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Manu Ginobili: San Antonio Spurs guard retires after 23-year career

Last updated on .From the section Basketballcomments33

Manu Ginobili
Manu Ginobili won four NBA crowns (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014) with the San Antonio Spurs, who he joined in 2002

NBA chiefs described San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili as a "pioneer" of basketball after he announced his retirement following a 23-year career.

The 41-year-old Argentine, widely seen as the most successful foreign player in NBA history, is the only non-US player to have won four championships and an Olympic gold.

He is a two-time All-Star (2005, 2011) and was Sixth Man of the Year in 2008.

"It's been a fabulous journey," he wrote on Twitter.external-link

"Way beyond my wildest dreams."

Ginobili began his professional career in 1995 in Argentina before moving to Italy.

He was selected by the Spurs with the 57th pick in the 1999 NBA, but did not join the team until 2002, instead he went back to Italy.

He rejoined the Spurs for the 2002-03 season where he began his NBA career - winning four NBA crowns between 2003 and 2014 and helping Argentina to a shock Olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004.

He played 1,057 regular season and 218 play-off games for the Spurs, and is ranked in the franchise's top five of all time for games, points (14,043), assists (4,001) and steals (1,392).

"Manu Ginobili is also a pioneer who helped globalise the NBA," said NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

"He is one of basketball's greatest ambassadors who believes in the power of sports to change lives.

"For 16 years, we were fortunate to watch a legend compete at the highest level. Thank you, Manu, for a career that inspired millions of people around the world."

Tributes to Ginobili poured in after his announcement on Monday, with former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant describing him as a "true champion".

"You are true champion my friend and one of the best I have ever matched up with. Enjoy life after the game hermano. You deserve that and more," Bryant added.

Three-time NBA champion LeBron James said: "It was a pleasure to match up against you over the years. Regular season, Finals, National Team, didn't matter was always a treat!"

Manu Ginobili in 2005
Ginobili averaged 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game during his 16-year stay in San Antonio

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33 comments

  • Comment posted by Donegals, at 10:02 28 Aug 2018

    "1. Posted by Templar on 18 minutes ago

    So...err....how many people in the UK follow US Basketball then?

    And how many have even heard of this Gina girl "

    Log back in at the end of the day and check how many thumbs down you get. That should give you an idea.

  • Comment posted by Ian Towers, at 10:00 28 Aug 2018

    Templar, you are a fool if you think people in the UK don't watch US Basketball. It has a massive following.

    I presume you think that only British sport should be mentioned on here

  • Comment posted by maeta, at 09:46 28 Aug 2018

    Manu is a legitimate legend of the game. LaMarcus Aldridge's tribute to him on Twitter spoke volumes about how great he was from an outside view when they faced each other, and how much you didn't see of his greatness until he was your team-mate. The Spurs were blessed with probably the best core trio of all time with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker there, too, for such a long time.

  • Comment posted by avp1982, at 10:08 28 Aug 2018

    @3 without trying to be annoying, it doesn't have a 'massive' following. I do enjoy watching the odd game but the majority of casual sports fans don't ever watch a game.

    No problem what so ever with the BBC reporting on any sport mind.

  • Comment posted by Finkelstein, at 10:15 28 Aug 2018

    NBA chiefs described San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili as a "pioneer" of basketball after he announced his retirement following a 23-year career.

    An absolute legend of the game, a complete player and a proper role model.

  • Comment posted by Britincal, at 14:05 28 Aug 2018

    Idiots who post ignorant and baseless comments on American sport, ugh!

  • Comment posted by JesterGoose, at 17:04 28 Aug 2018

    Basketball is actually a pretty fast paced and exciting sport, there's rarely a dull game in the NBA. It's much more exciting to watch as a casual sports fan than Cricket, Golf or F1 IMO. If it's not popular in the UK it's down to exposure, but there's nothing wrong with the sport. It's great to watch.

  • Comment posted by woody2goody, at 17:13 28 Aug 2018

    One of the last great veterans from when I started watching basketball in 2003. A great professional and will be missed out on the court.

  • Comment posted by Sussexfox, at 11:13 28 Aug 2018

    Great player, loved watching this consumate artist at work

  • Comment posted by goodLeroy, at 10:12 28 Aug 2018

    BBC has many followers in North America, where basketball is a major sport.

  • Comment posted by JesterGoose, at 17:21 28 Aug 2018

    Actually, if you look at Sports England figures you'll see that Cricket has 0.36% of people playing it in England, and 0.35% play basketball at least once a week. So in terms of numbers, BB is almost as popular as Cricket in the UK.

  • Comment posted by hackerjack, at 12:37 28 Aug 2018

    9. Posted by Hugh Pugh on
    1 hour ago
    I guess we have to resort to the usual tried and trusted method of counting the total number of on-topic comments instead.
    -------------
    Which is a stupid measure as well. Sometimes there is just little more to be said, the article sums up a great career quite well so most won't feel the need to add to it.

  • Comment posted by DC, at 11:38 28 Aug 2018

    A major part of one of the most beautiful teams in any sport. Truly majestic at times - Manu was a genuine part of it. Any coach looking to show their team how to play team basketball could just pick up their highlight reel and put it on for an hour. Adios, Manu.

  • Comment posted by Templar, at 10:38 28 Aug 2018

    3. Posted by Ian Towers on
    37 minutes ago
    Templar, you are a fool if you think people in the UK don't watch US Basketball. It has a massive following.

    ---

    Fair enough.

    I stand corrected...or more usually sit corrected

  • Comment posted by llc12, at 16:08 29 Aug 2018

    Great player, won pretty much everything there was to be won. In particular, him leading Argentina to Olympic Gold in 2004, after falling agonisingly short in the 2002 World Cup, was such an iconic moment in international basketball.

  • Comment posted by WestofEverything, at 23:23 28 Aug 2018

    Funny: ignorant Americans make fun of "soccer" as a wimp's sport!

  • Comment posted by BLRBrazil, at 20:44 28 Aug 2018

    I was on the fringe of my school's regional champion team but remember that period mainly for the damage done to my finger joints by the very hard bouncy ball (and H.Globetrotters).
    I only really got into it (and volleyball) after moving to Brazil, which is very strong in both, and find the games very fast paced and exciting. I'm pleased to see GB has developing basketball and volleyball teams.

  • Comment posted by BLRBrazil, at 20:34 28 Aug 2018

    I echo No.7's comment: An absolute legend of the game, a complete player and a proper role model. He was a terrific example, not only for his country but for players and fans everywhere.

    @2: an honourable mention for David Robinson (and nod to Brazil's Tiago Splitter) also. I says a lot for Ginobili that he was able to shine among such outstanding colleagues and was often the heart of the team.

  • Comment posted by Aidan, at 16:02 28 Aug 2018

    Great player for a great franchise.

  • Comment posted by disabledvoter, at 16:10 29 Aug 2018

    Followed this guys career since The Dream team Olympics. Popularized the "Eurostep" move which since has become part of the US game. Great to watch, always exciting, a pity he was troubled with injury later in his career.

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