NBA: 50 greatest players who aren’t in the Basketball Hall of Fame
50 greatest players who aren’t in the Basketball Hall of Fame: 38. Latrell Sprewell
Polarizing as he may have been, there’s no possible way to deny the tremendous talent that Latrell Sprewell possessed. Over the course of 13 seasons, Sprewell emerged as a dynamic scoring threat, a dominant on-ball defender, and a team leader in minutes played during a trip to the NBA Finals.
There were certainly highs and lows, but when Sprewell was on his game, there were few wings as imposing during the 1990s and early 2000s as Spree.
Sprewell made four All-Star Game appearances during his 13-year career, including an explosive season in 1996-97. He appeared in 80 of 82 games for the Golden State Warriors, averaging 24.2 points and 6.3 assists while shooting a commendable 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.
That was three seasons after he was named to the All-NBA First Team alongside Hall of Fame inductees John Stockton, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, and Hakeem Olajuwon.
After a controversial 1997-98 campaign, Sprewell reestablished himself as a force to be reckoned with in 1998-99. He led the New York Knicks in minutes as they became the only eight-seed in Association history to reach the NBA Finals.
Throw in a Western Conference Finals appearance with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2003-04, and Sprewell proved that he played winning basketball with multiple franchises.
He could break down his opponent, finish with power or finesse at the rim, and play lockdown defense when the situation called for it.
The Hall of Fame may not be on the horizon for Sprewell, but he showed great perseverance as he overcame adversity to carve out a lengthy and successful career.