SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs were well-represented on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team with Tim Duncan, David Robinson, and George Gervin named.
But many felt the Spurs had a pair of players who were worthy of the honor: Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
And you can count head coach Gregg Popovich among those who believe the future Basketball Hall of Famers should've been listed.
"I wish they would have but I'm sure there are people who think other people should be on it and some people shouldn't be on it and all that sort of thing," Popovich said to the media ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Lakers.
The Spurs legends have a strong case they were snubbed.
Parker is only one of three international players to ever win the NBA Finals MVP, a three-time NBA champion and a six-time All-Star.
He played 1,151 regular-season games and averaged 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game. He also played in 226 playoff games, averaging 17.9 points and 5.1 assists per game.
"With those sorts of polls, that's always going to happen," Popovich said. "It makes no sense to dive into that and open a bucket of worms."
Diving into an argument for Ginobili's case is easy to do.
In 16 seasons with the Spurs, he captured four NBA championships while posting a career winning percentage of .721, which is the best winning percentage in NBA history among players who have appeared in at least 1,000 games.
Ginobili was named to the All-NBA Third Team in both 2008 and 2011 and was a two-time All-Star (2005 and 2011). The 2008 NBA Sixth Man of the Year is the first sixth man, as well as the first South American, to earn All-NBA honors.
Popovich was a voter for those who made the squad. A task he admits he did not enjoy having to pick and choose who makes the squad.
But as Parker and Ginobili's former coach, he saw first hand what they meant to the NBA, the mark they left on the league, and the Spurs franchise.
So it is not surprising he wanted to see their names revealed.
"It would be disingenuous if I said I didn't care," Popovich said. "I would have loved to have seen them on that team."
Their NBA resumes speak loudly they may have been snubbed and "Silver and Black" fans across the globe would agree.
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