Here are 20 players who should be in the Basketball Hall of Fame ahead of almost every one of the coaches elected in recent years.

Artis Gilmore

11 all star selections (5 ABA, 6 NBA)

ABA MVP

ABA Rookie of the Year (over Julius Erving)

ABA champion

led Jacksonville to NCAA title game (and you thought George Mason was a Cinderella?)

all time career FG% leader

5^th all time career rebounds

18^th all time career points

3^rd all time career blocks

1^st team all-ABA all 5 seasons he played

(Kareem, Moses and Walton monopolized every all-NBA spot his first 5 years after the merger.  Hall of Famers Dave Cowens, Dan Issel, Bob Lanier, Bob McAdoo, Robert Parish and Willis Reed failed to make 1^st or 2^nd team all-NBA during that period too.)

Adrian Dantley

23^rd all time career points (14^th when he retired)

twice led NBA in scoring

Rookie of the Year

6 all star selections

twice consensus 1^st team All American in college

consensus 1^st team All American in high school

leading scorer for gold medal Olympic team

Mel Daniels

twice ABA MVP

ABA Rookie of the Year

7 all star selections (ABA)

4 times 1^st team all-ABA 

ABA career rebounding leader

Louie Dampier

ABA career scoring leader

7 all star selections (ABA)

Spencer Haywood

ABA MVP

ABA Rookie of the Year

5 all star selections (1 ABA, 4 NBA)

1^st team all-ABA, twice 1^st team all-NBA, twice 2^nd team all-NBA

led ABA in scoring

leading scorer for Gold Medal Olympic team

George McGinnis

ABA MVP

6 all star selections (3 ABA, 3 NBA)

twice 1^st team all-ABA, 1^st team all-NBA, 2^nd team all-NBA

led ABA in scoring

Chris Mullin

5 time all star

1^st team all-NBA, twice 2^nd team all-NBA

national college player of the year

Olympic gold medal as member of the original dream team

Marques Johnson

5 all star selections

1^st team all-NBA, twice 2^nd team all-NBA

national college player of the year

Bernard King

4 all star selections

twice 1^st team all-NBA, once 2^nd team all-NBA

led NBA in scoring

college All American

Walter Davis

Rookie of the Year

6 all star selections

Olympic gold medal

Cazzie Russell

NBA all star

NBA champion

named in almost every poll as one of the ten greatest college players of all time

Dennis Johnson

5 all star selections

1^st team all-NBA, 2^nd team all-NBA

6 times 1^st team all-defense, 3 times 2^nd team all-defense

3 times NBA champion

Paul Westphal

5 time NBA all star

3 times 1^st team all-NBA, once 2^nd team all-NBA

Tom Chambers

4 all star selections

all star MVP

twice 2^nd team all-NBA

Chambers, Dantley and Gilmore are the only eligible players with 20,000+ points not in the HOF

Jo Jo White

7 all star selections

twice 2^nd team all-NBA

twice NBA champion

Chet Walker

7 all star selections

NBA champion

Jack Sikma

7 all star selections

NBA champion

Larry Foust

8 all star selections

Rudy Tomjanovich

5 all star selections

consensus 1^st team All American in college

twice NBA champion head coach

Larry Costello

6 all star selections

2^nd team all-NBA

NBA champion head coach