Ginobili, Karl, Whalen among finalists for 2022 Hall of Fame class
Former San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, retired NBA head coach George Karl, and four-time WNBA champion Lindsay Whalen are among 11 finalists for the Class of 2022, the Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday.
The three were joined by eight other high-profile names in basketball on the shortlist of those seeking enshrinement later this year:
- Manu Ginobili
- Marques Johnson
- Tim Hardaway
- Michael Cooper
- George Karl (coach)
- Lindsay Whalen
- Swin Cash
- Bob Huggins (coach)
- Marianne Stanley (coach)
- Leta Andrews (coach)
- Hugh Evans (referee)
Johnson, Hardaway, Cooper, Stanley, and Andrews were also finalists in 2021.
Ginobili spent all 16 years of his NBA career in San Antonio, winning four championships. He also medaled twice with Argentina at the Olympics, winning gold in 2004 before claiming bronze in 2008.
Karl carved out a 32-year as an NBA head coach from 1984 to 2016. He took the 1996 Seattle SuperSonics to The Finals and is one of just 10 coaches with 1,000 career wins in the league.
Johnson, Hardaway, and Cooper round out the list of ex-NBA players. Evans worked as an official for over 2,000 games, including 35 in The Finals.
Whalen and Cash, both two-time Olympic gold medalists, are the only former WNBA athletes up for consideration. Whalen split 15 seasons between the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx, while Cash won three titles during her career and was a four-time All-Star.
Stanley is the only other WNBA representative on the ballot, having won the league's Coach of the Year award in 2002 - 17 years after coaching Old Dominion to a national championship in college.
Huggins has made 25 NCAA Tournament appearances as a head coach, most recently with West Virginia last season. The 68-year-old has led the Mountaineers since 2007 and previously coached Kansas State, Cincinnati, and Akron.
Andrews is the record-holder for the most wins in high school basketball by any coach.
The Class of 2022 will be announced on April 2. The enshrinement ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 10.