Ranking the Best Basketball Hall of Fame Classes: 2009 Tops List With Jordan, Robinson, and Stockton

• Class of 2009 included NBA greats Michael Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton, and Jerry Sloan
• Class of 2020 included NBA legends Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Rudy Tomjanovich
• Class of 2023 included NBA superstars Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has been around for more than 60 years and has had the greatest inducted.

But which classes had the best collection of Basketball Hall of Famers at one time?

Sports Brief looks at the greatest Basketball Hall of Fame classes in history.

Class of 2009

The 2009 class is undoubtedly the best of the best. Among those inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame that year were superstars Michael Jordan, David Robinson, and John Stockton, as well as veteran coach Jerry Sloan, per NBA.com.

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Jordan is arguably the greatest player of all time, winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.

He was a 14-time NBA All-Star, a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and a six-time NBA Finals MVP. He also won multiple All-NBA First Team honors during his time with the Bulls.

Jordan was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1988 and was part of the NBA All-Defensive Team nine times in his career.

He won an NCAA championship with North Carolina in 1984 and two Olympic gold medals with Team USA in 1984 and 1992.

Robinson spent his entire NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs, winning two titles in 1999 and 2003. He won the NBA MVP in 1992 and was named to 10 NBA All-Star teams and four All-NBA First Team selections.

He also won two gold medals in the Olympics in 1992 and 1996.

Stockton spent his entire career with the Utah Jazz, amassing 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals during his 19-season stint with the club. Both of those figures are NBA records.

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He won two Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996 and led the Jazz to two straight Finals stints in 1997 and 1998.

Stockton was named to the All-NBA First Team two times, in 1994 and 1995.

Sloan is the only coach in the history of the NBA to win over 1,000 games with a single team (Utah Jazz) while posting a winning percentage of over .600.

He led the Jazz to 18 playoff appearances and two NBA Finals stints.

Class of 2020

The 2020 class is stacked with legends.

Among those inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame that year were NBA superstars Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, WNBA star Tamika Catchings, and legendary coaches Rudy Tomjanovich and Kim Mulkey, per USA Today.

Bryant spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five titles in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010.

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He won the NBA MVP in 2008 and the Finals MVP in 2009 and 2010. He was an 18-time NBA All-Star (1998, 2000-16) and named to the All-NBA First Team selection 11 times.

The late great was recognized posthumously following his tragic death in 2020.

Duncan spent his entire career with the San Antonio Spurs, leading the team to five NBA championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.

He was named NBA MVP in 2002 and 2003, and won Finals MVP in 1999, 2003, and 2005.

He is the only player in NBA history with 1,000 or more victories with one team, which he accumulated in his 19 years with San Antonio.

Garnett won the NBA championship with the Boston Celtics and was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.

He was part of the All-NBA Defensive First Team nine times in his career.

Tomjanovich spent 34 seasons with the Houston Rockets organization as a player, assistant coach, and coach.

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He is the only person in the history of the NBA to score 10,000 career points as a player and record 500 career wins with two championships as a coach.

Catchings won gold in the Olympics four times and was named WNBA MVP in 2011. She led the Indiana Fever to the title in 2012, collecting Finals MVP honors after the championship series.

Class of 2023

This year's class is undoubtedly one of the strongest in history.

They include two members of the NBA's 75th-anniversary team, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki.

Also enshrined were European superstars Tony Parker and Pau Gasol.

The foursome combined for 19 All-NBA appearances and 37 All-Star picks during their Hall of Fame careers, per ESPN. They also won 10 NBA championships in total.

San Antonio Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich, was also enshrined this year. He is arguably the greatest basketball coach of all time, leading the Spurs to five NBA titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.

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He also helped Team USA win the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Gasol pays tribute to Kobe

Sports Brief recently reported on Gasol honoring Kobe Bryant during his Hall of Fame speech this year.

He paid tribute to his Lakers teammate, who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

Bryant's widow, Vanessa, and Lakers general manager, Rob Pelinka, were also present at the ceremony.