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Elliott absolutely deserved it for the Memorial Day Miracle alone.
Love Patty but it’s a no for me dawg. LMA absolutely not either. Don’t love AJ but good with Bowen.
I saw a discussion on Twitter about whether to retire Patty Mills number. Let me say right up front, I am opposed. That being said, I am very reluctant to retire any numbers. I like what the Cowboys do with a ring of honor.
Looking up in the rafters there are already 10 numbers that have been retired. That is approaching 10% of all available 1 and 2 digit numbers.
00 - Johnny Moore: This was clearly an emotional gesture due to Moore developing desert fever and ending his career. Should not have been retired.
6 - Avery Johnson: Important part of '99 first championship but no, this number should not have been retired.
9 - Tony Parker: no argument from me on this one
12 - Bruce Bowen: This is a close call for me, leaning toward not retiring it but he was integral part of the team when he played.
13 - James Silas: I can't really offer an opinion on this guy as his time was over before I became a fan so maybe some old timers or others can add something.
20 - Manu Ginobili: no question
21 - Tim Duncan: nuff said
32 - Sean Elliot: Like Moore was this because of the kidney transplant. Man he was good on defense though it must be said.
44 - George Gervin: solid entry
50 - David Robinson: Greatest Spur until TD
Patty Mills does not belong with this group and neither does LaMarcus before anyone chimes in with him. I would put Alvin Robertson ahead of him and some other numbers retired but the legal problems keep that from happening.
Elliott absolutely deserved it for the Memorial Day Miracle alone.
Love Patty but it’s a no for me dawg. LMA absolutely not either. Don’t love AJ but good with Bowen.
Last edited by KingKev; 01-21-2022 at 02:30 PM.
Better than Porker, so yes
We aren't the Lakers. If Avery ing Johnson is up there Patty Mills absolutely deserves it
I’m a Patty fan but, no
That’s nice.
00 was definitely retired due to the health isssues that Johnny had, if not for those no telling how great he would have been, not like anyone is beating down the bush for #00 anyway.
13 was one of the first great Spurs. Only here for a short period, but definitely warranted due to the early day years of this franchise.
12 was yes emotional and LMA should have never been allowed to wear it, that was ing stupid honestly. But without 12 a couple of those les might not be on display at the ATT Center.
6 I dont care about, it shouldnt have been retired, but so many loved that little er it is what it is. It was going to happen the moment there was such an outrage over trying to give Manu that number originally.
32 ya didnt have the longetivity, but intrigal Spur. no qualms
44 being a solid entry
Nah. I would sooner take #6 and #12 out of the rafters than add #8. That's not going to happen, of course. It was be a big slap in the face to AJ, Bruce, and the loyal fan base from the 90s and 00s.
But since #6 and #12 are up there, I wouldn't be surprised at all if #8 goes up there too.
Captin Late was a baller
Anyone arguing no for Bruce Bowen have short memories as to how much he contributed to 3 les and a whole lot of winning.
My vote would be no. But yes to being an absolute legend and 1000% appreciative.
first reaction is no way... but then again, who gives a who's numbers are retired? Is there some kind of insecurity to it for fans?
Because if it's rings/stats, then you retire Kawhi's number absolutely. If it's unique to each franchise, and SAs "culture" is a bigger deal, then sure to Patty, and no to Kawhi. Or nah to both, whatever.
Just get that Duncan statue up soon
Hang Kawhi’s if only to then subsequently burn it.
when does bryn's number go up there? last member of the spurs to have a rang
Ca has one.
Q&A: How Patty Mills made 'very difficult' decision to leave San Antonio
What was your mindset last summer when you were headed into free agency knowing you could be leaving San Antonio?
I like to say that it was extraordinary cir stances knowing that free agency was going to fall at the same time as the Olympic games. Although you knew that going out, there was really no perfect way that you could prepare for something like that. I did what I thought I had to do from doing my own research and trying to have as much information as I could because I knew that going into these training camps my head was gonna be down and I guess in the trenches as we were trying to achieve our first Olympic medal. So, knowing that free agency was gonna hit right in the middle of it, it was definitely extraordinary cir stances. I look back at it and I guess in a perfect world I would’ve had all the conversations necessary that I would have liked to have before making my decision. But in reality, it just wasn’t [possible]. The decision was made after the quarterfinal game against Argentina going into the semifinal against the US. So, I think extraordinary cir stances definitely sum up my free agency.
Was it difficult to leave?
Oh yeah. I think that’s what made it even more heightened emotions I guess over the extraordinary cir stances because I made a career-changing decision that was very difficult and very hard. I think why it was hard was because I was leaving a place, and more importantly, people, that have helped me grow up in a way. There were many emotions that made it difficult to leave, but [also] knowing at the same time this was the right decision for myself, for my wife, and my family.
Coach Pop is the type of guy that always seems to say exactly what you need to hear to make you feel better about making a tough decision like that. How did your conversations go with him during that time?
[Laughs]. Well, I talk about all the conversations [I needed to have]. In an ideal world, going through a free agency, I would have had all of the conversations that I would’ve [wanted] to have. But he was the first person that I obviously needed to tell before anyone else. In an ideal world, I would’ve loved to have conversations with Timmy and Manu — although I had conversations with him leading up — and other people within the organization, people that had an impact over my time there in San Antonio. But I remember coming back from the Argentinian quarterfinal game to the Olympic village in Tokyo. We’d just finished the quarterfinal. Big win.
It was pretty late at night, right?
It’s probably about 1 a.m. by the time I have dinner at the Olympic village, and here I am about to come meet the fork in the road on making this decision. So, it was very late at night. By the time I made my decision, it was past 3 a.m. I think it was almost 4 a.m. So, it was obviously too late to be able to make a phone call and say, ‘This is my decision. This is what I want to do.’ So, before getting out there, the U.S. time zone was about to wake up. So, the news was gonna come out. But I just sent him a text and let him know about what I was feeling and how I thought it was strange timing and very hard timing. But I just wanted to let him know what I wanted to do, assuming that I wasn’t going to (be able to catch up with him in the next day or so in person).
To my surprise, he responded within, I think it was like three minutes or something that I got a text back. It was one of those things where you send the text, have mixed feelings about sending the text in the first place, then, you put your phone on the bedside table. All of the sudden, before you can fall asleep, the phone vibrates and you’ve got a text back from him. So, I think finally we got to catch up. We played them in the semifinal game, and we got to catch up after the game, and then again after the medal games. I guess it was him having the words to describe this is what I remember him saying, and how it feels. But [he told me] that he loves me and he understands.
How did that feel?
I think that was the biggest type of thing for me to be able to, I guess, close the chapter with confidence, knowing that I have him [in my corner]. Obviously, all the love is still there, and he understands. We became close over that time [in San Antonio]. Hearing that from him [made the decision feel better]. It’s one of the hardest things about the NBA. When you grow to become close to people, it makes it hard to leave.
^ thanks for this!
I would rather them retire LMA than Patty. LMA sold tickets and jerseys and carried the team a few years. His exit was a wet fart, but it was needed. I also would love the Spurs to keep him in the organization for player development. To have three generations of HOF big men in the rafter and in your organization says a lot to other players.
Classy, both Pop and Patty.
But nah, Spurs can’t retire based on long tenure alone. Who’s next, Red Mamba?
Absolutely no to both LMA and Patty
LaMarcus....hard no. Great player, but didn't accomplish much with us.
I would not be surprised if they retire Patty. Like I said, 10 years, 1 championship, 2nd all time in Spurs three-pointers....
I agree it's a low bar, but if they retired AJ, they have to retire Patty.
I would say no to both but I also think other numbers up there should not be retired.
I don’t think Patty is done as a Spur tbh. I think he signs with us towards the end of his career so he can retire a Spur. Just my gut feeling.
He is still playing some of the best basketball of his career, is in great shape and brings everything you’d want in a vet. He’s going to garner annual MLE offers from contenders for the next few years at least. We probably won’t sniff the playoffs over that time frame.
I’m 1000% in the same boat here. The more interesting question is should #2 go up in the rafters? As of right now, it’s a strong no. Having a number retired by the Spurs has a woefully low bar but that needs to change. If it’s a no for Kawhi then it’s a no for Patty too.
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