ESPN.com asks this question, among others, of a roundtable of its True Hoop bloggers. The answer is a unanimous, “You betcha.”
Not much to add from these parts, except to echo what ESPN.com’s straw pollsters have already said. If the case were based solely on his NBA contributions, Ginobili’s ticket to Springfield upon retirement would be up for debate. Three NBA championship rings, however, are a tough argument to beat.
Throw in Ginobili’s accomplishments on the international stage as the only player in the history of the world to win a Euroleague title, Olympic gold medal and NBA championship, and you’ve got yourself an unassailable Hall of Fame resume.
It could be argued Ginobili deserves inclusion simply for his work as Pied Piper of the upstart 2004 Argentine team that stunned the world and took home gold in Athens.
Incidentally, ESPN.com asks the same question about Tony Parker. The jury there is split with two yeses, two maybes and one nope.
These are the kind of questions we ponder during a lockout.