The NBA will not be the same without “Manu” Ginóbili
After 16 years and several legacies, the Argentine player announced his retirement. In LatinAmerican Post we review what his game left him to the best basketball in the world
On Monday, August 27, what many fans feared and different media commented: the retirement of the most important basketball player in the history of Latin America, the Argentine Emanuel "Manu" Ginóbili, who played 16 seasons in the NBA, became official. That's why LatinAmerican Post pays homage to this great continental athlete.
Leer en español: La NBA no será la misma sin “Manu” Ginóbili
In the farewell letter that the player wrote, which was replicated by El Clarín, he said: "I should not be the only one who lives and feels all this when I retire, I suppose that it should happen in any work environment, only in basketball Having this familiarity that we achieved in San Antonio is very unusual, playing with several partners for almost 16 years, with the same coach and seeing many of the same faces every year generates a strong sense of belonging . "
The portal deportes.cienradios.com reported shortly after the end of the 2017-18 campaign that Ginóbili would meet its final contract year by 2.5 million. The article mentioned that the player, a native of Bahía Blanca in Argentina, had spoken with coach Greg Popovich. The coach told him that he intended to continue playing, to which the Argentine had agreed. However, it was not.
A career full of successes
He was just 18 years old when he made his debut as a professional in the National League in Andino de La Rioja. Infobae says that "His family breathed basketball, and was represented by his brothers Sebastian and Leandro." They were his impulse, but he surpassed them in such a way that today he retires leaving marks of 14,043 points and 4,000 assists, nothing more and nothing less than in the NBA.
The same means that in the mid-nineties he stood as the best FIBA player then excelled in Argentina with Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca and from there he went directly to Europe. Italy was waiting for him and there he took advantage of his opportunity both with the Viola Reggio Calabria and with the Kinder Bologna. His name became popular in the NBA and that's how in 1999 he was chosen in the 57th position of the draft by San Antonio Spurs. Contrary to what many might think, the NBA did not stay large and this is reflected in its respectable numbers.
GRACIAS por absolutamente todo lo que has dado al baloncesto. Un ejemplo para todos los que amamos este maravilloso deporte. Afortunado de haber compartido vestuario con vos estos 2 últimos años! #GraciasManu pic.twitter.com/FFGzWMqqaC
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) 27 de agosto de 2018
In 1057 games he averaged 13.3 points per game played, 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds in a position that little handles that part of the game and 1.3 steals in 25.4 minutes average for each game. He was also elected the Sixth Man of the Year NBA in 2008, in its first edition. Such achievements opened, to a large extent, the doors to other players of FIBA America in the NBA.
His numbers transcended even to the NBA. Representing Argentina, and together with Luis Scola, they were part of the remembered "Golden Generation". Winners of the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Athens 2004. Also silver in the World Cup in Indianapolis 2002, the bronze in the Olympic edition of Beijing 2008. His farewell to the "Albiceleste" took place in 2016 after Rio de Janeiro 2016.
The legacies
With Ginobili, the sixth man gained a relevance he did not have. That the first player of the bank was so important was thanks to the Argentine. "It changed what the award for Best Sixth Man means, a lot of people think it's European, but it's not like that, it's South American, and all the South American players I played with bring that strength and that fight," said Kevin Durant, world champion. and Olympic with the United States and figure of the Golden State Warriors, in the middle of The Athlete, before Ginobili, the prize was related to "the best of the bad guys", and he changed that mentality.
The famous movement to go to the basket, and that "Manu" baptized as "Euro step" had perfected it from its passage through Europe and when doing it custom in the United States, all spoke of that. Nothing more and nothing less than LeBron James, said: "Basketball should thank you for the most used movement now that is the 'Euro step'", to dismiss him with honors.
basketball right now which is the "Euro Step" !!!! God bless you, thanks for the playing the game the right way and for the competition !!!
– LeBron James (@KingJames) August 28, 2018
With Ginobili, the value of all the choices in the draft, not only the first one, also gained value. He was the chosen number 57 and it was better than many. Refers Infobae, that from that choice, other teams began to do the same: betting on players not born in the United States.
He was not a selfish guy, he sacrificed for the team and that may well be taken as a legacy in front of so many stars that do not. Ginobili accepted lower salaries than his level required so that valuable names could come to Spurs such as LaMarcus Aldridge and David West in the 2015-16 season. Then, the set rewarded him with a much more "juicy" contract, according to Infobae.
LatinAmerican Post | Onofre Zambrano
Copy edited by Laura Viviana Guevara Muñoz
