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A16 sports
Wednesday 29 March 2023
Analysis: This Hall of Fame class could be an all-time great

By TIM REYNOLDS probably going to pick be-
AP Basketball Writer ing with Nowitzki over a pair
The Springfield Sympho- of exhibitions, with Popov-
ny Hall lists a capacity of ich set to be enshrined.
2,611. This is going to be a The Hall will give the en-
problem when the basket- shrinees a number of tick-
ball world heads to western ets. It won’t be enough for
Massachusetts on Aug. 12. any of them. Popovich’s
Act surprised on Saturday guest list will be impossible
when the Naismith Memo- to pare down, especially
rial Basketball Hall of Fame his innermost circle of con-
announces its class of en- fidants, who remain there
shrinees for 2023. Among even after they leave the
the finalists: Dirk Nowitzki, Spurs.
Pau Gasol, Dwyane Wade, Case in point: Utah coach
Tony Parker and Gregg Will Hardy. He left the Spurs
Popovich. It’s widely as- to be an assistant in Boston
sumed that they’ll enter the under another former Spurs
Hall this summer, in what player and coach, Ime
will be a most star-studded Udoka. But when Popovich
event. “We might need was coaching the Olym-
a stadium for that one,” pic team, he picked some
Brooklyn coach Jacque of the best and brightest
Vaughn said. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich points from the bench in the second half of an to be alongside him, Kerr,
He’s not wrong. More than NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Boston. Spoelstra, Mike Krzyzewski
Associated Press
2,611 people will want to and others for the process
go to this. Probably more also wanted to see some of his knowledge and his friends, along with the oth- of getting ready. Hardy
than 261,111 people will coaches he respected ability to share his knowl- er living Hall of Famers. made that list.
want to go to this. most, like Rudy Tomjanov- edge and his ability to care Spoelstra will be coach- “I’ve talked about imposter
It was never a question ich, finally get the call first. for people.” ing with USA Basketball this syndrome some this year
that the biggest names — Besides, it’s not like people More than 300 people summer under head coach — maybe never higher
the Nowitzki, Gasol, Wade, will look at Popovich with have either played for or Steve Kerr at the Basketball than those moments when
Parker group — would get more reverence or respect coached under Popo- World Cup, which takes you’re sitting in a room and
into the Hall. after he gets his orange vich in his time with the them to the Philippines in it’s Gregg Popovich, Steve
The question was about jacket from the Hall and Spurs and USA Basketball. August and September fol- Kerr, Erik Spoelstra, Jerry
Popovich. Not if. But when. officially gets to be intro- Nowitzki had more than lowing warm-up games in Colangelo, Jay Wright,
The NBA’s all-time win- duced as a Hall of Famer. 200 teammates. Gasol is Las Vegas, Spain and Abu Lloyd Pierce, Ime Udoka,
ningest coach, a five- “It will mean more to us as beloved by teammates Dhabi. They’ll be in Las Ve- Coach K is in the room,”
time champion and the former coaches, former on two continents. The gas until a few days before Hardy said. “And you’re
coach of the team that players, than to him I think,” Miami Heat will probably the Hall enshrinement, then going, ‘How am I sitting at
won Olympic gold at the Vaughn said. “And that’s send their entire staff up to the American contingent this table right now?’ In a lot
Tokyo Games quietly re- not a slight at all. I think see Wade give his speech. will head to Spain for games of ways it makes no sense. I
jected overtures from the what he will enjoy is see- Add up the numbers, and against Spain and Slove- felt like I was in the great-
Hall in the past. He wanted ing his former players there, we’re getting toward that nia. Can’t imagine they’ll est basketball grad school
to see his best San Antonio and people who he has magic 2,611 number really be very well-attended, not class of all time. You almost
players — Tim Duncan and touched in a tremendous quickly. And that doesn’t with Gasol going into the can’t write fast enough in
Manu Ginobili among them way, families he’s impact- even include, you know, Hall that same weekend, terms of taking notes and
— go into the Hall first. He ed for a long time because the enshrinees’ families and with Slovenia’s Luka Doncic listening.” q

Nets’ Simmons won’t play again this

season because of back

NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Sim- It’s the second straight year before that, unable to re-
mons won’t play again this that Simmons was unable gain the form that earned
season because of a nerve to play because of a back his three All-Star selections
injury in his back, ending his injury. He had surgery in the in Philadelphia.
disappointing first full sea- offseason to repair a disk He was traded to the Nets
son with the Brooklyn Nets problem, but was bothered last February after initially
after just 42 games. this season by a sore left refusing to play for the 76ers
Simmons saw multiple spe- knee before his back prob- in the 2021-22 season, citing
cialists this week who de- lems returned. mental health concerns.
termined that he should Simmons finishes with aver- His back problems then sur-
be shut down for the sea- ages of 6.9 points, 6.3 re- faced as he worked to get
son because of a nerve bounds and 6.1 assists. himself prepared to play for
impingement and begin The No. 1 pick in the 2016 the Nets.

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons plays during the first half of an a rehabilitation program. draft didn’t play after the Simmons is making $35.4
NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns, Tuesday, Feb. Coach Jacque Vaughn All-Star break in February. million this season, and is
7, 2023, in New York. said Tuesday a full recovery The 26-year-old had fallen due $78.2 million more over
Associated Press was expected. out of the starting lineup the next two seasons.q