The Curious Case of 2011 NBA Champion, Shawn Marion, and His Quest for the Basketball Hall of Fame

Shawn Marion is the subject of one of the most heated “should he be in the Hall of Fame?” controversies that come up now and then. Marion’s case for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is one of the most complicated. The former NBA star spent the majority of his career with Phoenix Suns.

Marion wasn’t a really good scorer. He was never named to an All-Defense team. And his finest performances came as the second- or third-best member of one of the league’s most intriguing ringless romances.

 

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“I think the legacy I left for the game is there. But who is it to decide? Who is making the decisions? What do they base it off of? If you look at all the numbers, to me, I should be a shoo-in. Should I not?” Marion said in 2020.

Shawn Marion’s Career

Marion was chosen ninth overall in the NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns in 1999. Marion missed 31 games between December and February of the 1999–2000 season due to a left knee injury.

 

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Shawn was named to the NBA’s Second All-Rookie Team. However, after nine years and four All-Star appearances, he was traded to Miami Heat. The Heat again traded him to the Raptors, where he spent the rest of the season and played 27 games.

Marion was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade deal with the Toronto Raptors on July 9, 2009, for a five-year contract for an estimated $39 million. Marion was moved to the bench for the 2010–11 season after spending his whole career as a starter, with Caron Butler taking over the starting small forward position.

 

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Butler, however, suffered a season-ending injury on January 1, 2011, and Marion was back in the starting lineup at the conclusion of the season. Marion started at small forward for the Mavericks during their postseason run, which included a trip to the NBA Finals. He won the first and only championship of his career that season.

Marion joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014. He became the first player in NBA history to reach 15,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 1,000 blocks, and 500 3-pointers in December 2014. Marion announced his retirement from the NBA on June 18, 2015, after 16 seasons.

Does Shawn Marion deserve to be in the NBA Hall of Fame?

On the surface, he’s not your usual candidate for the Hall of Fame. Marion built his name as the second or third best player on thrilling teams that never truly won until he won his one title as a role player. Marion’s odds of making the Hall of Fame, according to Basketball-Hall Reference’s of Fame calculation, are 75.6 percent, putting him in the same category as Hall of Famers Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, and Gail Goodrich.

 

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Marion’s likelihood % ranks seventh among NBA players who haven’t been inducted into the Hall of Fame, behind Chris Bosh (99.5), Larry Foust (94.2), Chauncey Billups (84.4), and Tim Hardaway (79.2). Marion did win a championship with the Dallas Mavericks, but it was as a role player rather than a primary figure. However, even during his tenure with the Suns, he amassed an excellent postseason career.

 

 

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In Phoenix, his versatility allowed him to protect power players in the post, stick with quicker small forwards, move to guards, and generally clean up after his leaky teammates. He now has one of the most unusual Hall of Fame resumes the sport has seen in a long time. When he’s up for selection, it’ll be the ideal opportunity for Marion to right the wrongs he’s seen done to him during his career. The fact that he has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is a flaw in the system that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.