Reports: Tim Hardaway Sr. to be inducted into Hall of Fame

According to multiple reports, Tim Hardaway Sr. will finally get his wish and will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame late this summer.

Hardaway, who played 14 seasons in the NBA – including the 2001-02 campaign with the Dallas Mavericks – averaged 17.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists during his career. He also made the All-Star teams in 1991, ’92, ’93, ‘97 and ’98.

Known for his killer crossover dribble, Hardaway played for the Golden State Warriors from 1989-’96, for the Miami Heat from ’96-’01, for the Denver Nuggets in 2002 and for the Indiana Pacers in 2003 in addition to his one season with the Mavs. He was part of the Warriors’ fame trio of Run TMC, which also included Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin.

“Growing up in the Bay Area I got to see a lot of his games and I got to play against him a lot in high school and college,” coach Jason Kidd said. “The crossover was like no other, and he was competitive.”

In addition to playing against Hardaway in the NBA from 1994-2003, Kidd and Hardaway played against each other in the 1998 All-Star game. And they also were teammates in 2000 when the United States won the gold medal in Sydney, Australia.

“He wanted to win on a nightly basis,” Kidd said. “He wasn’t afraid of the moment, wasn’t afraid to take the shot.

“So, I’m happy that he’s made it to the final calling, and that’s to be recognized as one of the best players to play.”

Hardaway was first-team all-NBA in 1997, second-team all-NBA in ’92, ‘;98 and ’99, and third-team all-NBA in 1993. He also was voted to the All-Rookie first-team in 1990, and had his No. 10 jersey retired by the Heat and by his college – the University of Texas-El Paso.

In addition, Hardaway’s son – Tim Hardaway Jr. – currently plays for the Mavs.

Also inducted into the Hall of Fame with Hardaway include former San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, ex-NBA coach George Karl, former WNBA player Swin Cash, and ex-West Virginia coach Bob Huggins.

“I think it’s great for all the finalists when you talk about Tim Hardaway, Ginobili, Swin Cash, George Karl,” Kidd said. “That’s a great class.”

Kidd was induced into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 in a class that included Steve Nash, Ray Allen and Grant Hill. So he knows what Hardaway is about to experience when the ceremony is held on Sept. 10 in Springfield, MA, with the formal announcement expected as soon as Saturday.

“It’s your time,” Kidd said. “Just be a sponge and absorb all the praise, because it’s going to be a flashback or a movie of you as a kid playing in high school, college and then in the pros.

“It’s going to go fast, but you have the opportunity to stand on stage and see the great ones before you in one room. It’s just an historic week, so I would say just enjoy. But Tim had an incredible career.”

WIN-WIN TRADE: Washington Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said the trade which sent Spencer Dinwiddie and David Bertans to the Mavs for Kristaps Porzingis and a protected 2022 second-round draft pick on Feb. 10 has been a win-win for both teams.

The Wizards signed Dinwiddie to a three-year, $54 million free agent contract last summer, but shipped him to the Mavs in the trade-deadline deal some seven weeks ago.

“He’s in a situation that fits him better,” Unseld said of Dinwiddie. “He’s a really good player and that’s why we went out and got him (last summer). He showed early in the season how impactful he can be.

“We talked about it at the (trade) deadline. It’s not one of those things where I didn’t like him, but you have to give up something to get something. Just seeing that he’s healthy, him and Davis are impacting the Dallas Mavericks, and they’re winning. KP is impacting us, so I think it’s a win-win.”

BRIEFLY: Dwight Powell is the only member of the Mavs who have played in all 78 games this season. Will he play all 82 games this season? “We talked as a group today about what we want to try to achieve,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We’ll go to the individual as we go into the weekend. I’ll start to talk to certain guys about the situation at hand. But let’s get to Monday. But the opportunity to play all 82 (games), that will be up to him, so we’ll see. But there’s some guys that can rest, definitely, next week.”. .Before Friday’s 135-103 loss to the Washington Wizards, Kidd was discussing journeys young players take in order to be successful in the NBA. “Everybody has a different journey,” he said. “Some are tagged to one another for whatever reason. I got tagged with all the non-shooters, but I can shoot. I just didn’t have to. It’s just a process of being able to go and work on your craft on areas that you need improving on. If everyone came out as Stephen Curry, then the game would be boring. There’s different players in this league who do special things, and there’s those same players who have to work on certain areas. If everybody had all the gifts of shooting the ball and dribbling like Kyrie (Irving), then the game would be boring. Everybody has to work on their game. Even the great players. If you talk to LeBron (James) and those guys who play at the highest level, they continue to work on their craft. No matter if you can shoot or not shoot, you have to work on that part, too — and dribbling, passing, rebounding and all that. I would just advise all the young players to just to continue keep working.”. .With the 36 points he scored Friday night against the Washington Wizards, Luka Doncic now has 21 games where he’s scored 30 or more points since Jan. 19. That’s the most of any player in the NBA in that time frame. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid is second on that list with 18.

Twitter: @DwainPrice