The full name of the "Hall of Fame" is "Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame", which is different from what most fans imagine: the Hall of Fame is not only for the NBA, but for all the people in the world who have made outstanding contributions to basketball, which means that some players who did not perform particularly well during their NBA years can also be inducted into the Hall of Fame for their contributions to basketball promotion or outstanding performances in other leagues.
"The Roof of the World" – Arvidas-Sabonis
Sabonis only appeared in the NBA in 1995-1996, when he was 31 years old, and he played seven seasons in the NBA, averaging 12 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.1 blocks, shooting 50% from the field. He was named Player of the Week once, Rookie of the Month once, named to the Rookie Team of the Year, never named to the Team of the Year and Defensive Team, and never named to the All-Star Team, but he was inducted into the Hall of Fame with Dennis Rodman, Chris Mullin and Aldi Gilmore in 2011.
In terms of NBA achievements, Sabonis could not be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he achieved many achievements in the European League and national arenas, and conquered Yao Ming with his outstanding performances, becoming Yao Ming's idol. He won the Europa League championship in 1985 and was elected MVP, the 1993 Spanish Cup MVP, the 1994-1995 Spanish Cup MVP, the 3 USSR League championships in the USSR, the 2-time Euro basketball player of the year (1985, 97), the 6th Euroscar European Player of the Year... These great achievements made it logical for him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame when the NBA did not perform well.
"Basketball Mozart" – Drazen Petrovich
Petrovic's style of play is extremely gorgeous, full of fake moves, rich offensive means, even Olajuwon and other top defensive players have been played by him, he has also played with Jordan in the Olympic Games, he has been a prodigy since he was a child, unfortunately died young, but in a short life has achieved many achievements, his life is like the great musician Mozart, coupled with his gorgeous style of play, to the audience the ultimate viewing experience, so it is called "basketball Mozart".
Before joining the NBA, Petrovic was already well-known in Europe, he achieved many achievements in the Europa League, and set many records that are difficult for future generations to break, but his NBA journey did not become smooth sailing. He started with the Blazers, who had "gliders" Drexler and Terry Porter in the backcourt, and Petrovic averaged just 12 minutes of playing time per game, and the second season, his playing time was compressed to seven minutes.
In search of more playing time, Petrovich refused to play 20 games before finally being traded to the Nets, where his playing time gradually increased and his performance got better and better. In the 1991-1992 season, he averaged 36.9 minutes per game, contributed 20.6 points, and as a guard, he shot 51% from the field, which completely shut the mouths of those who questioned him. The following season, he averaged 22.3 points per game, ranking eleventh in the league in terms of points per game, shooting 52 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range, which was enough to make him an All-Star, but prejudice was everywhere, and he was the only one in the top thirteen players on the scoring list that year who missed the All-Star, which frustrated him, but he was eventually selected to the Best Team Three.
Unfortunately, at the end of that season, Petrović led Croatia to a 30-point victory over Poland, and after the game he went to Munich to visit his girlfriend, but he was killed in a car accident on the way, at the age of 29. In 2002, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame with "Magic" Johnson and others, becoming another player who was not inducted into the NBA All-Star but was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
"Celtic Celebrity" – Dino Radega
Originally from Croatia, Radega was drafted by the Celtics in the 1989 NBA Draft and was selected by the Celtics with the 13th pick in the second round, though he only landed in the NBA in 1993-1994 when he was 26. He played only 4 seasons in the NBA, played 224 games, averaged 16.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.3 blocks, and shot 49.7% from the field, he was named rookie of the month for the first time, was named to the rookie team of the month, was never named to the All-Star team, but was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 along with Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Jason Kidd and others.
Despite his modest achievements in the NBA, he has achieved many in Europa Leagues and international competitions: 2 Olympic Silver Medals (1988; 1992), 2 Europa League Championships (1989–90), 2 Croatian League Championships (2002–03), 3 Yugoslav League Championships (1988–90), 2 Greek League Championships (1998–99), etc. He was one of the 50 FIBA superstars and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Although these three players have not been selected for the NBA's All-Star Team, or even the Best Team and the Best Defensive Team, there are few honors that can be held in the NBA, but their induction into the Hall of Fame has not lowered the threshold, their achievements outside the NBA are very great, and it is an honor for the Hall of Fame to have them.