San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is delighted to share the golden moment of basketball immortality with both Tony Parker and Becky Hammon.
The trio were presented as finalists Saturday for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023, and Popovich can’t be more happy to walk towards the pantheon with them.
“They are pretty special, pretty special, in all kinds of ways,” Popovich said of Parker and Hammon, per Tom Orsborn of San Antonio Express-News. “It’s kind of fun all of us doing it at once. It’s kind of weird but kind of fun. I love them both.”
Both Parker and Hammon helped Popovich in transforming San Antonio into a world-class basketball place in sports history – testament of the franchise’s five NBA titles and sustained dominance for over two decades.
The French cager in Parker was the Spurs’ star floor general, who managed to grab six All-Star selections and other multiple accolades in the NBA. He was their 2007 NBA Finals MVP recipient upon taking down LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the title round.
Hammon, a six-time WNBA All-Star, was the promising mentee of Popovich on the Spurs sidelines for eight years. The current Las Vegas Aces tactician broke barriers in the league upon becoming the first female acting head coach in NBA history.
The Class of 2023 Enshrinement Ceremony is set to take place on Aug.12, in Springfield, Massachusetts.
