4) Manu Ginobili – Argentina
Part of the heroic squad that captured the gold medal in 2004 after defeating USA in the semi-finals, Manu Ginobili will be playing in his last Olympics. Most of the players from that squad will be too with the likes of Luis Scola, Carlos Delfino and Andres Nocioni also making it to significantly increase the average age of the squad (the four players alone have an average age of 36).
The quartet are on their last legs and 39-year-old Ginobili knows there won't be another international tournament left in him once the Olympics are over. He's got at least one more season with the San Antonio Spurs but fans should not expect him to don the blue-and-white Argentina kit again after Rio 2016.
The odds of Argentina upsetting a young and hungry USA team are bleak. Nevertheless, Ginobili will be looking to end his international career on a high even though a medal may not be in the offing. However, it will be nice to see the final chapter of a glittering career from one of the true global non-American superstars of the sport.
Ginobili bid goodbye to Argentina fans when he played probably his final game on home soil before going to Rio and the shooting guard was almost in tears when he thanked the crowd following the game.
“We are very happy to continue after all this time representing the country,” he said. A true and humble sportsman of the ilk we may not see again for a long time.
Guess the Lakers players!
