The Hall of Fame debate around Damian Lillard has taken on a sharper edge after Patrick Beverley argued that the Blazers guard is not yet deserving of Springfield.
“HELL NO… It’s too many people getting in the Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame has to be a convo of points, rebounds, assist, playoff wins, championships. How we gonna say no to D Rose who has a MVP but yes to Dame? If he gets a chip, for sure. Scoring a lot of points on ‘ok’ teams I don’t think that gets you into the hall of fame.”
Patrick Beverly says Dame Lilliard is NOT a Hall of Famer:
“HELL NO… It’s too many people getting in the Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame has to be a convo of points, rebounds, assist, playoff wins, championships. How we gonna say no to D Rose who has a MVP but yes to Dame? If he… pic.twitter.com/zhnYwOtf8w
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 25, 2026
Beverley’s stance quickly drew attention because it ran against one of the clearest markers of Lillard’s standing in the sport: he was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, a list reserved for the league’s most significant all-time players.
Charlie Villanueva was not buying Beverley’s argument. Responding to the discussion, Villanueva said:
“I hear what he is saying, he is top 75. I hear what Pat Bev is saying, but I can’t agree with it because the standard is already been made. No disrespect to fuking Tim Hardaway Sr. But he is a Hall of Famer, so he is a great fuking player fu*king phenomenal. But Dame Lillard or Tim Hardaway. It’s Dame Lillard to me. So it’s a no brainer Hall of Famer.”
Charlie Villanueva on Patrick Beverly comments saying Dame Lillard is not a Hall of Famer:
“I hear what he is saying, he is top 75. I hear what Pat Bev is saying, but I can’t agree with it because the standard is already been made. No disrespect to fu*king Tim Hardaway Sr. But… https://t.co/Tod0YdMUAi pic.twitter.com/NTm7QR6czK
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 25, 2026
The core of Villanueva’s point was simple: once the bar has already admitted players of Hardaway’s stature, leaving out Lillard becomes difficult to defend.
Beverley’s original argument centered on what he sees as missing from Lillard’s résumé. In his view, scoring and individual accolades are not enough without deeper playoff success and a championship-level track record, though he also made clear that the opinion was not personal.
Villanueva did not try to win the debate with emotion alone. He pointed to precedent. Tim Hardaway Sr. is indeed a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, and Lillard’s supporters can also point to his seven All-NBA selections, multiple All-Star appearances, and his inclusion on the NBA 75 list as evidence that his historical place has largely already been settled.
In that sense, this is less a debate about whether Lillard has had a great career than about what the Hall of Fame is supposed to reward. Beverley is arguing for a tougher standard shaped more by winning at the highest level. Villanueva is arguing that the league has already shown what its standard actually is. And if that standard includes Tim Hardaway Sr., then in Villanueva’s eyes, Damian Lillard is not a close call at all.
