The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, honors players who have shown exceptional skill at basketball, all-time great coaches, referees, and other major contributors to the sport. It is named after Dr. James Naismith, who conceived the sport in 1891; he was inducted into the Hall as a contributor in 1959. The Player category has existed since the beginning of the Hall of Fame. For a person to be inducted to the Naismith Hall as a player, they must be "fully retired for five years". If a player retired for a short period, then "his/her case and eligibility is reviewed on an individual basis".
As part of the inaugural class of 1959, four players were inducted; over 150 more individuals have been inducted as players since then. Four players have also been inducted as coaches: John Wooden in 1973, Lenny Wilkens in 1998, Bill Sharman in 2004, and Tom Heinsohn in 2015.
Of the inducted players, 25 were also members of teams that have been inducted into the Hall as units.
Henry "Dutch" Dehnert, Nat Holman, and Joe Lapchick were members of the Original Celtics.
William "Pop" Gates and John Isaacs were members of the New York Renaissance. The induction category of another former player for the team, Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton, is subject to dispute; he was originally announced as a contributor, but is now listed with player inductees by the Hall.
Marques Haynes and Reece "Goose" Tatum were two of the most famous players of the Harlem Globetrotters. Three other players who made their greatest contributions with other teams—Wilt Chamberlain, Connie Hawkins, and Lynette Woodard—were members of the Globetrotters at some point in their professional careers. Furthermore, longtime member Meadowlark Lemon has been inducted as a contributor, and the aforementioned Clifton, who briefly played for the team, is (depending on definitions) a member as either a player or contributor.
Walt Bellamy, Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West were members of the 1960 United States Olympic Team.
Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and John Stockton were members of the 1992 United States Olympic Team, better known as the "Dream Team". In fact, all but one of the players on the "Dream Team" roster (Christian Laettner) have been inducted in the Hall of Fame as individuals.
