If you had to give one player out of the two a hall of fame vote, who gets it and why? You have Lebron who is the more iconic player, and arguably better player overall. Then you have Wade who has the RING as well as the numbers to show he is a superstar in this league. This is tough....
this is where my theory works perfectly. you have 2 players, very similar in talents, and very similar in skill/stats. The Ring seperates the next question DWade ( please don't give me robert horry crap, he was never an ELITE player, so he does not come into this conversation.)
IMO they are very close in talent others might clearly put Lebron above Wade with Talent/Skill/Stat if you put him ahead in your heart, then yes it's Lebron. B/C Wade would not qualify for part2.
Lebron James Hall of Fame Probability Active 0.993 (5) Career 0.993 (35) Dwyane Wade Hall of Fame Probability Active 0.991 (6) Career 0.991 (38)
I don't see how their talents are that similar. One is more of a facilitator and amazing transition player while the other is a cold-blooded, stone faced leader with an exceptional ability to create. When things are going well or even when games are close, LeBron is great and a fantastic captain, but when things get difficult you just can't count on him. Meanwhile, Wade doesn't make faces and look discouraged during adversity - he just looks determined and will bully his way to the hoop. That gives his team confidence that makes everyone play better. LeBron is obviously trying to get more into the leadership role, but he always just seems like he's acting whereas Wade truly means business. As for the question in the OP, I definitely agree that it's a tough question. What makes a player more worthy for the HOF? I would say impact on the game itself, and in that category I'd say LeBron beats out Dwayne Wade easily. He's always on the covers, he has the most headlines, he now has the #1 selling jersey, and he draws the most attention of any player in the league from fans and outsiders, bar none.
how does the #1 selling jersey matter? If Obama joined the NBA his jersey would sell #1 also. I'll take D. Wade at this stage. And i do think their basketball skills are similar... maybe Lebron trys to do too much? When D Wade can do just enough for it to matter?
Funny how there will be (already have) saying that the debate is not even close. It's a legitimate question.
If Lebron blew out his ACL today and never played again, I don't think he has any business being in the Hall of Fame. Instead, he'd be another what-might-have-been. You might even say wasted talent, because he had several chances at a championship with Cleveland and couldn't close the deal. Wade at least closed the deal, though I wouldn't put him in the HOF if he was hit by a bus today, either.
That would logically conflict with the condition they retire today. I don't think it would give Lebron a leg up on Wade.
No, the debate isn't close. Lebron has 2 MVP's. Has there even been a single MVP who hasn't made it into the HOF? They're both deserving, but if only one can go in right now, it's Lebron.
Pretty close call. Here's basketball-reference's take: http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/hof_prob_active.html