SAN ANTONIO — A pair of San Antonio hoops institutions got one step closer to basketball immortality this week as Tim Duncan and Becky Hammon were selected as finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's 2020 class.
Duncan played his entire 19-season career with the Spurs, helping the Silver and Black win five championships in 15 years while stacking up a mountain of individual accolades. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1998, an NBA All-Star 15 times and an NBA MVP twice..
Hammon, meanwhile, played seven seasons with the San Antonio Stars, and was named a WNBA All-Star in six of those years. In 2011 she was named one of the league's top 15 players of all time.
Both Duncan and Hammon continue to contribute to Alamo City basketball even after retiring from on-court play; they are both currently assistant coach's under Gregg Popovich.
"Both very deserving people for all the obvious reasons," Popovich told reporters before the Spurs-Nets game Thursday game, when he was asked his thoughts on Duncan and Hammon being nominated. "Nothing else needs to be said."
Popovich was jokingly asked if he thought Duncan will be selected for induction.
"I think a lot will have to do how he does as an assistant in these next few months," he said, drawing laughter from the media. "If the record turns around, then I'd vote for him for sure."
The Spurs were 10-16 heading into their home game against the Nets on Thursday night. San Antonio started the season 4-1, but has gone 6-15 since then.
Popovich has resisted attempts to be nominated for the Naismith Hall.
"The only name I always look for and that is Rudy Tomjanovich, because it's long overdue," Popovich said.
Tomjanovich, who coached the Houston Rockets to NBA championships in 1994 and 1995, was among the nominees for induction with the Class of 2020.
"It was great to see that his name was on that list," Popovich said. "That's the name everybody should look at."
Popovich also had plenty of good things to say about Hammon, one of the greatest players in WNBA history.
"She was, from day one, an obvious leader," he said. "She had a lot of competitiveness that just by osmosis filled whatever team she was on, whether foreign or domestic. She got along with people wonderfully, commanded respect right off the bat, no matter where she was.
"That's what I saw when I'd go see her play here. That's the first thing that hit me. 'Whoa! That person is in charge.' She's got a great head for the game and she was a great teammate, so that was all there. That was all there. And on the court she obviously played with outstanding skills and competitiveness. She had the whole package."
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