Fred Dudley records an absurd triple-double with Hall of Fame nomination voting upcoming

Dudley

I need to start this article by stating that one game does not make someone a Hall of Famer, especially not a random regular season game. But what Fred Dudley did last night deserves recognition, and the timing of this performance is significant.

Dudley had one of the craziest stat lines in a five-on-five game that I’ve seen in a while, as he had a triple-double of 50 points, 28 rebounds and 11 assists in a 116-80 victory for GOATS over the Underdogs in the Gilbert Draft League.

This comes a day after the GOATS in Tempe lost their first game of the season after losing Adam Bickerstaff to an ankle injury. The GOATS in Gilbert also have Bickerstaff, but his absence was not felt in this game, as Dudley completely took over.

This dominant outburst from Dudley comes just before the Hall of Fame Committee is set to meet and come up with this year’s nominees for the Class of 2020 (which will be announced on February 24). Again, this is not the pinnacle of Dudley’s career, nor will this be the deciding factor whether or not he’s nominated for the Hall of Fame this year, but this game is the epitome of what a Hall of Famer is. One of the team’s best players is out with an injury, and Blake Nash was not in attendance either, so the GOATS only had five players. What does Dudley do with those 44 minutes? Puts up 50/28/11 and helps his team win by over 30 to stay undefeated this season.

Dudley’s contribution to X Over winning last year’s Las Vegas National Tournament, his 12 championships and his career average of 26.3 points on 51% shooting are all going to be huge factors towards his possible nomination this year. All of those significantly outweigh one game in the middle of a regular season, but this kind of night-to-night dominance is what makes him a deserving nominee, and some one who will for sure be inducted at some point.