Meet the 2018 Class of Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

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Thirteen new members joined the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday: Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Grant Hill, Maurice Cheeks, Rick Welts, Tina Thompson, Katie Smith, Rod Thorn, Charlie Scott, Dino Radja, Ora Mae Washington and Lefty Driesell.

This is the first group of Hall of Fame inductees benefiting from the modifications to the enshrinement process. On December 19, 2017, John L. Doleva, president and CEO of the organization announced that all players, referees and coaches will be eligible candidates after three instead of five seasons of their retirement.

The following are four of the most well-known names from the 2018 Class:

Grant Hill, the 'next Michael Jordan'

Grant Hill delivers a speech at his Enshrinement of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. /VCG Photo

Selected with the third pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 1994 NBA Draft, Hill was something else when he entered the league. He changed people's impressions of the Pistons: There was no punching, elbowing, dangerous fouls or trash talk in his play. He sported a charming smile, and most importantly, he could play in the air.

Hill had the quickest first step which enabled him to cut into the rivals' defense whenever and wherever he wanted before finishing with scoring or creating an opportunity for his teammates. The unfortunate, constant injuries during the first half of his career did not break Hill who was resurrected in the Phoenix Suns by contributing in a not so prominent yet important way.

Facts about Grant Hill:

Grant Hill is seen as the "next Michael Jordan". /VCG Photo

He won two NCAA champions for Duke University, NBA Rookie of the Year in 1995 and became the first rookie in the league's history to lead fan voting of NBA All-Star in the 1994-95 season with 1,289,585 votes, beating Shaquille O'Neal. This was not even that insane because a year later, the 23-year-old young man beat Michael Jordan who came back from baseball in All-Star fan voting.

Jason Kidd, yes, he can shoot

Jason Kidd delivers a speech at his Enshrinement of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. /VCG Photo

It's an interesting but reasonable coincidence that Kidd and Hill were enshrined in the same class of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. They were both selected in the 1994 NBA Draft-Kidd by the Dallas Mavericks with the second overall pick. They shared Rookie of the Year in their first season, and they both played 19 seasons in NBA.

Meanwhile, Kidd is a different case compared to Hill. The 1.93-meter point guard has rarely missed games in his career. He has never been known for flying, dunking or any play related to athleticism but seen by everyone as a man able to change a team completely. Kidd joined the Nets in 2001 and led the team that won only 26 games a year ago into the NBA Finals in the next two seasons. He returned to the Mavericks in 2008 and three years later helped Dirk Nowitzki win their first ring.

Facts about Jason Kidd:

Jason Kidd is one of the best point guards in NBA history. /VCG Photo

He has delivered 12,091 assists in his career, ranking No.2 in NBA history, only after John Stockton. He has made 1,988 three-point shoots, ranking ninth among all NBA players, after Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Miller and Manu Ginobily.

Steve Nash, everybody loves Nash

Steve Nash delivers a speech at his Enshrinement of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. /VCG Photo

Selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 15th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, Nash did not get too much time in the court before he was sent to Dallas where he met Nowitzki and head coach Don Nelson. That's when Nash became known by the league but by then, he was only a good guard and nothing more. In 2004 summer, as a free agent, he came back to Phoenix.

At the age of 30, Nash finally started to create his own miracle. Together with head coach Mike D'Antoni, Nash led the Suns to sweep NBA with Run and Gun of SSOL (seven seconds or less). He shot, passed, sent his teammates (back) to NBA All-Star and left two 60-win seasons for Phoenix. Nash himself was rewarded with two consecutive NBA MVPs in 2005 and 2006.

Facts about Steve Nash

Steve Nash #13 made the Phoenix Suns one of the best teams in NBA from 2005 to 2007. /VCG Photo

Having defended his MVP title in 2006, he became the second point guard to do that in NBA history, after Magic Johnson. He is one of the league's only five players who have delivered over 10,000 assists and ranks the third with 10,335. He achieved 50-40-90 (respectively for field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage) four times, more than Marc Price, Reggie Miller, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Larry Bird.

Ray Allen, a perfectionist obsessed with discipline

Ray Allen delivers a speech at his Enshrinement of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. /VCG Photo

Back in 1996 before the NBA Draft, Allen of the University of the Connecticut was considered one of three best guards in college basketball of the US, together with Stephon Marbury from Georgia Tech and Allen Iverson from Georgetown University. Then he was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick and traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Having grown up as NBA's best shooter (before Stephen Curry) in the Bucks and the Seattle Supersonics (today's Oklahoma City Thunders), Allen received his first Final Championship in 2008 when he, Kevin Garnet and Paul Pierce made the "Big 3" at the Boston Celtics. Five years later, he won his second ring in the Miami Heat. If there's one thing similar between the two cases, it's the fact that Allen has made three-points that decided the series.

Facts about Ray Allen

Ray Allen's last-second three-point in Game 6 of the 2012-13 NBA Finals took the trophy away from the San Antonio Spurs. /VCG Photo

He has made 2,973 three-pointers in his career, ranking No.1 in the league's history. He can do a lot more than shooting and that's why he was chosen by Michael Jordan for AJ sneakers. Though having been known as a real gentleman, Allen is a man of pride which can be seen from what he said in his announcement of retirement:

"You’ll put up more than 26,000 shots in your career. Almost six out of 10 won’t even go in. Don’t worry, though. A successful man is built of 1,000 failures. Or in your case, 14,000 misses…I know you want me to let you in on some big secret to success in the NBA. The secret is there is no secret. It’s just boring old habits…Most people will never really get to know the real you. But they’ll know your work."

(Top picture: Left to right: Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Ray Allen /VCG Photo)