Basketball Hall of Fame Reportedly Changing Eligibility Timeline

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is reportedly making a small but important change to its eligibility rules, reducing the post-retirement wait time from five to four years.  

An official announcement is expected this week, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The move is largely being done to streamline the entire process into a five-year window. As it stands, a first-ballot Hall of Famer typically waits six years between his retirement, election and enshrinement. The new rule will allow players to become eligible for enshrinement after five years rather than waiting five NBA seasons.

A five-year timeline is the standard operating procedure for most U.S. sports Halls of Fame. While it's a largely self-explanatory process for baseball and football, hockey and basketball have to create more detailed rules because of their respective seasons.

"On the merits, I’m pretty neutral on this change. Four, five, six years after retirement for enshrinement—it’s all arbitrary," Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com wrote. "For what it’s worth, the Baseball Hall of Fame —with what’s known as a five-year waiting period—actually inducts first-ballot players six years after they retire. The process takes time."

This is a change that is unlikely to be noticed by most casual fans but will have an instant impact. As noted by Cooper-Howard, the change will potentially create a historically great class of 2016. Whereas Allen Iverson was the only shoe-in under the previous rules, Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming will now become eligible for election.

Iverson and O'Neal are likely first-ballot locks, each turning in iconic careers that made them among the most famous athletes on the planet in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Iverson was an All-Star 11 times, made seven All-NBA teams and was the NBA's first major cultural icon of the post-Jordan era. While his gunner tactics may not translate to the current brand of high-efficiency basketball, few would argue against his indelible impact.

O'Neal is simply one of the most dominant big men in basketball history. He was a 15-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA selection, four-time champion and one-time MVP. His arrival brought glory back to the Los Angeles Lakers, and he also helped Dwyane Wade develop into a foundational superstar in Miami.

While O'Neal and Iverson were both important, one could argue neither accomplished what Yao did for making the NBA an international phenomenon. His overall resume (eight All-Stars, five All-NBAs) pales in comparison, and his career was cut short due to chronic injuries, but the NBA is nowhere near as popular in China as it is today without his presence.

If we assume Chris Webber finally gets his Hall of Fame due, the 2016 class could rank among or at the best of all time. It just goes to show how much of a difference a subtle shift in timelines can make. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.