The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted 12 new members Saturday, which prompted ESPN to analyze eligible NBA players in the

coming years, including a Boston Celtics fan favorite.

 

 

 

 

Two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo is eligible in 2026 and is listed as an honorable mention behind Carmelo Anthony and LaMarcus Aldridge.

“Basketball-Reference.com’s Hall of Fame probability metric has Rajon Rondo (61%) as more likely to make it than (LaMarcus) Aldridge (51%), but

I’m skeptical the Hall will value Rondo’s two championships as highly as the model given the itinerant back half of his career,” ESPN’s Kevin Pelton

wrote Saturday. “Had Rondo reached 10,000 assists, that milestone in conjunction with four All-Star appearances might have made him impossible

to ignore, but he finished his career behind three players who haven’t gotten serious HOF consideration: Mark Jackson, Andre Miller and Rod

Strickland.”

The point guard played with the Celtics from 2006-15, where he won a title in 2008.. The fan favorite earned many accolades throughout his 16-year

career, such as All-Rookie honors (2006-07) and four-time All-Defensive honors (2009-13) among multiple others.

The 37-year-old ranks 49th in league history in regular-season steals with 1,518 and 14th in regular-season assists with 7,584, short of the 10,000

mark as Pelton mentioned.

The University of Kentucky alum was in talks earlier this year about joining the men’s basketball staff, having not formally retired but last

participated in the 2021-22 NBA season.

Boston fans likely would be excited to see the former Celtic inducted into the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. in 2026 given his résumé.

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Dwyane Wade Takes High Road With Celtics Legend Paul Pierce

Dwyane Wade isn’t looking to partake in a childish back-and-forth with Paul Pierce.

Dragged into an unnecessary and petty one-upmanship, Wade laughed off Pierce’s past commentary — which has piled up over the years — about the

fellow Basketball Hall of Famer. And to emphasize his point of not lighting a nonexistent fuse, Wade is being the adult in the room and empathizes

with Pierce’s feelings.

“Listen, Paul Pierce was one of the greatest players that we’ve had in our game,” Wade told Sopan Deb of the New York Times. “And I think, you

know, when you are a great player and you don’t get the attention that you feel like your game deserved, sometimes you’ve got to grab whatever

attention where those straws are. And Paul believes he’s a better player than me. He should believe that. That’s why he was great.”

The two led some of the Eastern Conference’s most cherished playoff battles, with Wade the face of the Miami Heat and Pierce the heart and soul of

the Boston Celtics. Both men were cornerstones for their respective franchises, but that’s not enough for Pierce — for some reason.

Aside from the likes of Draymond Green (a subpar player, but a top-tier troll) and those on the internet, Pierce has received his flowers when it’s

mattered.

The Celtics retired Pierce’s jersey number (34) in 2018, becoming the 22nd player in franchise history to be honored in the rafters. He also was

inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021. Therefore, it’s questionable (to say the least) why Pierce seemingly takes every opportunity to prove the

legitimacy of his basketball career.

It’s been six years since Pierce’s last NBA game. That’s more than enough time to let it go and move on.