Top 10 nominees on 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame ballot

Dwight Howard

It will be interesting to see how many Hall of Fame voters view Howard as a first-ballot player, but he has the resume to reach Springfield in the near future. Howard entered the NBA out of high school in 2004 as he was selected No. 1 overall by the Magic. He quickly emerged as one of the best big men in the league, earning five consecutive All-NBA first-team nods from 2008-12. The eight-time All-Star was also named the league’s defensive player of the year in three consecutive seasons from 2009-11. Howard led the Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009 and finally earned a championship with the team that beat him that year, the Los Angeles Lakers, in 2020. The 39-year-old big man also won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and has left a lasting legacy as one of the most dominant centers thus far in the 21st Century.