Spurs' dynastic imprint all over Hall of Fame class of 2023 – NBA.com

The ripples of 5 championships extended from San Antonio throughout the NBA and, now, all the way to the Hall of Fame.
Shaun Powell
Gregg Popovich and the Spurs are synonymous with excellence and, now, the Hall of Fame.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — It has taken roughly a quarter-century of hammering and nailing — which makes it unofficially the longest home improvement project in history — but the newest expansion to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is finally scheduled for completion right around midnight Saturday:
The San Antonio Spurs Wing will be almost as big as Texas.
It will, of course, reflect the five titles and constant success of the Spurs dynasty which began in the late 1990s and lasted well over a decade. The result of those teams and championships meant the Spurs would someday be well represented in the Hall; for the third straight year, the organization will be front and center at the ceremony here Saturday.
Actually, there was a big fear of this process taking even longer, all because of Gregg Popovich. The selection committee tried to get the legendary Spurs coach to agree to be admitted multiple times in the past, and multiple times the request was denied.
There was a reason for that, though.
“He wanted to make sure his guys were in first,” said Jerry Colangelo, the chairman of the Hall. “He didn’t want to jump the gun. That’s totally unselfish on his part, but I’m glad he decided this was going to be it.”
And so, with Tony Parker making the cut this year, the time was right. Parker follows Tim Duncan (2021) and Manu Ginobili (2022) and will (river)walk into the Hall with Popovich, marking the first time a coach and his player are inducted together.
The Naismith Class of 2023, one of the deepest and most impressive in recent years, goes far beyond one team, of course. And yet, there are Spurs connections with most of the other 2023 inductees.
Though Becky Hammon is being inducted as a WNBA legend, she is also known for her impact as a Spurs assistant coach for eight years.
Pau Gasol was drafted by the Grizzlies and made his name with the Lakers where he won championships, but he played 168 games over three seasons in San Antonio because “it was the right fit for me at that time of my career.” Not only did Gasol label his time with the Spurs as invaluable, he became a big supporter of Hammon and made a public push for her to become the NBA’s first female head coach.
“There’s a strong Spurs imprint with this class,” Gasol said. “It’s hard not to see that. I’m just glad to have been a part of it.”
Dirk Nowitzki, unlike Gasol, spent his entire NBA career with one team — 21 with the Mavericks. There’s no San Antonio on his playing resume, but there are plenty of tears caused by the Spurs in his past.
“I am not going to lie, I used to hate the Spurs just every year,” Nowitzki said. “They were so good for so long, beating us up. They were the big brother until we had a breakthrough against them in ’06.”
The Spurs and Nowitzki put aside all hard feelings on his final visit to San Antonio during his last season, when the club gave him a classy farewell. That stuck with Nowitzki and he made sure to mention it Friday, on the eve of the induction.
“Seriously, I have nothing but respect for Coach Pop and the whole team with the tribute video,” he said. “We had incredible battles at the highest stage but we always respected each other.”
Look back at some of the best Finals moments from Tony Parker with the Spurs.
The same bittersweet Spurs experience goes for Dwyane Wade, sort of. He and the Heat beat the Spurs for one championship in 2013 lost to them in the very next year. So at least that’s a split.
Winning eras produce multiple Hall of Famers, and in that sense the Spurs are following those great Celtics teams of the 1960s and the Showtime Lakers. San Antonio essentially had a chokehold on the NBA at the turn of the century. From 1999 to 2007 the Spurs won a championship on average almost every two years.
Popovich was the one constant in all five, the winningest coach in NBA history and at age 74 is still on the job long after his greatest players have retired.
“We can’t get rid of him,” cracked Parker.
Popovich gave four reasons for that — “money, money, money, money” — which is only partly true. The challenge and the competition still move him, still motivate him. That, and the priceless relationships he strengthens and still forms.
“It’s beyond basketball,” he said. “I think that’s what sustains us as we move through life. I don’t go to bed thinking about 3-point shots. I go to bed hoping the players are doing well in their lives. That’s what matters to me.”
He had glowing words for Hammon, who’s coaching the Las Vegas Aces — she missed the Friday press conference as a result — and will arrive in time for Saturday’s ceremony.
“I’m in love with her,” Popovich said. “I just got to admit that to the world. She’s a fiery, competitive, take-no-prisoners gal. I remember when I first saw her play, she reminded me of my youth, a wise ass on the court, just ruled the whole gym, just amazing. Plus she drinks wine and has a great sense of humor. That’s a hat trick.”
As for his thoughts on Parker?
“He came into the gym for a workout when he was 19. I hated him. Said he’s a weenie. He’s not aggressive. Doesn’t like contact.”
After a second workout, Popovich had an abrupt change of heart.
“I gave him the ball and said, ‘You’re in charge.’ The rest is history. He’s in the Hall of Fame. He was a great student, highly intelligent.”
The Saturday ceremony will amplify the work done by international players, with Nowitzki, Gasol and Parker being part of the “second wave” of internationals, the group that produced superstars and destroyed myths and stereotypes. Now there are international players who are winning league MVPs and winning championships.
“The game has grown so much,” said Gasol. “We can be very proud of having taken the international game to a higher level and proud to see the players after us take it to the next level. It’s remarkable, something that was unthinkable not too long ago.”
Also, Nowitzki and Wade put aside their nit-picking hard feelings caused by a pair of championship rounds — they split one title each. Things were said in the heat of battle, but not forgotten as they walk into Springfield together.
“We’ve had a chance to bond over the last few weeks,” said Nowitzki. “There were frosty times between us, but now appreciation and respect. We’ve had some great talks and most of the stuff we were fighting over its kind of over and done with.”
Yes, the Class of 2023 is groundbreaking for that. But the real groundbreaking will be for the Spurs Wing, representing one of the league’s great dynasties, and the next addition may not happen until it’s time to crown the Stephen Curry Warriors years from now.
Until then, Parker explains how the Spurs did it.
“This shows we had a special group and we were built different. We wanted to win and never let our ego go above the team. The success of the Spurs over the years and the longevity, me Timmy and Manu we were on the same page. We wanted to win every year. We had some great teammates who came along. And it just started with Pop. He was the leader and very, very tough but at the end of the day we took to his coaching. Year after year we were never satisfied.”
And so, finally, after Parker received the call from the Hall, Popovich decided it was time for him, too. And on Saturday, there will be a strategic shuffling of the induction order.
“Tony Parker goes in front of Pop,” said Colangelo. “Pop follows him behind the card. He would’ve gone into the Hall years ago on merit, but he wanted his guys in first. And this goes right along with that.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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Tony Parker’s toughness, resilience and drive to improve propelled the point guard to new heights never reached by a French player in the NBA. 
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