The question of whether Pacers legend Reggie Miller will be a first-ballot inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is now moot, because both the New York Times and Yahoo! Sports report that Miller has failed to earn enough votes to even be a finalist for induction. The Hall of Fame will announce the finalists for the 2011 class Friday afternoon in Los Angeles as NBA All-Star Weekend kicks off. Miller is eligible for the first time this year, and was expected to be a sure thing given the otherwise lackluster class up for induction.
Reggie Miller Lacks Votes To Be On First Hall Of Fame Ballot, According To Reports
That class includes Mark Jackson, Dennis Rodman, Bernard King, Maurice Lucas, Chris Mullin, Don Nelson, Maurice Cheeks and Dick Bavetta. Most of those personalities have missed the cut on prior ballots.
As the Times’ Jonathan Abrams details, the nine members of the North America panel of the Hall of Fame voting pool -- seven of whom must agree to make an North American-based man a finalist -- are completely anonymous, and the entire Hall of Fame process is shrouded in complete secrecy.
The Basketball Hall of Fame typically avoids controversy because of the sheer number of players inducted. Some players, like Celtics and Sonics legend Dennis Johnson, end up waiting for years for induction, but the Naismith Hall lacks of lightning-bolt criticism of its NFL or baseball brothers.
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