Who Will Be The First Fake Player In The Hall of Fame?

[garbageman]

The 2015 PBSL season brought with it our first wave of computer generated players. It was the beginning of a new era, and it was the only year where we didn't allow GMs to rename their players to something utterly stupid. Oh, those were the days. Make PBSL Great Again and all that jazz.

In any case, there currently aren't any fake draft file era players in the Hall of Fame, and since the 2015 draft class is starting to get up there in years, let's take a look back at some of the standouts from the inaugural fake draft file class and see what they did with their careers, and whether or not they have what it takes to be in the PBSL Hall of Fame.

Damion McNary

DRAFTED: #4 by the Charlotte Bobcats
AGE: 34
CURRENT TEAM: Utah Jazz

Coming out of the Air Force, Damion McNary looked to be a fierce, athletic prospect in the paint on both ends of the basketball. He came into the league incredibly raw at 19 years old and really started his meteoric rise once he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2017 offseason. He won most improved player that season, but once he was on his second contract, he really started to shine. In 2019, he made his first all star game, and his PPG jumped from 13.7 to 23.5. It was the only year he made an all league team (and that was only third team), and despite that, it wasn't his peak. From 2022-2026, he made 4 all star teams as the centerpiece of the New Orleans Pelicans, where he was consistently a 20/10 player (or at the very least, a 19/9 player). Though his best days are behind him, he still plays about 18 minutes a game as a backup big on the playoff-bound Utah Jazz. While his scoring isn't as potent, he still gets his share of rebounds, his defense remains tenacious, and his leadership is a big part of what makes them a winning team.

WILL HE MAKE THE HALL OF FAME: I guess that he will be nominated, but not voted in. Despite 5 all-star appearances throughout his career, McNary has never won a ring, and only made one all-league team.


Phil Milburn

DRAFTED: #11 by the New Orleans Pelicans
AGE: 33
CURRENT TEAM: New York Knicks

Phil Milburn definitely exceeded the expectations for his career on draft day. At just 17 years old on draft day, he looked to be a rebounding specialist with very poor stamina, and was traded 3 times on his rookie contract where he showed flashes of scoring efficiency towards the end of that contract. In RFA before 2019, Milburn was given a hefty max contract by the Charlotte Bobcats, who invested heavily in him not only in terms of salary, but in terms of focusing on training him (it's no wonder the Bobcats landed in tax hell for the following 8 seasons). His peak saw him notch 7 seasons where he scored above 20 points per game, notching 24.4 in 2020, his first of three all-star appearances. He currently plays for the New York Knicks and is still putting up about 16 points per game. Since he got drafted so young, he's probably got a few more seasons left in the tank, but his case for the hall of fame has already been stated.

WILL HE MAKE THE HALL OF FAME: No. But at least he got paid handsomely throughout his career.


Gustave Lecroix

DRAFTED: #1 by the Los Angeles Lakers
AGE: 35
CURRENT TEAM: Utah Jazz

The first ever pick of the fake-player era, Gustave Lecroix projected to be an athletic beast with a focus on putting the ball in the basket. He was such an intriguing looking prospect that Tray didn't even auto-pick him. He hit the ground running, starting most of his games that season, becoming an everyday starter very early on in his career. He averaged over 10 points per game every year of his career until last season, where he only played a limited role for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Like McNary, he has a single all-league third team nod. Like Milburn, he was an all star 3 times. Unlike either one of them, he won a championship (with the Denver Nuggets in 2028, although he was not more than a role player by that point, providing scoring off the bench). His scoring ceiling was 23.4 points per game in one of his last campaigns with the Lakers in 2023, and perhaps his career would've been greater if he was on a more actively managed team, but alas. He's a teammate of Damion McNary's on the Utah Jazz, another leadership voice in the locker room, but not much more than that.

WILL HE MAKE THE HALL OF FAME: No. A year shy of being 12 years a Laker, his career might have been brighter if his peak was on a different team. Still not a bad career, and he could get more votes than either of the previous two entries by virtue of kicking off a new era as the #1 draft pick, but over his career, I'd say McNary was a much more mentioned and celebrated player.


Buddy Pedraza

DRAFTED: #7 by the New Jersey Nets
AGE: 37
CURRENT TEAM: Retired

Buddy Pedraza made such a blast in his rookie season that I had to double-check to make sure he wasn't rookie of the year, and I still am not sure I believe it (though the winner's coming up soon). In his rookie campaign with the Nets, Pedraza notched 19.2 PPG and then at least 20 points in every subsequent season with Brooklyn. At the 7th pick, Pedraza projected as an excellent inside scorer, and a hearty defender, but with only average rebounding skills (which he got better at) and an incredible deficiency in blocking shots (which was never rectified). Nonetheless, his scoring prowess (sometimes upwards of 25 PPG) notched him 6 all star appearances, three selections to the all-league third team, and a selection to the all-league second team in 2021 (the last season he was selected). His career started to slowly decline from there, and in his final campaign last season with the Bobcats, he called it quits just in time to maintain a 20.3 career PPG stat.

WILL HE MAKE THE HALL OF FAME: So far, I'd say he's the most likely candidate, though he never won a ring, so I'd say a maybe would be generous.


Van Grimaldi

DRAFTED: #5 by the Philadelphia 76ers
AGE: 34
CURRENT TEAM: Indiana Pacers

The first piece of a 76ers core that included Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, Grimaldi has a reputation for a fearless scorer--more specifically, a sharpshooter from behind the arc. Grimaldi didn't come out of college with that three point shooting reputation, but the 76ers system made that a priority for him to focus on throughout his PBSL career, and it paid off with a three point shooting championship and a career .366 clip behind the arc--pretty impressive considering that in his first 6 seasons, he averaged about .100 below that. The Grim Reaper's notched 5 all-star game appearances and one all-league second team in 2025. Despite playing on stacked teams, Grimaldi still doesn't have a ring, though the Pacers are division leaders with Grimaldi seeing significant minutes off the bench. Playing with Simmons and Fultz was still probably his best shot, although without them, his individual numbers would probably look better.

WILL HE MAKE THE HALL OF FAME: So far on this list, he's not the worthiest, nor is he the least worthy. Still, probably not.


Chet Dooley

DRAFTED: #6 by the New York Knicks
AGE: 38 (Happy Belated Birthday!)
CURRENT TEAM: Retired after being released by the Denver Nuggets

The post-draft-file era, save for the year of Joffrey Baratheon, Stephen Keitt, Tyler Ulis, DSJ, and probably a couple players I'm forgetting, has seen a dearth of traditional PGs. Chet Dooley was the only PG of this draft who became a true playmaker at point in the traditional sense. Dooley was a solid all-around player and great floor general, even if any individual number never reached record levels. He never averaged more than 17.5 points a game, but you could count on him to ALMOST hit 10 assists per game in his prime (though he never did maintain double digits). In addition to his passing prowess, his defense was on point, making 5 All-Defensive First Teams and 2 Second Teams. He made the All-League Third Team once and won a championship, both in his tenure with the New York Knicks in his second Big Apple stint (remember when Inner_GI depantsed whatever schmuck was in charge of the Clippers for John Wall and 10 points? Pepperidge Farms Remembers!).

WILL HE MAKE THE HALL OF FAME: The All-Defensive Selections and the championship bolster the argument for me, but that he won a championship for Dr. Kavarga gets him negative points.


Daniel Randle

DRAFTED: #19 by the Atlanta Hawks
AGE: 37
CURRENT TEAM: Retired last season after being released by the Los Angeles Clippers

Daniel Randle might be one of Wig's most beloved players. A project player at pick 19 that blew up, Randle stood out for his incredible blocking ability, which even at 6'4, allowed Randle to play PF and SF in weird playoff matchups, despite his natural position being at the two guard. Randle was a great player from the onset, starting all 82 games as a rookie and putting in 18.2 points per game, earning him rookie of the year (although now that I look at his stats, I'd still lean Buddy). Randle spent most of his career in Atlanta, although without Wig notching another championship in the post-real-draft-file era, Randle doesn't have one either. Since leaving the Hawks, Randle had a couple of one year stints on teams, but nothing that really added to his career. In addition to his ROY honors, he made 2 all star teams, one all-league second team, one all-league third team, one all-defensive first team, 4 all-defensive second teams, and was selected as the 6th man of the year in 2024, his final year as a Hawk.

WILL HE MAKE THE HALL OF FAME: His list of accolades is as versatile as his skillset. It'd be interesting to put it to a vote, but I think the only way he gets in is if Wig sabotages the simputer until he does.


Jeffery Duren

DRAFTED: #2 by the Sacramento Kings
AGE: 35
CURRENT TEAM: Denver Nuggets

Since coming into the league as Jeffrey Duren, a brief name-change to Snek Duren when he left the Kings for the Nuggets in free agency, saw a clerical error rename him Jeffery. He rolled with it, and it brought him outstanding success in PBSL. With hindsight, Duren was undoubtedly the jewel of the 2015 draft (though if he were selected 1st, would a career in LA might have stifled his greatness due to an unfortunate insurance mishap). Duren easily outdoes the rest of the field in terms of accolades. He has 7 all-star appearances, 3 selections to both the All-League First Team and All-League Second Team (and one to the Third Team). He's won the dunk contest AND the three point contest (twice). He was league MVP in an era overlapped with an era where only Anthony Davis was league MVP. Most importantly, he won three rings, and he was the Finals MVP every time.

WILL HE MAKE THE HALL OF FAME: O HELL YA. It's hard to argue any player from the fake-draft-file era is better than Jeffery Duren. Not even Jeffrey Duren.



Harland Ellinger

DRAFTED: #3 by the Orlando Magic
AGE: 34
CURRENT TEAM: Utah Jazz

Well, we didn't save the best for last, but Harland Ellinger has had quite the career, and maybe he'll be a shoo-in for the hall of fame? We'll see. He's been to the all-star game as much as Duren (7 times). He's also made multiple all-league first teams (well, twice) and two more third teams (though never a first team). Beyond that, he doesn't have the rest of Duren's accolades, and defense was never Ellinger's forte, but he did lead the league in assists in 2027 (scratch what I said about Dooley being the only traditional PG. Ellinger was a traditional PG and a traditional SG all in one, and he excelled at both), and he averaged a double double 7 times in his career. He's currently the third stud from this draft class on the Utah Jazz, and one of the only players from the 2015 draft who's still an everyday starter (he's scoring 13.4 points and dishing out 6.9 dimes for the Jazz this season). With Lecroix and McNary, that would've been one hell of a core in 2024.

WILL HE MAKE THE HALL OF FAME: I'd say Ellinger has the 2nd best shot. He averaged 27.6 points and 10.5 assists per game in 2026 (albeit with a depleted Warriors team...still, who'd he pass to?). Aside from Duren, he has the best individual numbers, and he's been recognized for it with all-league and all-star selections.

[kucoach7]

Great article

[digiskunk]

excellent work

[garbageman]

Thanks guys

[false9]

Good stuff.

2201 words= 7 points