Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
WATCH: Spurs' Manu Ginobili's Full Hall of Fame Speech
San Antonio Spurs legend Manu Ginobili was among the 12 new members enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Each Hall of Fame inductee chooses a presenter and for Ginobili, he chose his former Spurs teammate, Tim Duncan. The two won four championships together and were integral in forming one of the NBA's greatest ever dynasties.
Ginobili gave a heartfelt speech and a frequent theme was gratitude. He made sure to acknowledge the contributions of his teammates and coaches from every step of his journey. Between his success in the EuroLeague, with the Argentina men's national team, and with the Spurs, the list was long for those who helped him along the way.
“I don’t know, yes or no. This is strange,” Ginobili said. “I never live for individual accomplishments, as I said before, but I love having some of my former teammates, coaches, Argentinian teammates, because again it’s recognizing those two teams especially to celebrate them. The thing I always cared the most about was the teams. I’m very glad to be here and celebrating with them.”
Ginobili was known for his unselfishness during his playing career. For the Spurs, he thrived in a Sixth Man role despite being beyond qualified to be a full-time starter. Winning was the top priority and it showed.
“I felt the love,” Ginobili said. “I tried to return it every night, every game, every pregame. I think we had a symbiotic relationship. We loved each other.”
The Spurs now have two members of their dynasty inducted into the Hall of Fame with Ginobili joining Duncan. Tony Parker is first-year-eligible in 2023 to be inducted along with other former NBA stars including Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, and Pau Gasol.
Parker is considered to be a lock for a Hall of Fame nod, along with those other names. Some of the other candidates include Chauncey Billups, Shawn Marion, and Amar'e Stoudemire.
It was an incredible run for the Spurs' iconic trio and they will forever be among the iconic dynasties in NBA history. In the era of player empowerment, it will be increasingly challenging to build a group that stay together long enough to rival it.
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