New York: Manu Ginobili, who won four NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs and 2004 Olympic gold with Argentina, was among 11 finalists named Friday for the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Ginobili spent his entire 16-year NBA career with the Spurs and together with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker made San Antonio one of the most dominant NBA teams of the early 2000s.
He also won a Euroleague title in 2001 with Virtus Bologna, being named the finals Most Valuable Player.
Former NBA stars Michael Cooper, a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, and five-time NBA All-Stars Tim Hardaway and Marques Johnson were also among finalists for the Class of 2022 named by the women’s and North American committees.
Those to be inducted this year will be revealed April 2 at New Orleans at the US college basketball finals.
Enshrinement will take place at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, on September 9-10.
Women’s finalists included four-time Women’s NBA champion Lindsay Whalen and three-time WNBA champion Swin Cash, who each won two Olympic gold medals.
Other finalists included 28-year NBA referee Hugh Evans and coaches Leta Andrews, Marianne Stanley, Bob Huggins and George Karl, who was the 2013 NBA Coach of the Year and won 1,175 games in 27 league seasons.