Regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 players ever of every MLB, NHL, NFL and NBA team.  Once that is done, our plan is to then look at how they honor their past players and executives by way of retired numbers, franchise halls of fame etc.  As such, it is important to us that last night the San Antonio Spurs retired the #20 of Manu Ginobili.

In what now has to be considered an absolute steal, San Antonio drafted the native of Argentina 57^thoverall in 1999 and he would join the team in 2002 after starring in Europe.  Ginobili would play his entire career with the San Antonio Spurs which would span 16 seasons and 1,057 Games.  He would be chosen for the All Star Game twice (2005 & 2011) and was an All-NBA Third Team Selection twice (2008 & 2011).  The Argentine star’s selfless and unique style of play meshed perfectly with San Antonio where he was part of an elite triumvirate with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker where they would the team to four NBA Championships (2003, 2005, 2007 & 2014).  The Shooting Guard would be named the Sixth Man of the Year in 2008 and scored 14,043 Points with a career PER of 20.2.

Ginobili joins Johnny Moore (#00), Avery Johnson (#6), Bruce Bowen (#12), James Silas (#13), Tim Duncan (#21), Sean Elliott (#32), George Gervin (#44) and David Robinson (#50).

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Manu Ginobili for earning this prestigious honor.  

In an interview with Hoops Hype, Tim Hardaway stated that the reason that he was not in the Basketball Hall of Fame was due to an interview he had with Dan LeBetard which was anti-gay.

He had this to say to Hoops Hype:

"Well, you know, the reason I'm not in is because of what I said in 2007 about gay people.  That's why I'm not in right now, and I understand it. I hurt a lot of people's feelings and it came off the wrong way and it was really bad of me to say that. Since then, I've turned a wrong into a right. My parents used to always tell me, 'If you do something wrong, look it in the eye. Don't back down from it and be scared of it. Go make it right and make people understand that you made a mistake.”

For those who may have forgotten what he said in 2007, take a look below:

You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States.

(In regards to having a gay teammate) First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team. And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that's right. And you know I don't think he should be in the locker room while we're in the locker room. I wouldn't even be a part of that.

Pretty brutal right? 

The reaction against Hardaway was swift and he was removed from that year’s All Star festivities. Hardaway has been contrite since that time and has been active in LGBTQ rights since then.

The question now that has to be asked is Tim Hardaway right?

Hardaway has a strong resume as he was part of the famed Run TMC Offense on Golden State with Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin who are both already inducted.  A five time All Star, in our eyes it is more significant that he is a five time All-NBA Selection with one First Team, three Second Teams and one Third Team.  Stat wise he is solid with five 20 Point per Game seasons and three 10 Assist per Game seasons, but it should be pointed out that he never led the NBA in any statistical category, his highest MVP finish was fourth and he was never in the top 15 in PER.  

Basically, we are talking about a player who had excellent numbers but they did not reach the level where he could not be ignored.  Hardaway is ranked #8on our most recent Basketball list.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony is rapidly approaching and it remains the biggest Hall of Fame where many people who are considered for or are already in openly trash.  As such it is news to us when a musician who we think has a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame worthy resume has an opinion as to whether they should be in or whether they even care is news to us.  The latest person to have to discuss their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame credentials is RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, who in an interview with Rolling Stone feels that his original group belongs in Cleveland.

He had this to say:

“I think we should [get in], and I do care.  It may take some time to get in there. I think it’s good for us and I think it’s good for rock & roll, because hip-hop is a form of music that grabs from every genre, but definitely grabs from rock & roll.

 Rock & roll has a certain spirit; it was the spirit of the Sixties and Seventies youth,” he says. “Hip-hop is the Eighties, Nineties, up to now, the youth. It’s called hip-hop, but it’s in the same spirit of rock & roll at the end of the day. Lyrical, stories, music, unorthodox, dissonant sometimes, energetic, all the things that rock is and was, hip-hop embodies. 

Listening to a song like ‘Bring da Ruckus,’ I thought I was making hip-hop, but shit, it has a motherfuckin’ rock & roll groove like a motherfucker. I don’t know how the fuck I did that. I go back and listen to some of the Beatles progressions and some of [Led] Zeppelin’s progressions and movements, like, okay, I was on some shit, though.”

The first take away for us is that we are happy that RZA expresses that he wants to see the Wu-Tang Clan accepted in that institution and that it means something to him. The second is that we here at Notinhalloffame.com have always question just what the meaning of rock and roll is at this stage and have often stated that the name was more of a spirit than an actual style.

The Wu-Tang Clan have been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2017 and have not been nominated as of yet.  As of this writing, they are ranked #20on our list of those to consider for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will happen this Friday and there is a minor announcement to mention in regards to those in attendance.

Roxy Music will be inducted and will be performing but it will not be a true reunion as Brian Eno and Paul Thompson will not be in attendance leaving Brian Ferry, Andy Mackay and Phil Manzanera to represent the band.  

The group will be inducted by Simon LeBon and John Taylor of Duran Duran.