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Manu Ginóbili
Manu Ginobili Spurs-Magic011 (cropped).jpg
Ginóbili with the San Antonio Spurs in 2010
[[San Antonio Spurs|San Antonio Spurs]]
Special advisor
Personal information
Born (1977-07-28) 28 July 1977 (age 47)
Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft 1999 / Round: 2 / Pick: 57th overall
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Pro career 1995–2018
League NBA
Career history
1995–1996 Andino
1996–1998 Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca
1998–2000 Viola Reggio Calabria
2000–2002 Virtus Bologna
2002–2018 San Antonio Spurs
Career highlights and awards
  • 4× NBA champion (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)
  • 2× NBA All-Star (2005, 2011)
  • 2× All-NBA Third Team (2008, 2011)
  • NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2008)
  • NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2003)
  • No. 20 retired by San Antonio Spurs
  • Argentina's No. 5 retired by the CABB
  • EuroLeague champion (2001)
  • EuroLeague Finals MVP (2001)
  • 2× EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer (2001, 2002)
  • All-EuroLeague First Team (2002)
  • EuroLeague steals leader (2002)
  • Italian League champion (2001)
  • 2× Italian Cup winner (2001, 2002)
  • 2× Italian League MVP (2001, 2002)
  • Italian Cup MVP (2002)
  • Italian League steals leader (2002)
  • 3× Italian League All-Star (1999, 2000, 2001)
  • Italian League All-Star Game Dunk Contest Champion (2001)
  • FIBA AmeriCup MVP (2001)
  • Olympics MVP (2004)
  • 2× Olimpia de Oro (2003, 2004)
  • Diamond Konex Award (2010)
  • 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008)
Career NBA statistics
Points 14,043 (13.3 ppg)
Rebounds 3,697 (3.5 rpg)
Assists 4,001 (3.8 apg)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Argentina
Summer Olympics
Gold 2004 Athens
Bronze 2008 Beijing
FIBA World Cup
Silver 2002 Indianapolis
FIBA Diamond Ball
Bronze 2004 Belgrade
Gold 2008 Nanjing
FIBA AmeriCup
Bronze 1999 San Juan
Gold 2001 Neuquén
Silver 2003 San Juan
Gold 2011 Mar del Plata
FIBA South American Championship
Silver 1999 Bahía Blanca

Emanuel David "Manu" Ginóbili (born 28 July 1977) is a famous former professional basketball player from Argentina. He is known for popularizing the Euro step move in the NBA. Many people think he is one of the best shooting guards and sixth men ever in the league. He is also considered the greatest Latin American player of all time.

Ginóbili led the Argentine national team to a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. His team was the only one to beat a US NBA team in the history of this competition. Over his 23-year career, Ginóbili became one of only two players to win a EuroLeague title, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal. He won four NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs, playing his entire 16-year NBA career with them. With teammates Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, Ginóbili was part of the "Big Three" that made the Spurs a very successful team. Since 2021, Ginóbili has been a special advisor for the Spurs' basketball operations.

Ginóbili comes from a family of basketball players. He played in Argentina and Italy before joining the NBA. In Italy, he won two Italian League MVP awards and the EuroLeague Finals MVP. He also helped his team, Kinder Bologna, win the 2001 EuroLeague championship. The Spurs picked Ginóbili as the 57th player in the 1999 NBA draft. He joined the Spurs in 2002 and quickly became a key player. Besides his four NBA championships, he was an All-Star in 2005 and 2011. In 2007–08, he was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Ginóbili retired from the NBA in August 2018. In 2022, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Manu's Life Off the Court

Family and Background

Manu Ginóbili grew up in a family that loved basketball. Both of his older brothers, Leandro and Sebastián, played professional basketball in Argentina and Spain. His father, Jorge, was a basketball coach in their hometown of Bahía Blanca, Argentina. This is where Manu first learned to play. Manu loved basketball from a young age, especially because he looked up to Michael Jordan.

Manu has dual citizenship in Argentina and Italy. He speaks Italian and English very well, along with his native Spanish. When he's not playing basketball, he enjoys listening to Latin music, watching movies, and traveling. In 2004, he married Marianela Oroño. They have three sons: twin boys Dante and Nicola (born in 2010), and Luca (born in 2014).

Manu's Amazing Basketball Journey

Early Career in Argentina and Italy (1995–2002)

Manu Ginóbili started his professional basketball career in Argentina. He played for Andino Sport Club in 1995–96. Then, he moved to his hometown team, Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca, from 1996 to 1998.

In 1998, Manu moved to Europe to play for the Italian team Basket Viola Reggio Calabria. He helped them move up from the Italian 2nd Division to the 1st Division.

Even though the San Antonio Spurs picked him in the 1999 NBA draft, Manu decided to stay in Italy. He joined Kinder Bologna. With this team, he won the Italian League Championship in 2001 and two Italian Cups in 2001 and 2002. He also helped them win the EuroLeague championship in 2001. Manu was named the Finals MVP that year. He was also named the Italian League MVP in both 2001 and 2002.

In 2002, Manu played for the Argentine national team at the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis. His team won a silver medal, and Manu was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Becoming an NBA Star with the San Antonio Spurs (2002–2018)

Manu free throw
Ginóbili was drafted by the Spurs as the 57th pick (second to last) in the 1999 NBA draft.

Manu joined the San Antonio Spurs for the 2002–03 NBA season. At first, he was often injured and found it hard to get used to the NBA style. But as he got better, so did his play. He was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month in March and made the All-Rookie Second Team.

In the playoffs, Manu became a very important player for the Spurs. His scoring surprised opponents. He helped the Spurs win their second championship, beating the New Jersey Nets in the Finals. After this win, Manu received the Olimpia de Oro as Argentina's best sportsperson. A gym in his hometown was even named after him!

In the 2003–04 season, Manu played more and improved his stats. The Spurs lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs that year.

Winning More Championships

Manu signed a new contract with the Spurs and started every game in the 2004–05 season. He was chosen as an All-Star for the first time. His play was key to the Spurs winning their third championship against the Detroit Pistons. Manu had his best playoff numbers, scoring 20.8 points per game. He was almost named the NBA Finals MVP Award, but his teammate Tim Duncan won it.

The 2005–06 season was tough for Manu due to injuries. But he bounced back in the 2006–07 season. He often came off the bench, helping the Spurs win their fourth championship by sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the 2007–08 season, Manu had career-high averages in points, rebounds, and assists. He won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award for being the best player coming off the bench. He was also named to the All-NBA Third Team. The Spurs lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Finals that year.

The next season was difficult because Manu was injured for most of it. The Spurs were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

In 2009, during a game, a bat flew onto the court! Manu famously swatted it to the ground and carried it off, making the crowd cheer. In 2010, he signed a new contract with the Spurs.

In the 2010–11 season, Manu was seen as the most important player on his team. He was named an NBA All-Star for the second time and made the All-NBA Third Team again.

Later Years and Final Championship

In the shortened 2011–12 season, Manu helped the Spurs have a great record. They reached the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In 2012–13, the Spurs made it to the NBA Finals to play the Miami Heat. The Spurs lost in a tough seven-game series.

Manu re-signed with the Spurs in 2013. In 2013–14, the Spurs had the best record in the league. Manu helped the Spurs reach the NBA Finals again, facing the Heat for the second year. This time, the Spurs won easily, 4-1, giving Manu his fourth NBA championship!

He continued to play for the Spurs, reaching milestones like his 900th NBA game in 2016. In 2017, at age 39, he became the first player to score 20 or more points off the bench in a playoff game at that age. In 2018, he became the only player in NBA history to have multiple 20-point games off the bench at age 40 or older. He also became the Spurs' all-time leader in steals.

On August 27, 2018, Manu Ginóbili announced he was retiring from professional basketball. On March 28, 2019, the Spurs honored him by retiring his No. 20 jersey, placing it next to Tim Duncan's No. 21 jersey.

Manu's Career Stats

Source: Basketball Reference.

NBA

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2002–03† San Antonio 69 5 20.7 .438 .345 .737 2.3 2.0 1.4 .2 7.6
2003–04 San Antonio 77 38 29.4 .418 .359 .802 4.5 3.8 1.8 .2 12.8
2004–05† San Antonio 74 74 29.6 .471 .376 .803 4.4 3.9 1.6 .4 16.0
2005–06 San Antonio 65 56 27.9 .462 .382 .778 3.5 3.6 1.6 .4 15.1
2006–07† San Antonio 75 36 27.5 .464 .396 .860 4.4 3.5 1.5 .4 16.5
2007–08 San Antonio 74 23 31.0 .460 .401 .860 4.8 4.5 1.5 .4 19.5
2008–09 San Antonio 44 7 26.8 .454 .330 .884 4.5 3.6 1.5 .4 15.5
2009–10 San Antonio 75 21 28.7 .441 .377 .870 3.8 4.9 1.4 .3 16.5
2010–11 San Antonio 80 79 30.3 .433 .349 .871 3.7 4.9 1.5 .4 17.4
2011–12 San Antonio 34 7 23.3 .526 .413 .871 3.4 4.4 .7 .4 12.9
2012–13 San Antonio 60 0 23.2 .425 .353 .796 3.4 4.6 1.3 .2 11.8
2013–14† San Antonio 68 3 22.8 .469 .349 .851 3.0 4.3 1.0 .3 12.3
2014–15 San Antonio 70 0 22.7 .426 .345 .721 3.0 4.2 1.0 .3 10.5
2015–16 San Antonio 58 0 19.6 .453 .391 .813 2.5 3.1 1.1 .2 9.6
2016–17 San Antonio 69 0 18.7 .390 .392 .804 2.3 2.7 1.2 .2 7.5
2017–18 San Antonio 65 0 20.0 .434 .333 .840 2.2 2.5 .7 .2 8.9
Career 1,057 349 25.4 .447 .369 .827 3.5 3.8 1.3 .3 13.3
All-Star 2 0 21.0 .385 .000 .833 3.0 3.0 2.0 .5 7.5

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003† San Antonio 24 0 27.5 .386 .384 .757 3.8 2.9 1.7 .4 9.4
2004 San Antonio 10 0 28.0 .447 .286 .818 5.3 3.1 1.7 .1 13.0
2005† San Antonio 23 15 33.6 .507 .438 .795 5.8 4.2 1.2 .3 20.8
2006 San Antonio 13 11 32.8 .484 .333 .839 4.5 3.0 1.5 .5 18.4
2007† San Antonio 20 0 30.1 .401 .384 .836 5.5 3.7 1.7 .2 16.7
2008 San Antonio 17 6 32.9 .422 .373 .896 3.8 3.9 .6 .3 17.8
2010 San Antonio 10 10 35.2 .414 .333 .866 3.7 6.0 2.6 .2 19.4
2011 San Antonio 5 5 34.8 .443 .321 .780 4.0 4.2 2.6 .6 20.6
2012 San Antonio 14 2 27.9 .448 .338 .857 3.5 4.0 .7 .3 14.4
2013 San Antonio 21 3 26.7 .399 .302 .738 3.7 5.0 1.1 .3 11.5
2014† San Antonio 23 0 25.5 .439 .390 .862 3.3 4.1 1.6 .1 14.3
2015 San Antonio 7 0 18.7 .349 .364 .783 3.4 4.6 .6 .9 8.0
2016 San Antonio 10 0 19.2 .426 .429 .783 2.7 2.5 .8 .3 6.7
2017 San Antonio 16 1 17.8 .412 .225 .739 2.4 2.4 1.0 .1 6.6
2018 San Antonio 5 0 21.4 .405 .333 .818 3.0 3.2 1.4 .2 9.0
Career 218 53 27.9 .433 .358 .817 4.0 3.8 1.3 .3 14.0

EuroLeague

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2000–01† Kinder Bologna 22 20 29.7 .445 .291 .778 4.1 2.0 2.9 .3 15.2 15.9
2001–02 Kinder Bologna 22 22 28.4 .450 .340 .778 3.8 3.0 2.5* .3 15.9 17.1
Career 44 42 29.1 .448 .315 .778 4.0 2.5 2.7 .3 15.5 16.5

Life After Playing Basketball

After retiring, Manu Ginóbili continued to be involved with basketball. On September 24, 2021, the San Antonio Spurs announced that he would be a special advisor for their basketball operations.

On September 10, 2022, Manu Ginóbili was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is one of only four Spurs players to be inducted who played their entire NBA career with San Antonio. His former teammate, Tim Duncan, presented him at the Hall of Fame ceremony.

Playing for His Country: Argentina's National Team

Manu Ginóbili was a very important player for the Argentina national basketball team. This team is sometimes called the "Golden Generation" because of their success.

Manu played for Argentina's junior team in 1997. He made his senior team debut in 1998. He helped Argentina win a silver medal at the 2002 FIBA World Championship.

His biggest achievement with the national team was at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. He led Argentina to a gold medal! They became the first team in 16 years, other than Team USA, to win the Olympic basketball tournament. A memorable moment was his game-winning shot against Serbia and Montenegro.

Manu also played at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, where Argentina finished 4th. He was the flag bearer for Argentina at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Argentina won the bronze medal.

He returned to play for Argentina at the 2012 London Summer Olympics. His last international games were at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

Manu's Playing Style

Manu Ginóbili was known for his unique and exciting playing style. He was a shooting guard who played left-handed. He was famous for popularizing the Euro step in the NBA. This move involves taking two steps in different directions to get past defenders.

He was also known for his "clutch play," meaning he performed well in important, high-pressure moments. Manu often drove strongly to the basket. He was also a great passer, sometimes making "no-look" passes to his teammates.

Manu was a true team player. He accepted coming off the bench for most of his career, even though he was a star. This showed how much he cared about the team's success.

Manu is one of only two players in basketball history to win a EuroLeague title, an Olympic gold medal, and an NBA championship. He is also the first non-U.S. player to win both an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal. The Spurs made the NBA playoffs in all 16 of his seasons.

Many experts consider Manu Ginóbili one of the best players ever picked late in the NBA draft. His success helped other NBA teams realize the talent of European players.

Manu's Awards and Titles

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Manu Ginóbili para niños

  • List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders
  • List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders
  • List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders
  • List of National Basketball Association career playoff 3-point scoring leaders
  • List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders
  • List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise
  • List of oldest and youngest NBA players
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