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: 44. Willie Wise

Willie Wise only played eight professional seasons, but he made a tremendous impact during his limited time. He was a go-to player on a championship team, helped lead that same franchise to a second Finals appearance, and even made the ABA All-Time Team.

A lack of longevity will likely keep him out of the Hall of Fame, but in terms of peak performance, Wise is a player who made tremendous waves in the ABA.

Wise made the All-ABA Second Team in two different seasons, became a three-time ABA All-Star, and made a pair of ABA All-Defensive Second Teams. That’s quite the combination of accolades considering the league only existed for nine years.

It was in the postseason, however, that Wise made the leap from a fringe player to one who enters this list of the 50 greatest players outside of the Hall of Fame.

Wise helped the Utah Stars win the 1971 ABA Championship by navigating an incredibly difficult path to the title. He helped Utah upset the three-time champion Indiana Pacers in the Western Division Finals, putting up 31 points in Game 7.

Wise averaged 19.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists for the series.

In the championship round, Wise took his game to an entirely new level. He averaged 25.3 points, 16.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per contest, and dropped 22 points, 20 boards, and six assists in Game 7 as the Stars defeated a Kentucky Colonels team led by Hall of Famers Dan Issel and Louie Dampier.

Before injuries took him down in 1975, Wise helped Utah get back to the ABA Finals in 1974 to further prove what could’ve been.