Manu Ginóbili

• 1. The Boy From Bahía Blanca

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  Emanuel David Ginóbili arrived into the world on the 28th of July 1977 in Bahía Blanca, a city located in the southwest region of Buenos Aires Province. His father Jorge Hector worked as a coach at Bahiense del Norte, a local basketball club where Manu learned to play the sport. Two older brothers named Leandro and Sebastián also became professional players before him. Leonardo played seven years in the Liga Nacional de Básquetbol until retiring in 2003. Sebastián competed in both the Argentine local league and the Spanish second-tier level known as Liga Española de Baloncesto. This family background provided an early foundation for his future career. He grew up with Italian heritage tracing back to the region of Marche. The young boy held dual citizenship from Argentina and Italy while speaking fluent English and Italian alongside his native Spanish.

• 2. European Development Years

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  Ginóbili made his professional debut in the Argentine basketball league during the 1995, 96 season for Andino Sport Club of La Rioja. He moved to Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca in 1996 and played there until 1998. The Italian team Basket Viola Reggio Calabria signed him for the 1998, 99 and 1999, 2000 seasons. In 1999 he teamed with Brent Scott, Brian Oliver, and Sydney Johnson to earn promotion from the Italian second Division to the first Division. Kinder Bologna then selected him after he entered the 1999 NBA draft. The San Antonio Spurs picked him late in the second round with the 57th overall pick but did not sign him immediately. Instead he returned to Italy to play for Kinder Bologna. He helped win the 2001 Italian League Championship along with the 2001 and 2002 Italian Cups. The club also secured the 2001 EuroLeague title that year. Ginóbili earned the 2001 EuroLeague Finals MVP award during this period. He received two Italian League MVP awards in 2000, 01 and 2001, 02. His three appearances in the Italian League All-Star Game occurred between 1999 and 2001.

• 3. NBA Journey And Championships

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  Ginóbili joined the San Antonio Spurs for the 2002, 03 NBA season where he played backup for veteran guard Steve Smith. He spent much of the early season injured before winning Western Conference Rookie of the Month in March. The team finished with a 60, 22 regular season record while he started only five games. During the playoffs he became an integral part of Gregg Popovich's rotation playing in every game. The Spurs eliminated Phoenix and Los Angeles before defeating Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. They then beat New Jersey Nets in the Finals securing San Antonio's second championship. After the win he won his first Olimpia de Oro as Argentina's sportsperson of the year. He met Argentine president Néstor Kirchner following the victory. A gym in Bahía Blanca was dedicated in his honor. The 2003, 04 season saw him start half of the 77 regular season games. He averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The Spurs lost to Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals after Derek Fisher scored a buzzer-beating jump shot. Ginóbili re-signed on a 6-year $52 million contract later that summer. He started every game during the 2004, 05 season and made his All-Star debut. The Spurs defeated Phoenix 4, 1 in the Conference Finals before winning a seven-game series against Detroit Pistons. He recorded career-highs in playoff numbers including 20.8 points per game.

• 4. The Sixth Man Revolution

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  Ginóbili came off the bench for most of the second half of the 2006, 07 season helping the team attain the league's best record during that portion. He produced numbers closely identical to his successful 2004, 05 campaign despite starting only 36 of 75 games. The 2007 NBA Playoffs saw him help the Spurs defeat Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, and Utah Jazz. They swept Cleveland Cavaliers for his third championship. On the 11th of February 2008 he scored 34 points and recorded 15 rebounds in a win over Toronto Raptors. This made him the first guard in Spurs history with at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in a single game. The NBA announced on the 21st of April 2008 that Ginóbili had won the 2008 Sixth Man Award. He received 123 out of 124 first place votes. His statline included 19.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds on .460 shooting while averaging 31.1 minutes. Only a couple of weeks later he was named to the All-NBA Third Team. In the playoffs the Spurs defeated Suns 4, 1 before moving him to the starting lineup against New Orleans Hornets after losing two road games. San Antonio eventually prevailed in seven games leading them in points and assists per game. He finished third in voting for Sixth Man of the Year again during the 2013, 14 season.

• 5. International Dominance

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  Ginóbili's best accomplishment as a member of the national team came at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics when he led Argentina to gold medal status. They became the first team other than Team USA to emerge as the competition's winner in 16 years. The highlight of the tournament was his game-winning buzzer beater with 0.7 seconds remaining on opening day versus Serbia and Montenegro. He led the team in both scoring at 19.3 points per game and assists at 3.3 assists per game. At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics basketball tournament Argentina defeated Lithuania to win the bronze medal game though he did not play that match due to injury sustained in semifinals. Ginóbili played his last international games at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics where Argentina finished eighth place. He was flag bearer for Argentina at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing China. In April 2010 he announced he would not participate in the 2010 FIBA World Championship due to family reasons. However he competed for the team at the 2012 London Summer Olympics where they narrowly missed winning bronze against Russia.

• 6. Legacy And Retirement

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  On the 27th of August 2018 Ginóbili announced his retirement from professional basketball making him second player that season to complete a career with one team after Nick Collison. On the 28th of March 2019 the Spurs retired his No. 20 jersey during an emotional ceremony. The San Antonio Spurs appointed him as special advisor to basketball operations on the 24th of September 2021. On the 10th of September 2022 Ginóbili became the 12th player to have played for the franchise to be inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Former teammate Tim Duncan presented him at the ceremony. He is one of only four Hall of Famers who played exclusively for San Antonio for their entire NBA careers alongside George Karl David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Ginóbili won four NBA championships spanning from 2003 to 2014. He was named an All-Star twice in 2005 and 2011 while selected to All-NBA Third Team twice. In Game 5 of the 2017 Western Conference Semifinals he blocked James Harden's shot in closing seconds helping San Antonio win 110, 107. He became first player at age 39 to score 20 or more points off bench in playoff game since records began in 1970, 71 season.