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Impossible Questions: Three Guys in the Same Boat (Answered!)

February 12, 2015

Have you guessed the answer? Keep reading to see if you nailed it.

Who are Calvin Murphy, Dan Issel, and Bill Bradley, and what weird accomplishment do they have in common?

They’re the only three members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to have only been selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game once. It seems weird to have had careers worthy of inclusion in pro basketball’s hall of fame with only one truly standout year, but these three guys all did it.

  • Calvin Murphy was drafted by the San Diego Rockets in 1970 after a standout college career at Niagara. He was named to the All-Rookie Team in 1971, and led the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981. His one and only All-Star Game appearance game in 1979. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1993, and at five-foot-nine, he’s the shortest player to receive the honor.
  • Dan Issel had a stellar basketball career…in the American Basketball Association, the ‘70s-era competitor to the NBA that merged with its rival in 1976. Issel was an ABA Rookie of the Year, ABA Finals winner with the Kentucky Colonels, and six-time ABA all-star. When the NBA swallowed the ABA, Issel went to play for the Denver Nuggets, and made the NBA All-Star team in 1977. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1993.
  • Bill Bradley was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1965 and led the team to two NBA titles. Over a 12-year career he averaged 12.4 points per game. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983, not just for his pro career, but also because he was one of the best college players of all time, setting Ivy League scoring records at Princeton that still stand. (He also served as a U.S. senator and ran for president in 2000.)

Need more impossible questions? Check out Uncle John’s Impossible Questions.