Players Now Eligible for Hall of Fame Faster

Basketball players will now be eligible for the Hall of Fame four years after they retire, which creates the potential for Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming to headline a powerful class of 2016.

This is one of the new rules for the Springfield, Massachusetts, shrine. The previous requirement was that a player be retired for five full seasons. Because of the enshrinement calendar, that meant players would be out of the game for six years before they could be inducted.

Source: The Associated Press