the second-fewest Hall of Famers of any NBA franchise with two apiece.
How many Basketball Hall of Famers does each NBA team have?
Here is a look at how many players and head coaches from each NBA organization are in the Basketball Hall of Fame (including the 2022 class)
- Atlanta Hawks: 26
- Boston Celtics: 41
- Brooklyn Nets: 18
- Charlotte Hornets: 3
- Chicago Bulls: 13
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 9
- Dallas Mavericks: 7
- Denver Nuggets: 15
- Detroit Pistons: 26
- Golden State Warriors: 26
- Houston Rockets: 17
- Indiana Pacers: 12
- Los Angeles Clippers: 11
- Los Angeles Lakers: 34
- Memphis Grizzlies: 2
- Miami Heat: 8
- Milwaukee Bucks: 17
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 2
- New Orleans Pelicans: 0
- New York Knicks: 29
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 12
- Orlando Magic: 7
- Philadelphia 76ers: 21
- Phoenix Suns: 11
- Portland Trail Blazers: 8
- Sacramento Kings: 21
- San Antonio Spurs: 14
- Toronto Raptors: 4
- Utah Jazz: 9
- Washington Wizards: 20