The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has its Class of 2022.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the Class of 2022 will feature longtime NBA stars Manu Ginobili and Tim Hardaway, WNBA star Swin Cash, as well as coaches Bob Huggins and George Karl.
San Antonio Spurs icon Manu Ginobili will be a first-ballot induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame @Hoophall Class of 2022, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 31, 2022
Sources: Tim Hardaway – a five-time NBA All-Star whose No. 10 is retired in Miami – will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame @Hoophall Class of 2022.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 31, 2022
WNBA legend Swin Cash – a four-time All-Star and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist – will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame @Hoophall Class of 2022, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Cash is currently part of the New Orleans Pelicans front office.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 31, 2022
Sources: West Virginia iconic head coach Bob Huggins – a collegiate coach for 45 years and two-time NCAA coach of the year – will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame @Hoophall Class of 2022. Formal announcements on Saturday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 31, 2022
George Karl, the NBA’s sixth-winningest head coach ever, will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball @Hoophall Class of 2022, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 31, 2022
Ginobili is a four-time NBA Champion, winning the 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014 championships with the San Antonio Spurs. He was also on Argentina’s Gold Medal-winning team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. That remains the only men’s basketball Gold Medal won by a team other than the United States since NBA players began playing at the Olympics in 1992.
Hardaway is best-known for his time with the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat, though he later played for the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers. His crossover dribble was one of the nastiest moves in NBA history.
Cash was a star at the University of Connecticut, winning the NCAA Championship in 2000 and 2002. Her winning ways continued when she went pro. Cash won two WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock (2003, 2006) and a third with the Seattle Storm (2010). She was also a part of two Olympic Gold Medalists in women’s basketball, winning in 2004 and 2012 for the United States.
Huggins has reached two Final Fours in his career. The first was in 1992 with Cincinnati, the second in 2010 with West Virginia. His 844 NCAA wins are eighth on the all-time list.
Karl reached the 1996 NBA Finals as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, losing 4-2 to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. But his 1,175 wins are sixth on the all-time list.
All five inductees received congratulations and well wishes from basketball fans on Twitter.
Finally confirming what the city of San Antonio has ALWAYS known, @manuginobili. So deserved! #Porvida https://t.co/HmkhovWWEy
— Rich ⎕ (@RichNice2k1) March 31, 2022
Fantastic deserving news. @manuginobili will be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee!!!! #GoSpursGo @spurs https://t.co/kg40Pg4Foy
— Gabe Farias (@gabedfarias) March 31, 2022
Beyond deserved for the Heat legend!
Can’t wait to see his name hanging from the rafters at FTX Arena. https://t.co/0CHujPohDB
— Maxwell Trink (@MaxwellTrink) March 31, 2022
ITS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING BUT TIMMY IS FINALLY GETTING INDUCTED 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/h4EvndhzqJ
— 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘃𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 (@HVTWpodcast) March 31, 2022
Hall of Fame name AND game. https://t.co/1gauhGnZHg
— J.E. Skeets (@jeskeets) April 1, 2022
Well deserved, @SwinCash 👏 You’re a legend 🧡 https://t.co/kTW1Hmu5zr
— WSLAM (@wslam) March 31, 2022
Thank. Goodness.
It's been LONG overdue for Bob Huggins to get into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Glad to know it's finally happening. https://t.co/Y3LNOl9JXW
— Owen (@Alakazam_428) March 31, 2022
Long overdue, but the timing is irrelevant. This is an amazing day! Well-deserved. Thank you for everything you do!
HOF person. HOF Coach. 💛💙@CoachHuggs https://t.co/LfqU9IzxmF
— James Long (@CoachJamesLong) March 31, 2022
https://twitter.com/UofAcoachmurphy/status/1509670723534876672
Congratulations @CoachKarl22! I’m forever grateful for your impact and legacy in Seattle. I only wish my kids could have experienced it too https://t.co/yXokSUx26R
— Aaron Beach (@aaronwbeach) March 31, 2022
The official announcement for the Class of 2022 will come at the Final Four. The ceremony itself will be held in September.
