Manu Ginobili and Becky Hammon named candidates for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has announced Manu Ginobili and Becky Hammon as eligible candidates for the Class of 2022.

The Spurs selected Ginobili with the second-to-last pick of the 1999 NBA Draft, and the Argentinian swingman quickly exceeded expectations once coming stateside and donning the Silver and Black.

Not only did the six-six guard win the Sixth Man of the Year Award on his way to becoming one of the best bench contributors in league history, but he earned two All-Star nods while helping San Antonio win four titles.

Manu is also among the most accomplished international hoopers to lace them up as one of only two players with a EuroLeague title, Olympic gold medal, and NBA championship on their resume.

As for Becky Hammon, the former Silver Star ended her playing career as one of the most decorated WNBA players. Although the undersized point guard never won a ring, she led San Antonio to their only WNBA Finals.

The six-time All-Star rests near the top of several all-time leaderboards, with the 14th-most points (5,841), sixth-most assists (1,708), third-most threes (829), and 18th-most steals (488) in league history.

Despite going undrafted in 1999 following a standout collegiate career at Colorado State, Hammon worked her way from the end of the bench with the New York Liberty to a full-fledged superstar in the 2-1-0.

The Naismith Hall of Fame will reveal the finalists for the Class of 2022 at NBA All-Star Weekend on February 18 in Cleveland, Ohio.

They will then announce the entire Class of 2022 during the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, Louisiana, sometime during early April.

Other eligible candidates for the Class of 2022 include:

• Tom Chambers
• Lindsey Whalen
• Chauncey Billups
• Swin Cash
• Joey Crawford
• Michael Finley
• Richard Hamilton
• Tim Hardaway
• Kim Mulkey
• Shawn Marion