Manu Ginobili, Tim Hardaway, Swin Cash et George Karl au Hall of Fame !

It was the big night for 13 new Hall of Famers. Last night, on the Springfield side, Manu Ginobili, Tim Hardaway, Swin Cash, George Karl and nine other elected officials had the great honor of entering the Basketball Hall of Fame. Throwback to an evening as usual filled with emotions, with speeches as we like them.

Manu Ginobili

“I’m not here because I was super special. I’m here because I was part of two of the most important teams of the 2000s: Spurs and the Argentina national team. » This is how to sum up Manu Ginobili in one sentence. A humble man who will always be associated with the San Antonio franchise and the Golden Generation of the Albiceleste. As Manu says himself, with Tim Duncan at his side on the stage and the duo Gregg Popovich – Tony Parker sitting opposite him, he had two careers in one. One with the Spurs where he won four NBA titles, and one with Argentina where he won an Olympic gold medal. Two careers necessarily very different in their development, but which each brought Manu everything he was looking for in basketball: the pleasure of playing, strong relationships with his teammates and coaches, and of course titles. However, all of this would not have been possible for Gino without his time in Italy between 1998 and 2002, his first big trip where he grew up, notably under the orders of Ettore Messina with whom he won the Euroleague under the colors of Bologna. All this would not have been possible without his dad, president of the very first club in which Manu played a stone’s throw from his home in Bahía Blanca, nor without his mom, who looked for him at school to then cook him. and take it to the local gym. So Ginobili obviously did not fail to thank them, ending his magnificent speech in Spanish – and with a few tears – to pay tribute to all of his very beautiful family. Never change Manu.

Tim Hardaway

When we think of Tim Hardaway, we think above all of Run-TMC, his killer crossover, or his association with Alonzo Mourning in Miami. But Tim Hardaway is above all a ” kid from Chicago » and his speech breathes the sometimes dark and dangerous streets of the Windy City. It’s no coincidence that Isiah Thomas and Yolanda Griffith were on stage with him, along with his former Warriors teammates Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. The former Bad Boy point guard of the Pistons is also a child of Chitown, just like Yolanda who is one of the best WNBA players in history. These big names have brought inspiration and support to Mister Hardaway in a journey that has not always been rosy. Child of divorced parents, Tim was deeply affected by the separation of his parents, he who did not think in his younger years that “couples might break up“. Fortunately his mother and father remained very present in his life. His mom to bring him tenderness and support, his dad to play the role of protector and guide him on the path of basketball. A path that will take him to the NBA thanks to the various coaches that Tim was able to rub shoulders with from his childhood in Chicago until his time at UTEP university under the orders of the legendary Don Haskins. What followed was an All-Star caliber career that started at the Warriors with coach Don Nelson, “who lied to all the NBA teams saying that my knees were screwed to be able to select me in the Draft”. From Golden State to Miami, Tim Hardaway has established himself as one of the best point guards of his generation and above all one of the greatest ankle breakers in NBA history. The Killer Crossover is now officially in the Hall of Fame.

Swin Cash

Swin Cash l’assure, “I’m probably one of only three people to have seen Bill Laimbeer shed a tear”. It was in 2004, when she suffered a ruptured knee ligament while playing for the Detroit Shock and Billou was her coach. One of the very difficult moments in her career, one of the many trials she had to go through on and off the field on her way to the Hall of Fame. As she says on stage in Springfield, being an African-American woman in the United States can quickly limit your ambitions, but Swin never wanted to accept certain rules imposed in the society where she evolved. Inspired by her mother Cynthia, Swin Cash has always held her head high, with confidence and character. To show that it is, we quote, “Perfectly comfortable in my skin and in my body, because it’s MY BODY”, a sentence that resonates enormously following the events of last June in the States concerning the right to abortion. And in all of this, basketball has often represented the means, the platform, to express oneself and quite simply to grow. So Swin Cash wanted to thank all those who accompanied him on his way. His high school coach, who knew how to bring him toughness and work ethic. Her college coach, the legendary Geno Auriemma, with whom she won two NCAA titles while dropping a perfect season (39 wins – 0 losses) in 2002 alongside Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird. Check out the dream team. Her friends Tamika Catchings and Tina Thompson, with whom she won Olympic gold, without forgetting the great Teresa Weatherspoon who today works with her in the organization of the New Orleans Pelicans. Considered one of the greatest WNBA players in history, Swin Cash won three championship titles while appearing in four All-Star Games, the kind of resume that is enough to inspire any young girl wanting to achieve a great career in the world of the orange ball. That’s good because inspiring future generations is Swintayla’s ultimate mission.

George Karl

Player then coach, passed by the famous University of North Carolina, the American minor leagues, the ABA, Europe and of course the NBA, George Karl had a busy career. So for the thanks on the Hall of Fame podium in Springfield, the former coach of the famous Sonics of the 1990s necessarily had a list as long as his arm. On this list, several big names in coaching who have inspired and guided George during his journey. The legendary Dean Smith (North Carolina), thanks to whom he had “the ultimate basketball education”, but also the second most successful coach in the history of the NBA and mentor Don Nelson, without forgetting Doug Moe or Del Harris who has also just returned to the Hall of Fame. All of these coaches helped George Karl win 1,175 games during his NBA career (sixth-highest all-time total). Just like his family – always there to support him, especially when he had to fight cancer on several occasions – and the great players he had under his command, such as a certain Gary Payton, who was present at his side at the time of his speech tonight. And then there were very singular experiences which helped to forge George Karl the coach. In particular that in CBA (Continental Basketball Association) where he learned “that coaching sometimes required becoming a psychologist”. Or the one at Real Madrid, “one of the most important moments” of his life where one of his players – Fernando Martin – tragically disappeared in a car accident at just 27 years old. All these inspirations, all these moments, all this love for basketball ended up bringing George Karl to Springfield. An honor he had never imagined when starting a career of more than three decades on the benches.

But also

And the magnificent tribute to Bill Russell

Manu Ginobili, Tim Hardaway, Swin Cash, George Karl, Lindsay Whalen, Marianne Stanley, Theresa Shank-Grentz, Bob Huggins, Hugh Evans, Lou Hudson, Larry Costello, Del Harris. The Hall of Fame was a dream for them, it is now a reality.

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