Even in greatness there can be levels of tiers, and the San Antonio Spurs may be a perfect example with its honored players.
While there have been numerous inductees in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame who have connections with the franchise, but there’s a core five along with coach Gregg Popovich who will forever be known as Spurs greats. Naturally, their jerseys all hang from the rafters at Frost Bank Center: George Gervin (44), David Robinson (50), Tim Duncan (21), Manu Ginobili (20), and Tony Parker (9).
The league also honored Bill Russell, as his No. 6 has been retired across the entire NBA.
So here’s a great trivia question that the most serious San Antonio fans will likely get but give pause to most others: Who are the other five players to have their jersey numbers retired by the Spurs? You could even provide a hint that one of them also wore No. 6.
Spent nine seasons (2001-09) in San Antonio and appeared in 630 games … one of just eight players to appear in 600-plus games with the Spurs … started in every game he played in for the Silver and Black, averaging 6.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 31.2 minutes … earned eight All-Defensive selections and was a part of three NBA Championships (2003, 2005, 2007) … became the seventh Spur to have jersey retired … the Spurs honored Bowen on March 21, 2012 by retiring his No. 12 jersey.
Spent 11 of his 12 NBA seasons with the Spurs … will always be remembered for the Memorial Day Miracle … the Spurs trailed the Trail Blazers 85-83 with 12 seconds left when he caught an inbounds pass
and literally tip-toed the out of bounds line while sinking a 24-foot three-pointer … the victory propelled the Spurs to their first NBA Championship … one month after the 1999 NBA Championship, announced that he would need a kidney transplant … on July 21, 1999, received a kidney from his older brother, Noel … eight months later – on March 14, 2000 – became the first NBA player to return to action after a major organ transplant … in 11 seasons with the Spurs appeared in 669 regular season games, averag-
ing 14.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists … a two-time NBA All-Star (1993 and 1996) … his No. 32 was retired on March 6, 2005.
Played 10 of his 16 NBA seasons in San Antonio … one of five players to spend 10-or-more seasons with the Spurs (along with Tim Duncan, Sean Elliott, George Gervin and David Robinson) … appeared in 644 regular season games with the Silver and Black, averaging 10.1 points, 6.9 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.11 steals in 31.1 minutes … the Spurs all-time leader in assists, with 4,474 … ranks among the team’s all-time leaders in games (fifth), points (ninth with 6,486) and steals (sixth with 712) … played a key role in the Spurs first NBA Championship … averaged 12.6 points and 7.4 assists in the 1999 Playoffs … with 47.0 seconds left in Game 5 of the Finals hit an 18-foot jumper, the final basket for either team, to give the Spurs a 78-77 win over the Knicks and clinch the 1999 NBA Championship … won the 1998 NBA Sportsmanship Award … appeared in 1,054 games in his NBA career … known as the Little General, he and Calvin Murphy are the only players in NBA history under 6-feet tall to appear in over 1,000 NBA games … his No. 6 was retired on December 22, 2007.
Spent nine seasons with the Spurs, averaging 9.4 points, 7.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.96 steals in 519 regular season games … during the 1981–82 season led the NBA in assists, averaging 9.6 assists per contest (edging out Magic Johnson of the Lakers who averaged 9.5 assists) … ranks second on the Spurs all-time assists list with 3,865 … on December 26, 1985, was diagnosed with Desert Fever … early on doctors said the disease would be fatal … showing the same fight off the court as he did on it, he beat the disease … returned to play three more seasons with the Spurs before retiring after the 1989–90 campaign … his No. 00 was retired on March 20, 1998.
Moved to San Antonio in the summer of 1973 when the Dallas Chaparrals became the San Antonio Spurs … in eight seasons with the Spurs, appeared in 540 regular season games, averaging 17.1 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds … enjoyed his best season during the 1975–76 campaign when he averaged 23.8 points, 5.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.85 steals while appearing in all 84 games … was named an ABA All-Star in both 1975 and 1976 … injuries hit in the middle of his career … suffered a broken ankle in the 1976 ABA Playoffs … then blew out a knee in November of 1976 … was able to return from the injuries to string together three solid seasons with the Spurs before being traded to Cleveland on June 6, 1981 … had his No. 13 retired on February 28, 1984.
Capsules are courtesy of the Spurs.
See Also: San Antonio Spurs’ individual NBA honors
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