Spurs History: How Many Hall-of-Famers Can San Antonio Claim?

Most San Antonio Spurs fans know the core players and coach who are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but how many others spent time with the team over the years?

Dec 17, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Former San Antonio Spurs player and Hall of Fame member Tony Parker honored for his Hall of Fame Induction at halftime of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Frost Bank Center. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

You've heard of a black-tie event? Well, the Class of 2023 for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame turned into a silver-and-black gala as it was full of people associated with the San Antonio Spurs.

It centered around one person in particular, though, the man at the top. NBA.com reported that the selection committee had tried numerous times to have Gregg Popovich agree to be enshrined and had always been rejected. Instead, Tim Duncan was inducted in 2021, and Manu Ginobili 2022.

“He wanted to make sure his guys were in first,” said Jerry Colangelo, the chairman of the Hall. “He didn’t want to jump the gun. That’s totally unselfish on his part, but I’m glad he decided this was going to be it.”

Consequently, Popovich went in with Tony Parker, Pau Gasol and former assistant coach Becky Hammon. With Parker alone, it was the first time that a head coach and one of his players were inducted together.

READ MORE: Spurs' Gregg Popovich Inducted Into Hall of Fame

Perhaps that's why the coach called his selection “unimaginable, and that’s not an attempt to be humble. It’s not something you think about while growing up. It’s hard to describe.” Meanwhile, there was no writeup about Popovich in the Hall of Fame section in the Spurs' media guide, just core players.

So while Parker was mentioned, Gasol (who only played three seasons in San Antonio) and Hammon, who's primarily known as being a WNBA legend, were not. It would be like the Boston Red Sox claiming that Babe Ruth should represent the organization in the National Baseball Hall of Fame when the bulk of his career and success came with the New York Yankees.

Here's who the Spurs claim in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (capsules courtesy of the San Antonio Spurs):

George Gervin

Spent 12 of his 14 seasons in professional basketball with the Spurs ... captured four NBA scoring titles (only two players in history have more: Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain) ... appeared in 12 All-Star Games (named the MVP of the 1980 Game) ... held the NBA record for the most points in a quarter, exploding for 33 in the second quarter on April 9, 1978 in New Orleans until Klay Thompson posted 37 points in a quarter on Jan. 23, 2015 ... was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 6, 1996 ... a member of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players and the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team ... in his 14-year professional career appeared in a total of 1,060 regular season games, averaging 25.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest while shooting .504 from the field and .841 from the line ... scored a total of 26,595 points (which is the 18th highest combined ABA/NBA total in history) ... his No. 44 was retired on December 5, 1987.

David Robinson

Ended his 14-year career on June 15, 2003 with his second NBA Championship ... averaged 21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.00 blocks in 987 regular season games ... the NBA’s MVP in 1995, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1992 and the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1990 ... won the NBA’s rebounding title (1991), blocked shots title (1992) and scoring title (1994) ... one of only 25 players to be named to 10 All-NBA Teams ... a member of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players and the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team ... one of just four male basketball players in U.S. history to appear in three-or-more Olympic Games: Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), and Atlanta (1996) ... a gentleman on the court and an All-Star in the community, he was honored with the 2001 NBA Sportsmanship Award and the 2003 J. Walter Kennedy Award ... his No. 50 was retired on November 10, 2003 ... was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame on Sept. 11, 2009.

Tim Duncan

The Spurs all-time franchise leader in points, rebounds, blocks, games played and minutes ... he is the only player in Spurs franchise history to win five NBA championships and the Silver and Black reached the playoffs in each of his 19 seasons ... during his 19-year career the Spurs posted the best winning percentage over any 19-year span in NBA history ... was named NBA MVP twice (2002, 2003) and NBA Finals MVP three times (1999, 2003 and 2005) as well as the 1998 Rookie of the Year ... totaled 15 All-NBA Team selections and 15 NBA All-Defensive Team honors (most all-time), garnering both honors in the same season 15 times, the most in league history ... a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team ... the 15-time All-Star appeared in a total of 1,392 games and averaged 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.17 blocks ... one of three players in NBA history to reach 1,000 career wins ... the Spurs retired Duncan’s No. 21 jersey on Dec. 18, 2016 ... inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 15, 2021.

Manu Ginobili

The four-time NBA Champion played all 16 of his NBA seasons with the Spurs, posting a career win percentage of .721 (762-295), which stands as the best winning percentage in NBA history among players who have appeared in at least 1,000 games. ... one of two players in NBA history, along with Bill Bradley, to win a EuroLeague title, an NBA Championship and an Olympic gold medal ... selected by San Antonio with the 57th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft ... appeared in 1,057 career games, averaging 13.3 points, 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.32 steals in 25.4 minutes ... the Spurs all-time leader in three-pointers made and steals ... 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 ... reached the playoffs in all 16 of his NBA seasons ... played for the Argentinian National Team from 1998 to 2016, leading his home country to the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, a silver medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics ... his No. 20 was raised to the rafters on May 28, 2019... inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 10, 2022.

Tony Parker

Spent 17 seasons in San Antonio, helping guide the Silver and Black capture four NBA championships ... was named the 2007 NBA Finals MVP, becoming the first European Finals MVP in history ... a four-time All-NBA performer (2009, 2012, 2013, 2014) and a six-time NBA All-Star (2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014) ... is the Spurs NBA leader in assists, while ranking second in games played, fourth in points and steals, fifth in free throws made and sixth in rebounds ... one of five players in NBA history to post at least 19,000 points and 7,000 assists, along with Oscar Robertson, John Stockton, Gary Payton and LeBron James ... played in a total of 1,254 career games in 18 seasons with the Spurs and Charlotte Hornets, averaging 15.5 points, 5.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 30.5 minutes ... appeared in a total of 226 postseason contests with the Spurs, sixth most all-time ... he and fellow Spurs jersey retirees Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili recorded 126 postseason victories together, which are the most wins by any trio in NBA history ... his #9 was retired on Nov. 10, 2019 ... inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 12, 2023.

Coach Gregg Popovich

Gregg Popovich has been the head coach since 1996, making him the . He currently stands as the longest tenured active coach in all four U.S. major sports leagues. Popovich has led the Silver and Black to five NBA Championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014) and is just one of five coaches in history with five-or-more NBA Championships (along with Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, John Kundla and Pat Riley). A three-time NBA Coach of the Year (2003, 2012 and 2014), Popovich was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 12, 2023.  ... On March 11, 2022, Popovich became the NBA’s all-time leader in regular  season wins with his 1,336th career win. He also became the NBA’s all-time combined wins (regular season and playoff). Popovich ranks first all-time among NBA  coaches for the most consecutive winning regular seasons with 23. He’s led San Antonio to the NBA’s best  regular season record five times (1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2011-12 and 2013-14). On Feb. 4, 2017, Popovich collected his  1,128th win as Spurs head coach to surpass Jerry Sloan for most wins with a single franchise in NBA history.  His 170 playoff wins rank third in NBA history (behind Jackson and Riley). 

So who else in the Hall of Fame has spent some time on the Spurs, like Gasol and Hammon?

Players

Mo Cheeks: One season (50 games)
Louie Dampier: Three seasons (232 games)
Pau Gasol: Three seasons (168 games)
Artis Gilmore: Five seasons, including two as an All-Star (380 games)
Moses Malone: One season (17 games)
Dennis Rodman: Two seasons (128 games)
Dominique Wilkins: One seaeson (63 games)

Coaches

Larry Brown: Head coach (1988-89 to 1991-92)
Cotton Fitzsimmons: Head coach (1984-85 to 1985-86)
Becky Hammon: Assistant coach (2014-2021)
George Karl: Assistant coach (1978-79 to 1979-80)
Jerry Tarkanian: Head coach (1992-93)

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