ONE AFL luminary will officially become a football legend on Tuesday night.

It was Malcolm Blight's turn in Adelaide last year, and a strong crop of Hall of Famers are lining up to be the next one promoted.

IT'S A LONG KICK Six moments that made Malcolm Blight a legend

Champion spearhead and three-time Coleman Medallist Jason Dunstall is among the contenders, after being made a Queensland Sports Hall of Fame legend in December.

But if not Dunstall, then Wayne Carey, Kevin Sheedy, Gary Ablett snr and Greg Williams also have worthy claims on 'Legend' status.

How to follow the 2018 Hall of Fame ceremony

• Watch LIVE on the Official AFL Live app from 7.45pm AEST
• Catch all the updates and best pics by following @AFL on Twitter and Instagram
• Find profiles and video specials for every inductee on AFL.com.au

How are Australian Football Hall of Famers chosen?

The Australian Football Hall of Fame recognises players, coaches, umpires, administrators and media representatives who have made significant contributions to the sport at any level.

Players are eligible once they've been retired for at least three years, while candidates from other roles are eligible only after retirement.

The committee of administrators, Hall of Famers, coaches, players and journalists, considers candidates on their record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship and character.

The number of games played, coached or umpired, or years of service, is a consideration only.

Up to six Hall of Fame members can be enshrined each year and a minimum of two must have retired within 10 years of each induction ceremony.

Eligibility is, of course, a matter for debate, AFL.com.au has taken a look at how the same process plays out in the United States' three major sports.

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

The NBA doesn't have a Hall of Fame as such.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame represents the sport across the NBA, college and internationally – and inducts players, coaches, referees and contributors.

Basketballers can achieve immortality for a stellar college career, even if they flop or are only average in the NBA.

As of December 2017, players, coaches and referees are eligible to enter the BHOF after three seasons of retirement.

Coaches must have been in charge for a minimum of 25 years and be at least 60 years old.

The 25-year benchmark also applies to referees, whereas the BHOF and its committees subjectively determine what a "significant contribution" to the game is.

Two screening committees – North American and Women's – select a maximum of 10 and four individual nominees, respectively, for the Honours Committees to review for BHOF enshrinement.

But nominees need a minimum number of affirmative votes (North American: seven of nine; Women's: five of seven) to become finalists.

There is no year limitation for a nominee to be considered, provided the nominee receives one affirmative vote or more in any given three-year period.

A nominee's candidacy is suspended for five years if they receive zero affirmative votes for three consecutive years.

There is a similar process for finalists, whose nomination is suspended for five years if the Honours Committee does not elect them for five straight years.

There are 24 voting members on the two Honours Committees – North American and Women's – and a finalist must receive at least 18 votes from the respective committees to be inducted.

The Honours Committees include Hall of Famers, basketball executives and administrators, media members and other experts. – Marc McGowan

Last season's AFL Hall of Fame inductees Brett Allen, Barry Hall, Simon Goodwin, John Halbert, Blight and Anthony Stevens

Pro Football Hall of Fame (National Football League)

Players must be retired for five full seasons before being considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Coaches and officials don't need to wait as long, but it has to be clearly apparent they are retired from full-time roles and won't be returning in any major capacity.

Most of the obvious candidates are included within two or three years of being eligible.

There is plenty of transparency, with initial lists submitted and published over the course of the year.

When the selection committee meets on 'Selection Saturday', which takes place the day before the Super Bowl, they have 15 names to consider that are known to all.

What the selection committee does at the same time is revisit all those who missed out when they were first eligible 25 years before.

Three old-timers are thrown up every year for consideration, in addition to the 15 'younger' options.

Between five and eight new inductees are announced that evening as part of the annual NFL Awards Show and they are also feted at the following day's game.

However, the formal induction doesn't take place until seven months later, on the first Saturday in August, at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

The ceremony is open to the public and preceded two nights earlier by the opening game of the NFL pre-season – and regarded as the unofficial start of the new season.

All 48 Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors are members of the media.

There is one selector from the home city of each of the NFL's 32 teams, plus 16 'at-large' members of the national NFL media.

And while the deliberations take place in-house, limited reporting of the discussions and presentations that take place during the all-day selection meeting is permitted. – Ashley Browne

National Baseball Hall of Fame (Major League Baseball)

Where the National Baseball Hall of Fame differs from its American sporting counterparts is the time limit for consideration and the fact only players are eligible.

The NBHOF amended election rules in 2014, giving those that meet the criteria a maximum of one decade to receive a spot.

Candidates that aren't inducted in this period move to a separate committee system for review in perpetuity.

Three inductees were successful once their eligibility was extended by five years.

A player must be active in the Major Leagues for at least 10 seasons and at some time during a period beginning 15 years before and ending five years prior to election.

They can be involved in other roles, such as coaching, and still be considered retired.

The sole scenario an eligible candidate's induction is hastened is in the case of the death of an active player or a player who retired less than five years earlier.

Voting is based upon a player's record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the team/s they played for.

Only active and honorary Baseball Writers' Association of America members, who were active baseball journalists for at least a decade, can vote.

They can vote for no more than 10 candidates each year, and media coverage of the process often causes controversy.

The BBWAA Screening Committee, consisting of six elected journalists, prepares an annual ballot in alphabetical order of eligible players.

It includes candidates who received a vote on at least five per cent of ballots cast the previous year or are eligible for the first time and had two Screening Committee members nominate them.

Any candidate on this list receiving votes on 75 per cent or more of ballots cast is elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. – Marc McGowan

WHO'S ALREADY IN? Find every Hall of Fame legend and inductee