NEW ORLEANS (AP) — When Manu Ginobili reflects on the odds of a kid from Argentina growing up to win four NBA titles and Olympic gold, he sounds in awe that that is in fact the story of his athletic life.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Dawn Staley is already in the Hall of Fame as a feisty, fiery point guard. She one day might make it there too, for her coaching career.
So, Staley was asked Saturday, if she was a better player or coach.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Manu Ginobili, a four-time NBA champion who spent his entire career with the San Antonio Spurs, headlines this year's group of finalists for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
LARRY BIRD
“Larry Legend” played his entire 13-year career with the Boston Celtics, and his rivalry with Los Angeles Lakers guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson catapulted the league to new heights. Bird's sharp shooting, pinpoint passing and rugged rebounding helped the Celtics win NBA titles in 1981, 1984 and 1986.
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Jay Wright left for Japan on July 2 as a two-time national champion at Villanova and winner of enough coach of the year awards and Big East titles to fill several trophy cases.
If it didn’t really sink in when he slipped to the 10th pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Paul Pierce got the message when he went home to Los Angeles to play in the All-Star Game and got booed by his hometown fans.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Herb Magee, the Hall of Famer known as “The Shot Doc” whose 1,123 career wins trail only Duke's Mike Krzyzewski among all active coaches, will retire from Jefferson University at the end of the season.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Jay Wright used to sell tickets to games in the long-defunct United States Football League. Ben Wallace was passed over by every NBA team, some of them twice. Yolanda Griffith got a job repossessing cars so she could take care of herself and her infant daughter while playing community college basketball.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Vanessa Bryant took Michael Jordan's hand and walked down from the stage, a familiar chant breaking out throughout the arena as she made her way back to her seat.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Vanessa Bryant got a private tour to see some of the newly remodeled Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, viewing the exhibit that will honor the life and legacy of her late husband before the rest of the world gets their first look.
Kobe. Timmy. KG.
The full names weren’t necessary. The first name, or even the initials, were enough. Such was the star power that Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett carried throughout their careers and still possess, all of them now five years removed from their final games as NBA greats.
This long-awaited Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement weekend will be largely about Kobe Bryant.
Of course, it won’t be solely about Bryant, nor would he have wanted it that way...