It's the 6th Annual I Love Hoops NBA Role Player Hollafame - Class of 2023 Inductees

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Role Player Hollafame Class of 2023 Inductee: Manute Bol (7 points, 2 votes)
Roles: being extraordinarily tall, shot-blocker
Notable stats: 2-time blocks champ, 85-86 All-Defense since he led the NBA in blocks as a rookie with 5.0 BPG, an NBA rookie record to this day and the second highest block rate in any NBA season (Mark Eaton in 84-85 had 5.6 BPG)
Why they never reached stardom: Pretty hard when you never average more than 4 points a game. He had basically no offensive skills other than that one fluky game where he hit 6 threes.

Rest in peace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO_6tepwFzc

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Role Player Hollafame Class of 2023 Inductee: Derek Harper (6 points, 2 votes)
Roles: See Terry, Jason; swiper; cagey vet
Notable stats: 2-time All-Defense, 16th all-time career steals
Why they never reached stardom: 80s Mavs were low-key kind of functional and even made the WCF in 88. Harper played in the shadow of two All-Stars in Rolando Blackman and Mark Aguirre. Dallas completely unraveled by the 90s, but he had something left in the tank as the starting PG for some Ewing Knicks teams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1pPaNRwn-8

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Role Player Hollafame Class of 2023 Inductee: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (5 points, 1 first place vote)
Roles: proto-Iverson, ridiculous bag holder
Notable stats: 90-91 All-Rookie Team, 92-93 Most Improved Player, led the NBA in FT% twice
Why they never reached stardom: Islamophobia and racism is the short version since he was basically blackballed a la Kaepernick. Can also point to being somewhat ahead of his time as a shoot-first small PG who could hit 3s efficiently at high volume. Check his 95-96 season stats: 19.2 PPG and 6.8 APG shooting 39% from 3 on 5 attempts per game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUJIuhegQ_4

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Role Player Hollafame Class of 2023 Inductee: Mychal Thompson (5 points, 1 first place vote)
Roles: leading scorer on bad teams, role player on good ones
Notable stats: 2-time NBA champ, 78-79 All-Rookie team, Klay’s dad despite shooting 8% from 3 for his career
Why they never reached stardom: Mychal’s best season (1981-82) was on a 42-win Portland team that missed the playoffs while he averaged nearly 21 and 12, leading the team in both categories. After that, other players (Jim Paxson and Calvin Natt, Kiki Vandeweigh and Clyde Drexler) would overtake him in leading role. Trades to San Antonio and LAL his in 30s meant he would move to the bench.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvk2zTd2Wvk

great class of ILHRPHOFers!

i think i had voted for manute like 4 or 5 years running, welcome to the hall my man

yeah same for me and harper i think.

love the manute induction, literally just did one thing well and only played for like 7-8 years lol.

My guy Derek Harper finally made it, nice

this was if nothing else the year where a lot of perpetual bridesmaids got their rings