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Manu Ginobili has finally decided to call it quits after an illustrious career of 16 years with the San Antonio Spurs. There won’t be one more season, not this time.
The Argentinian retires as a four-time NBA champion, two-time All-Star and the Sixth Man of the Year of 2008, where he averaged just a hair under 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.5 steals per game off the bench.
Manu is easily one of the best players to be a sixth man for a dynastic team. He was one of the most unique and dynamic players this game has ever seen. Even though being worthy of being a starter on any team, Ginobili decided to do what was best for his team. He was selfless, determined and a winner.
His creativity and enthusiasm on the court plus his array of Eurostep moves, needle-threading passes, backward layups and clutch shots have become iconic. Ginobili might not have the stats and numbers like many of the other greats do, but the impact that he had on the sport is similar to them.
In a 16-year career, there are bound to be a plethora of great moments that gave us countless opportunities to cheer him on and that made us his fans. As the Spurs’ legend calls it a career, it is befitting to see the top 10 moments of his career.
10. Standing Ovation
Although this moment came a little earlier in Ginobili’s career, it was a special moment that was fully deserved.
Ginobili, on the other hand, hates revisiting this moment, describing it as "super awkward" because he felt he "was being retired," even though he hadn't made such an announcement.
With final seconds ticking away in San Antonio Spurs’ elimination loss in Game 5 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, the remaining fans at the AT&T center waved Spurs towels and chanted "Manu, Manu, Manu" as Ginobili walked off towards the bench to a standing ovation.
Popovich informed Ginobili that he would be making his first postseason appearance moments before the game as he wanted to make sure to honor him if it would indeed be his last game.
This moment marked an emotional end to the Spurs’ 16-17 season and a proper salute to one of the best players in the game.
9. Slam Over Yao Ming
Very few players can say that they dunked over a 7 foot 6 player, and Manu Ginobili is one of them.
With 4.31 left in the game, Ginobili intercepted a loose pass from Yao Ming and fearlessly drove the lane right at the towering Yao Ming flying high to throw down a two-handed jam right in the face of Houston Rockets’ 7 foot 6 center. No matter his age and no matter who was at the rim, Manu just went for it.
Yao ended the game with 28 points to go along with 13 rebounds and Ginobili scored a team-high 23 points for the Spurs as the Houston Rockets went onto to beat San Antonio 89-81.
Although Yao got the final say in the game, Ginobili’s throw down remained the highlight of the game.
8. Dunk on Chris Bosh in Game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals
Many pundits and experts expressed their doubts as to whether a 36-year-old Manu Ginobili and the San Antonio Spurs would be able to re-cooperate from an emotionally draining loss in the 2013 NBA Finals.
As the two teams locked horns again for the second consecutive time in the 2014 NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs, looking for vengeance, absolutely dominated and demolished the Miami Heat in 5 games. In the second quarter of a closeout game 5, Ginobili delivered one of his most triumphant postseason moments late into his career.
With 2:47 remaining in the second quarter, Tim Duncan pulled down a defensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer by Bosh and passed it out to Ginobili just as he was crossing half-court. Ginobili taking advantage of his momentum flashed past Udonis Haslem and rammed into Ray Allen with his right should as he rose for a driving dunk on the face of Chris Bosh.
"I went hard and once I was in the air, I felt like I had a shot, and tried," Ginobili said. "I think it helped the team, too, to get pumped up."
This surprise dunk pumped up the Spurs team as well as the San Antonio crowd. Ginobili followed his throw-down with a 3 pointer over LeBron James thus finishing a vintage first half performance producing 14 points on 5-7 shooting off the bench as the Spurs went on a 41-18 run over the 17:04 of the first half. The Spurs never looked back from that point and ended up defeating the Miami Heat 104-87 to win their 5th championship.
7. Game Winner against the Timberwolves
This moment was the perfect icing on the cake for one of the best performances of Manu’s career.
With 10.4 seconds left on the clock and the MinnesotaTimberwolves up by one, Ginobili pulled out a trademark one dribble behind the back move on Randy Foye to hit a 17-foot jumper at the top of the key to give the San Antonio Spurs a one-point lead.
Ginobili ended the game with 44 points, 19 of which came in the 4th quarter. The quarter also saw him hit 6 straight three-pointers over the final 6.33 minutes of play.
In typical Ginobili fashion, he described the winning 17-foot jumper as "lucky." "I always try to get to the rim, but Foye took over my left pretty good, and my counter move is always step-back right," Ginobili said. "I got lucky there, took a good shot and it went in.
The Timberwolves were unable to make a basket in the remaining 6.2 seconds, and the Spurs gained a 100-99 road victory.
6. Sixth Man of the Year Award
Manu Ginobili became an All-Star in 2005 which put the San Antonio Spurs in a dilemma whether to insert him into the starting lineup or not.
Midway through the 2006-07 season, the staff agreed that the Spurs were a better team with Manu coming off the bench. When head coach Popovich presented this idea to Ginobili, he accepted the less significant role thus choosing the best interest for his team and the rest is history. Manu became one of the best sixth man to have ever played the game. His acceptance of a lesser role was significant in establishing San Antonio's current culture.
"He played as big a part as Tim in building our culture," Buford said. "When Manu Ginobili comes off the bench, it's hard for anyone to bitch about why they aren't starting. Look at that guy, then talk to me." "You can't say s---. It set a precedent.", added Duncan.
Ginobili was finally rewarded for his sacrifice and was named the Sixth Man of the Year in 2008.
5. Game Winner against the Golden State Warriors
Before the beginning of the Warriors era of dominance, the Dubs were struggling to find a place in the Western Conference Finals of the 2013 NBA playoffs. The Warriors after defeating the Denver Nuggets in 5 games, came out all guns blazing in Game 1 of the second round against the Spurs and played almost perfect basketball throughout the game to match the greatness of the Spurs.
As Tim Duncan sat in the locker room fighting with a stomach virus, the San Antonio Spurs rallied back from a 16 point deficit in the final minutes of regulation. With 3.4 seconds left in the game and the Warriors leading 127-126, it looked like the Dubs were on course to snatch a home game from the then 4-time champions.
Kawhi Leonard threw a rocket pass across the court on the inbounds play to find Ginobili who had lost his man after setting a screen for Tony Parker. Manu knocked down the three-pointer as Kent Bazemore launched himself in an futile attempt to contest the shot.
Ginobili ended the game with a abysmal 5 of 20 shooting and had missed seven straight shots before hitting the dagger three. Somehow, even in the midst of a bad shooting night, Manu was able to deliver when it mattered the most.
"I was wide open, so I didn't have any other option," Ginobili told TNT's David Aldridge immediately after the game. "If I could have thought about it and did something else, I could've. It was only the second shot I made all day. Good timing, though."
4. Block on Harden
As the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets met in the Semi-Finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs, Manu Ginobili turned back the hands of time not only once but twice in this game.
With 2.02 seconds left in the first quarter of Game 5, Ginobili gathered the ball from the top of the key where he lifted off awkwardly from his right foot to throw down a mean right-handed jam over Ryan Anderson. This dunk was just his third dunk since the start of the season and the first in the year of 2017.
With 35 seconds left in the 4th quarter, Ginobili drove by Clint Capela to make a trademark scoop layup to tie the game and force it into overtime.
As awesome as the dunk and the scoop layup were, the then 40-year-old veteran was not done yet and had kept his best for the last.
With 10 sec remaining in overtime and the Spurs up by 3, Ginobili blocked James Hardens' three-point attempt from 25 feet out to win the game for the Spurs and give them a 3-2 lead in the series. The Spurs went onto close the Houston Rockets in Game 6 thus winning the series 4-2.
"I know where his shot releases from, and he went by me," Ginobili said of the final play of the game. "So I tried to bother him as much as I could, and I saw I found myself very close to the ball. So I went for it. But very risky; it was a risky play. But it was also risky to let him shoot. So I took my chances."
3. Game Winner against Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Playoffs
Manu Ginobili had a knack to step up in the most crucial moments of the game, and this winner shows us exactly that.
The crowd was treated to an instant classic as the San Antonio Spurs went up against the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Playoffs. Tim Duncan scored 40 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, but it was Ginobili’s driving bank shot with 1.8 seconds that sealed the deal.
Even after struggling to shoot the ball that night (10-24), Ginobili proved once again that he has a tendency too shine when the stakes are highest. With the game tied at 115 and 10 second left in second overtime, Manu drove past Raja Bell to hit a fadeaway bank shot.
Ginobili ended with 24 points as the San Antonio Spurs went onto to win in the double overtime 117-115.
2. Olympic Game Winner VS Serbia, Wins Gold Medal
While most of Manu’s biggest moments transpired in a Spurs uniform, this one has a different feel to it compared to the other ones and definitely holds a special place in his heart.
With Argentina playing Serbia on the opening day of the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, the score was tied at 81 with 16 seconds left on the clock after Ginobili made a driving bucket. Dejan Tomasevic then drew a foul on Fabricio Oberto with 3.8 seconds remaining and made one of two foul shots to put Serbia and Montenegro up by a point.
Argentinian point guard Alejandro Montecchia quickly advanced the ball on the ensuing possession finding Manu Ginobili with a pass just inside the free throw line. Manu, with less than a second left, threw up a wild shot levitating and leaning towards the right and made one of the most memorable shots of his career and of the Olympics as the ball banked off the glass and went inside the hoop.
"It was almost impossible," Ginobili said when asked about the game-winner. "Once it left my hand, I knew it was good. This is a very special thing."
In less than two weeks after the spectacular buzzer beater, Manu led Argentina with 29 points to defeat the United States in the Olympic semifinals. This win marked the first time since 1988 the Olympics basketball gold medal would not go to the U.S. The next day, Ginobili led Argentina to the gold.
1. Game 7, 2005 NBA Finals
The 2005 NBA Finals saw the San Antonio Spurs find a star in the making and a new fan favorite after the departure of David Robinson as the San Antonio Spurs met the defending champions Detroit Pistons in the 2005 NBA Finals.
Manu Ginobili had struggled to have an impact in Games 3 and 4, but as the series progressed to a do-or-die Game 7, Manu shined on the biggest stages of the sport at the biggest moment of the game.
Ginobili ended up scoring 11 of his 23 points of the night in the fourth quarter thus willing the Spurs past the Pistons to win their third title in seven seasons.
Duncan ended up winning Finals MVP, but former Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer and Buford believed Ginobili should have been co-MVP, if not taken the award outright. Ginobili averaged 18.7 points and 4 assists in the NBA Finals.
Duncan’s post-game comments summed up the kind of impact Ginobili had on the game and the future that he was going to have with this organization.
"Manu is unbelievable. I don't think we've scratched the surface with him. He just plays with reckless abandon. He doesn't care the time or the situation. He's going to continue to grow, and we're going to continue to grow around him."
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