San Antonio Spurs: Is Manu Ginobili a Basketball Hall of Famer?

With Manu Ginobili’s San Antonio Spurs career over, whether or not he belongs in the Hall of Fame is a question in play.

After 16 seasons, Manu Ginobili chose to retire from the NBA on Monday, which closed a historic run with the San Antonio Spurs. The 2017-18 campaign became his last, with a first round series against the Golden State Warriors as the last games of his career.

Ginobili answered doubts about a second-rounder becoming a more-than-successful NBA player. However, the last question to solve will surround his candidacy in the Hall of Fame.

Professional basketball’s greatest players receive an induction into the Hall of Fame each year. All the greats already hold a place there, including Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell and Larry Birds. David Robinson and George Gervin sit among the former Spurs in this elite group.

Will Ginobili join them? The debate started on Twitter, with sides in favor of him in the Hall of Fame and others on the opposite end of the spectrum:

The @NBA is going to miss you @manuginobili. Appreciate everything you did for the game of basketball! #Lefty #EuroStepKING #HallOfFame

— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) August 27, 2018

Charles Barkley of the @NBAonTNT tells @nytsports in response to the retirement of @manuginobili: "Today my Manu retired — it's like losing a family member. It was an honor and pleasure to watch you play. See you soon at the Hall of Fame."

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 27, 2018

Congratulations to Manu Ginobili on a Hall of Fame career. @manuginobili you have been a joy to watch. Thank you.

— Dave DuFour (@DaveDuFourNBA) August 27, 2018

Manu Ginobili will certainly be a Hall of Famer now that he's started the clock on his induction. I pondered the question of whether he belongs strictly based on his NBA career: https://t.co/MeBnWkqoGx (In)

— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) August 27, 2018

Awesome career, Manu. We'll see you in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

— InsideHoops.com NBA (@InsideHoops) August 27, 2018

And thats why @manuginobili will go down as the greatest guard to ever wear a Spurs uniform. Top 5 SG to ever play. The best 6th man this league has ever seen. 1st ballot Hall of Famer — even if it was the " NBA" Hall of Fame. What a pleasure it was, Manu.16 years. #ThankYou

— Eric Salinas (@EricSal_7) August 28, 2018

Lesson for some of you: There is no NBA Hall of Fame. Manu Ginobili definitely belongs in the Basketball Hall of Fame. If you think he'd definitely belong in a theoretical NBA Hall of Fame, more power to you. I think it's close and went from out to in after reading @kpelton.

— Dan Feldman (@DanFeldmanNBA) August 27, 2018

The numbers don't scream Hall of Fame, so the quantitative isn't necessarily on Ginobili's side. But basketball (unlike baseball) isn't just about numbers. The qualitative screams "Manu Ginobili is absolutely a Hall of Famer." https://t.co/CqHWUUwA40

— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) August 27, 2018

Next stop, Hall of Fame. Thank you for 16 amazing years @manuginobili

— Dante Turo (@DanteOnDeck) August 27, 2018

The spurs were boring @manuginobili you werent. Champion, competitor, unselfish.The guy who made the eurostep part of the culture. Hall of Fame Lock

— Bryan (@fresh_hefe) August 28, 2018

4x @NBA champ2x NBA all-star1x sixth men of the year2x Italian league champ1x Euroleague champ2x italian top scorer …

thats all @manuginobili one place for him to be … HALL OF FAME @spurs

— Andy Amestoy (@AmestoyAndy) August 28, 2018

Congratulations @manuginobili on a decorated Hall of Fame career!! pic.twitter.com/ZuLuzlx9na

— Adonal Foyle (@afoyle3131) August 27, 2018

Manu Ginobili career numbers:

25 minutes/game 13.3ppg44% fgp 3.5rpg3.8apg

Being a role player for 16yrs on a great franchise that won 4 championships should not grant you a walk in ticket to the hall of fame. Unpopular opinion, Manu not a Hall of famer, and it’s not close

— Kevin Burum (@BurumKevin) August 27, 2018

"Manu Ginobili has been the benefactor of praise by association. Ginobili's body of work in the NBA is not that of a Hall of Fame player." –@benmallerhttps://t.co/UOlwUH24V7

— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) August 28, 2018

2 time all star, all NBA 3rd team twice……Maybe Robert Horry should be in Hall of Fame

— Dwayne Lawson (@galacticgfunk) August 28, 2018

Opinions for Ginobili’s candidacy in the Basketball Hall of Fame leaned towards his placement in it, but there will still be debate on if he belongs and how long it may take him to get there. That will arise as his first year of eligibility nears, with a resume of this:

• All-Star game appearances (2005, 2011)
• NBA Sixth Man of the Year award (2007)
• March 2003 Rookie of the Month
• 2002-03 All-NBA Rookie Second Team
• 2007-08 All-NBA Third Team
• 2010-11 All-NBA Third Team
• Mar. 11, 2007 NBA Player of the Week
• Feb. 24, 2008 NBA Player of the Week
• Mar. 28, 2010 NBA Player of the Week
• NBA champion (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)

Does Ginobili fit into the Basketball Hall of Fame? Spurs fans might think so, but this will become a topic in the years leading up to his spot on the ballot. Is enshrinement guaranteed for him?