Top 10 nominees on 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame ballot
Bill Laimbeer
Laimbeer鈥檚 physical play made him a polarizing figure on the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s. His reputation has perhaps played a role in keeping him out of the Hall of Fame, but Laimbeer deserves mention among the top candidates in 2025. After being selected in just the third round out of Notre Dame by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Laimbeer worked his way into a prominent role once he reached Detroit. He spent over a decade in the Motor City, making four All-Star appearances and winning back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. Laimbeer doesn鈥檛 have the scoring numbers of some Hall of Fame candidates, but his 10,400 career rebounds rank in the top 40 in NBA history. Laimbeer furthered his impact on the game as a WNBA head coach for nearly two decades, twice earning league coach of the year honors.
