Ginobili headlines class
Spurs star, former Rockets coach Harris among those going to Springfield
Manu Ginobili made his name in the NBA through his willingness to sacrifice a starting spot for the good of his team, but the San Antonio Spurs legend deferred to no one Saturday when he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on his first ballot.
The Argentine guard, who won four titles alongside Tim Duncan and Tony Parker during an exceptional 16year run with the Spurs, will headline a 2022 class that also includes fellow NBA star Tim Hardaway Sr.; WNBA stars Swin Cash and Lindsay Whalen; NBA coaches George Karl and Del Harris; WNBA coach Marianne Stanley; NCAA coach Bob Huggins; and NBA referee Hugh Evans.
“It’s something you find out and you can’t believe it’s actually you the one being named,” Ginobili told ESPN during the televised announcement. “I never even considered this a goal. I’m thrilled, excited and very honored.”
The 2022 class was officially announced at the NCAA men’s Final Four weekend in New Orleans and will be enshrined on Sept. 10 in Springfield, Mass. This year’s group is lighter on NBA star power than the Hall of Fame’s last two classes, which featured Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett in 2020 and Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Chris Webber and Ben Wallace in 2021.
Even so, it’s fitting that the unselfish Ginobili, who started just 349 of his 1,057 career NBA games, should be rewarded as this year’s headliner. A lefty guard who perplexed defenders with his ballhandling ability, passing skills and unconventional moves, Ginobili was selected as the 57th pick in the 1999 draft but played professionally in Italy until 2002.
Known for his “Euro-step” move, where he sharply changed direction after picking up his dribble on drives to the hoop, Ginobili’s decision to embrace the Sixth Man role was crucial to San Antonio’s sustained success under Coach Gregg Popovich. With Ginobili leading the second unit and exploiting overmatched opponents, the Spurs were able to maximize his playmaking opportunities and ensure a healthy balance between their starters and bench.
The staggered approach, which saw Ginobili stay on the court to close games, became a popular model for how to manage lineups, but it cost him individual accolades and came at the expense of his statistics. Ginobili, 44, earned just two allstar selections, both in seasons when he was a full-time starter, and retired in 2018 with modest career averages of 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.Harris was with the Rockets as an assistant from 1976-79, and took over the head coaching reins from 1979-83. He led the Rockets to the 1981 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in Larry Bird’s first championship. He also coached the Bucks and Lakers, and was named the NBA Coach of the Year in 1995.
Hardaway, 55, was a fivetime all-star during a 13-year career spent largely with the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat. The scoringminded point guard from Chicago posted career averages of 17.7 points and 8.2 assists per game, and was famous for his signature “UTEP two-step” crossover, which was named after his alma mater, the University of Texas-El Paso. Hardaway teamed with Hall of Famers Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond on the up-tempo “Run-TMC” Warriors of the early 1990s and led the Heat to the 1997 Eastern Conference finals.
Following his 2003 retirement, Hardaway made a series of homophobic comments in a 2007 radio interview. Hardaway later apologized, and said in subsequent interviews that he believed his comments had negatively impacted his Hall of Fame candidacy.
Cash, 42, was one of the greatest women’s players of all time, claiming two NCAA titles at U-Conn., three WNBA championships during a 15-year career and two Olympic gold medals with USA Basketball. The 6-foot-1 forward was a four-time WNBA all-star selection, the 2002 NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and a member of the WNBA’s 25th anniversary team.
Following her 2016 retirement, Cash joined the New Orleans Pelicans’ front office as vice president of basketball operations in 2019.
The 39-year-old Whalen was a five-time all-star and four-time champion during a 15-year WNBA career with the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx.
The Minnesota native and University of Minnesota star has coached women’s basketball at her alma mater since 2018.
Former NBA players Michael Cooper and Marques Johnson were among an original group of 11 Hall of Fame finalists who didn’t earn induction to the 2022 class.