Ginobili, Hardaway and Karl among ’ 22 Hall of Fame class

NEW ORLEANS » When Manu Ginobili reflects on the odds of a kid from Argentina growing up to win four NBA titles and Olympic gold, he sounds in awe that is in fact the story of his athletic life.

“It’s one in tens of millions,” Ginobili said on Saturday after an official announcement that he has now also been indicted into the Hall of Fame. “The odds are very, very slim and it just happened to me. I don’t know what happened, but I was the one.

“I happen to be an important part of two very iconic teams of those couple decades of both FIBA and with the NBA. Incredibly lucky and fortunate to be a part of those two.”

He spent his entire 16year NBA career with San Antonio. Ginobili, five- time All- Star Tim Hardaway and decorated former Nuggets coach George Karl were the household NBA names in the 2022 class of Basketball Hall of Fame inductees announced at the site of the NCAA Final Four.

Also selected this year were former WNBA champion and two- time college national champion Swin Cash; longtime college coach Bob Huggins, WNBA champion and two- time Olympic Gold Medalist Lindsay Whalen; NCAA national championship coach and former WNBA Coach of the Year Marianne Stanley, and former NBA official Hugh Evans.

The class will be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., on Sept. 10.

Hardaway played 15 NBA seasons from 1989 to 2003 with Golden State, Miami, Dallas, Denver and Indiana.

Karl played in the NBA for five seasons in San Antonio before coaching for 27 years, during which he won 1,175 games — placing him sixth all- time. He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2013.