Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and Grant Hill were announced as part of the 2018 class of inductees to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Officially announced Saturday and confirming reports from earlier in the week, Allen, Kidd, Nash and Hill will be joined in the 2018 class by Maurice Cheeks, Lefty Driesell, Dino Radja, Charlie Scott, Katie Smith, Tina Thompson, Rod Thorn, Ora Mae Washington and Rick Welts.
A two-time NBA champion and the NBA’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers with 2,973, Allen is arguably the greatest shooter in the history of the league and hardly a surprising addition to the Hall of Fame.
Kidd couldn’t match Allen in 3-point shooting prowess, but he did climb up the all-time leaderboards after a rough shooting start to his career, finishing ninth all-time in 3-pointers made with 1,988.
But Kidd was more than just a shooter. The 10-time All-Star who finally wone a title with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 led the NBA in assists five times and finished second in NBA history in assists with 12,091.
Nash was right behind him on that list at third all-time with 10,335 assists in his career.
Similar to Kidd, Nash also led the league in assists five times, and while he never won a title as a player, he was an eight-time All-Star and two-time MVP during his time with the Phoenix Suns before ending his career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Grant Hill’s and Nash’s final years in Phoenix intersected, and while Hill never climbed the historical leaderboards like the three prior players, it wasn’t through any fault of his own.
Mistreated ankle injuries derailed Hill’s prime, and while he was ultimately able to reinvent himself late in his career as a productive role-player, he still never quite reached the heights he likely would’ve had he been able to stay healthy.
Hill, Kidd, Allen and Nash will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame along with the rest of the 2018 class later this year.
