Amar’e Stoudemire, Doc Rivers, and Mike D’Antoni are about to get enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and honestly, good for them! We all know LeBron James is a total lock, gonna be a first-ballot guy as soon as he’s eligible two years post-retirement. But get this: LeBron might not be the only player from the 2026-27 Sixers who ends up in Springfield. Joel Embiid, man, he’s building a serious resume, but the Basketball Reference Hall of Fame probability model only pegs him at roughly a 66 percent chance right now. Seriously? That feels low for a guy doing what he’s doing.
Embiid’s MVP Case Is Gold Standard Stuff
Let’s talk about the cold, hard facts. Every eligible NBA player who won at least one Most Valuable Player award? They’re already in the Hall of Fame. Every single one! Embiid snagged that MVP trophy in 2022-23, outdueling Nikola Jokić for the honors after being a runner-up in back-to-back years. Based on that alone, how is he not considered a lock? The dude’s got seven All-Star nods and five All-NBA selections. He led the league in scoring back-to-back years and hasn’t dipped below 20 points per game in any of his ten active seasons. That is sustained greatness, people. Meanwhile, the model sees guys like Karl-Anthony Towns, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, and Klay Thompson as being *ahead* of Embiid in their HOF probability. No disrespect to those players, but Embiid’s MVP puts him in a different conversation, right? LeBron, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Nikola Jokić, Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Damian Lillard are all viewed as absolute locks. Embiid’s numbers scream “lock” too, don’t they?
Battling Back: Why Embiid’s Journey Isn’t Like Rose’s
Yeah, injuries have definitely been a part of Embiid’s story, but you gotta remember, he’s sustained his greatness far longer than someone like Derrick Rose. Rose had that meteoric start, Rookie of the Year, All-Star in his second season, youngest MVP ever in his third year. Then that devastating ACL tear in the 2012 playoffs hit, and his career trajectory totally shifted. He never got another All-Star nod after that, though he did become a Sixth Man of the Year contender late on. Embiid, on the other hand, he’s fought through his own injury battles and kept delivering elite performance year after year. He hasn’t just had one MVP season; he’s been consistently in the conversation, racking up those All-Star appearances and All-NBA selections. That’s the difference right there, that sustained dominance.
So, what’s next for Embiid? With his MVP and insane career numbers, it feels like that 66 percent HOF probability is just waiting to shoot straight up. The man has nothing left to prove to most of us, but he’s still adding to a resume that already looks Hall of Fame worthy. He’s got plenty of gas left, and it’ll be fun watching him turn that “probable” into an undeniable “lock.”
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Liberty Ballers.
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