Basketball Hall Of Fame Members

What all of these Basketball Hall of Fame members have in common is that they have become iconic names within their NBA franchises and also competed in NCAA championships as college players. A few of them have even collided against each other in the NBA Championships, often taking turns winning it. But the true beauty of all five of these Basketball Hall of Fame Members is that, even decades later after being out of the league as players, their names still live on.

1. Earvin "Magic" Johnson That shining smile and winning attitude that Earvin "Magic" Johnson exhibited as a point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers helped them grab five NBA championships, all in the same decade. Those victories occurred in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988 - as well as the championship Magic won in college with Michigan State in 1979, a year before he entered the NBA. Earvin Johnson was enshrined as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
2. Michael Jordan Another Basketball Hall of Fame member that had a championship stride on the college court and in the NBA is Michael "Air" Jordan. As a freshman, Jordan hit the shot that won his University of North Carolina team the championship in 1982. With the legendary legacy that Michael Jordan left in the NBA, it is hard to imagine that he was the third NBA draft pick, instead of the first, selected by the Chicago Bulls. This five-time NBA Most Valuable Player winner's "Air Jordan" brand of Nike sneakers still exists. Michael Jordan made his aerial leap from basketball court to Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
3. Larry Bird The famed NBA basketball rivalry between the Los Angles Lakers and the Boston Celtics was in full swing in the 1990s, and Larry Bird was one of its key commanders, along with his competitor Magic Johnson. Ironically, Bird faced Magic Johnson in the 1979 NCAA Championship as a member of the Indiana State college basketball team. Bird flew away with the College Player of the Year award that year, three consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player awards from 1984-86, and three NBA titles in 1981, 1984 and 1986. His placement in the Basketball Hall of Fame followed in 1998.
4. Patrick Ewing This Jamaican-born, 7-foot center carries on the tradition of NCAA college basketball success. Before becoming a franchise icon for the New York Knicks, Ewing's work on the collegiate hardwood took the Georgetown Hoyas to the NCAA Final Fours on three occasions and earned them the title in 1984. Although Patrick Ewing unfortunately never won an NBA championship, he helped take the Knicks there twice, and he is the proud owner of two Olympic gold medals. Patrick Ewing was added to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar He began playing basketball as Lewis Alcindor, but became a basketball star known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As a college player for UCLA, Jabbar won three consecutive NCAA titles from 1967-69, and was the National College Player of the year in both 1967 and 1969. Before sharing five NBA titles with Magic Johnson for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also earned one with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971. Being inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995 solidified Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's spectacular athletic status.