Teams With the Most Hall of Famers

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the oldest and most storied franchises in American pro sports, dating all the way back to the 1940s, when they were the Syracuse Nationals. The franchise is one of just 20 across the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL with at least 19 Hall of Famers. The Nationals were perennial title contenders in the 1950s with Dolph Schayes leading Syracuse to the 1955 NBA title. After moving to Philadelphia in 1963, the 76ers have had iconic players like Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson, and Julius Erving.

The Golden State Warriors will likely soon add several players like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry to their list of Hall of Famers, but the team already has a rich history. The Warriors won two championships in 1947 and 1956, when it was still located in Philadelphia and produced multiple Hall of Famers from the earliest days of the NBA. Players like Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry led the Warriors to dominance in the 1960s and 1970s.

Recent versions of the Atlanta Hawks have struggled to find success. The only Hawks from the past 20 seasons to make the Hall of Fame were Tracy McGrady and Toni Kukoc, both of whom had only brief stints in Atlanta. In the early days of the NBA, however, the Hawks — located in Milwaukee and then St. Louis — were perennial NBA championship contenders with players like Bob Pettit and Zelmo Beaty. Even though the Hawks have been in Atlanta for over 50 years, most Hawks in the Hall of Fame are from the franchise’s first 20 seasons.

The Detroit Pistons’ greatest teams often take on the gritty, blue collar attitude of the city itself. The “Bad Boy” Pistons won consecutive titles in 1989 and 1990, featuring Hall of Famers Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars, and Isiah Thomas. Ben Wallace is the most recent Piston to carry on this tradition. The 2021 Hall of Fame inductee was a four-time Defensive Player of the Year with the Pistons, helping lead them to the 2004 NBA championship.

The New York Yankees are one of just two MLB franchises with more than 20 players in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Past Yankees like Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle are some of the most storied athletes in sports history. After closer Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous Hall of Fame selection in baseball history in 2019, Derek Jeter was named a Hall of Famer on 396 out of 397 ballots in 2020.

At least one New York Knicks player from each decade has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, starting with Harry Gallatin in the 1940s. During the Knicks heyday of the early 1970s, there were as many as six Hall of Fame players on the roster. Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Walt Frazier, Jerry Lucas, Earl Monroe, and Willis Reed helped New York win its second NBA championship in four years. Though the team has fallen on hard times lately, Carmelo Anthony will likely one day represent the 2010s Knicks in the Hall of Fame, alongside Jason Kidd who played in New York during the 2012-2013 season.

With six Super Bowl wins, the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most successful teams in the modern NFL. Much of the Steelers’ success was in the 1970s. Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris led the offense, and Jack Lambert and “Mean” Joe Greene led the defense, helping the team win four Super Bowls in six seasons. Guard Alan Faneca is the newest Steeler to earn a gold jacket. During his decade stint in Pittsburgh, Faneca made seven Pro Bowls, six All-Pro teams, and was a key piece of the Super Bowl XL champion team in 2005.

None of the 24 Hall of Fame players in Blues history could ever bring the Stanley Cup to St. Louis. The franchise won its first-ever Cup in 2019, despite having a wealth of talented players in its history. The Blues lost in the Stanley Cup finals each of their first three seasons. St. Louis was home to Hall of Fame players like Bernie Federko and Brett Hull.

The Green Bay Packers are the most successful franchises in NFL history, winning 13 championships, dating back to 1929 and the pre-Super Bowl era. Two dozen all-time great players suited up in Green Bay and helped the Packers win championships, including Don Hutson, Paul Hornung, and Reggie White. The newest Packer in Canton, Ohio is Charles Woodson. The legendary defensive back earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2009 and helped Green Bay win Super Bowl XLV the next season.

No MLB team, not even the Yankees, has more Hall of Famers than the San Francisco Giants — though most of the Giants in Cooperstown predate the franchise’s move from New York to California. Hall of Famers like Willie Mays and Mel Ott helped propel the New York Giants to championship seasons, but the Giants needed more than 50 years in San Francisco before they won their first World Series in California in 2010.

The Minneapolis Lakers won championships in five of their first six seasons and have been a force in the NBA ever since, winning 17 titles overall. The Lakers dynasties have been led by some of the greatest basketball players ever, including Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and others. Kobe Bryant became the most recent Laker to reach the Hall of Fame, when he posthumously headlined the Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2020 class.

No NFL team has more Hall of Famers than the Chicago Bears. Though the Bears have won just one Super Bowl, the franchise was dominant in the early days of the NFL, particularly the 1930s and 1940s. Link Lyman, Bronko Nagurski, and other Bears from that era are among the most revered players in football history. Two former players were inducted as members of the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class — Jimbo Covert, the Bears’ left tackle from the 1980s, and Ed Sprinkle, an All-Pro end from the 1940s and 1950s.

Since forming in 1993, the Ottawa Senators have only had one Hall of Fame player, Dominik Hasek, on their roster. But before the 58-season hiatus, the Senators were the class of the NHL, winning four championships from 1920 to 1927. Those early Senators teams are responsible for almost all of the Ottawa Hall of Famers — including legends like Art Ross, King Clancy, and Georges Boucher.

The Boston Celtics had the most dominant stretch in American pro sports history, winning 11 championships in 13 seasons, starting with the 1956-1957 season. That season, the Celtics had seven different Hall of Fame players on their roster, including Bob Cousy and Bill Russell. In total, Boston won 17 NBA titles and 37 of the team’s players have been voted into the Hall of Fame. Most recently, Paul Pierce joined Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the Hall of Fame. Those “Big Three” players led the Celtics to their most recent title in 2008.

As one of the Original Six NHL teams, the Chicago Blackhawks are one of the oldest continuously-operating NHL franchises. Despite facing off against just five other teams during the Original Six era (1942-1967), the Blackhawks won just one Stanley Cup during that 25-year stretch and had fewer Hall of Fame inductees than the rest of the Original Six teams. Since then, more Blackhawks have been selected to the Hall of Fame. In 2020, Doug Wilson, a three-time All-Star defenseman from the 1980s, made the Hall of Fame as did Marian Hossa, who won three Cups with Chicago in 2010, 2013, and 2015.

The Boston Bruins are one of just five pro sports franchises with more than 50 Hall of Famers that have suited up for them. The team has had two of the greatest hockey players of all time in Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque. Orr, despite being a defenseman, was one of the greatest scorers ever. Bourque played 21 seasons for the Bruins and made 18 All-Star teams in that time. Other Bruins legends like Phil Esposito and Eddie Shore helped the team win six Stanley Cups in their history.

The New York Rangers narrowly edged out their rivals, the Boston Bruins, with 55 Hall of Famers. The team has struggled to find success since the 1994 Stanley Cup win, but it has often had at least one great player on its roster. Notable Ranger legends in the Hockey Hall of Fame include greats like Ed Giacomin and Brian Leetch.

No hockey team has won as many championships as the Montreal Canadiens. In 104 seasons, the Habs have won 25 titles — a mark no other hockey team can even come close to. Montreal won 15 Stanley Cups in 24 seasons starting in 1955, led by Hall of Fame players like Jacques Plante, Rocket Richard, and Jean Beliveau.

The Detroit Red Wings had more than 40 years of failure from the mid 1950s to the mid 1990s bookended by two impressive dynastiest. Detroit won the Stanley Cup in 1950, 1952, 1954, and 1955. They didn’t win again until their back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998. The 1950s Red Wings were led by Hall of Famers like captain Sid Abel and Mr. Hockey himself, Gordie Howe. Many of the late 1990s Red Wings have also been inducted, including Igor Larionov, Steve Yzerman, and Nicklas Lidstrom — a four-time Cup winner with Detroit.

Source: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

1. Toronto Maple Leafs
> Total Hall of Fame players: 65
> League: NHL
> Notable players: Turk Broda, Darryl Sittler

No team in pro sports has had more members inducted into the Hall of Fame than the Toronto Maple Leafs. After more than a century of play, Toronto has 13 championships and 65 Hall of Famers. The franchise was especially great in the 1940s and 1960s, when players like Turk Broda, Syl Apps, Harry Watson, and Tim Horton dominated the ice. The first half of the Maple Leafs’ history is especially impressive compared to the second half. Toronto hasn’t won a championship since 1967 — and the flow of Hall of Fame players has decreased dramatically.