Enigma is the only word that can adequately describe Manu Ginobili. A certain Hall of Fame entrant once he retires yet someone who has only played more than 30 minutes a game on average over a season just twice.
Brilliant and infuriating in near equal measures, the Argentine is both one of basketball’s most forgotten stars while also being hugely admired. His team, the San Antonio Spurs, are historically known for being methodical and pragmatic to the point that most NBA highlight reel junkies snooze the moment their name is mentioned.
But last year the Spurs were involved in one of the NBA’s most dramatic moments, one that nearly spelt the end for Ginobili.
After leading the Spurs to three NBA titles in 2003, 2005 and 2007, Ginobili and the Spurs appeared to have one last chance in June when they took on the Miami Heat in the Finals.
Holding a 3-2 lead in games, the Spurs were five points up in Game 6 with half a minute to go. Officials had the ropes out and the trophy ready before a LeBron James 3-pointer and Ray Allen’s historic corner three broke Spurs hearts. Game 7 seemed a formality after such a devastating loss and the Heat duly won their second straight title.
For Ginobili, it wasn’t just about getting over the loss, it was deciding whether to continue playing at all. But the Argentine, like his organisation, never gets too up or down and insists the decision to stay on was an easy one.
“Losing in the Finals was tough, it was a tough blow,” Ginobili told Sport360°. “But you know what, there are a lot of guys that don’t even make it to the Finals so you got to put things in perspective and once you get over how tough it was and adjust, you really feel lucky that we had an opportunity like that and that I’m playing in a great organisation, being respected and at 36 I still have a great opportunity to play so…”
When asked whether the defeat to the Heat was still fresh in the memory, the shooting guard sincerely and simply says: “It’s completely gone, completely gone.”
Aside from the defeat, the Spurs ability to win consistently without spending money and without attracting attention makes the franchise the envy of the NBA.
Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder have tanked for a star player like the Spurs did with Tim Duncan. Others have copied their pioneering international scouting to nab the best foreign talent at the cheapest rates – Ginobili was drafted, inexplicably at No57 in 1999.
None have succeeded in replicating their success. And none have been able to get their hands on a player like Ginobili, a selfless creative two-way star who is happy to take pay-cuts for the good of the organisation.
His Hall of Fame credentials have been discussed ad nauseam. His international success makes him one of just two players to have won the EuroLeague, Olympic gold and NBA championship and puts him in line for a trip to Springfield while others point to his lowminute averages as a knock against him.
Entry to Springfield can only come once a player has retired. And that outcome looked perilously close at the end of last season.
Ginobili had struggled for fitness all season, playing just 60 games while his averages took a minor dip. His ageing limbs at 36 looked to be holding the franchise back.
His performances in the play-offs drew criticism, especially in a torrid Finals showing where his cavalier ways swung in the wrong direction; the unpredictability that had made him great was making him a liability.
This season however, the Argentine has been back with a vengeance, getting up to his old tricks meshing mind-boggling creativity with ruthless efficiency.
“I feel good, I don’t know if it’s the best I’ve ever felt, it’s hard to compare in your head because previous seasons aren’t fresh in your mind but I’m feeling good,” he adds.
Known for his mental strength as much as his creativity, Ginobili has moved on and wasted no time over the summer. The Argentine’s hard work has been noticed in the regular season so far. His team play inexplicably better when he is on the floor, leading the charge.
Team-mates Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Danny Green, Marco Belinelli and Boris Diaw all shoot at a significantly higher percentage when Ginobili is on the court while the team’s overall shooting percentage moves from a leisurely 46.4 to a scorching 52.6 simply by adding the veteran wizard.
Still capable of his jaw dropping passes and pick-pocket cunning, Ginobili has quietly been one of the successes of the season while his team continue to defy age in search of another title.
He adds: “I take the season the same way as I always do. Last year I had a tough period with injuries that made me have doubts about my future, but once I finished the season healthy I was motivated and excited to play in the Finals. So after that I decided to stick around.
“I took the first month of pre-season off so I could rest and get everything out of my head.
“After that I just got back to lifting, getting stronger doing rehab, getting my core and legs strong so they can withstand a whole season and then start playing, working on my jumpers, just the same as I have always done.”
Long may we continue to debate the frustrating but flamboyant merits of the boy from Buenos Aires.
Manu’s rise to the top
1995: As a spry 18-year-old, Ginobili breaks through at his local club La Rioja before being traded a season later to Estudiantes.
2001: After a successful spell with Italian side Basket Viola Reggio Calabria, Ginobili signs for Kinder Bologna where he enjoys one of his most successful years by lifting the Italian Cup, Italian League and EuroLeague, and is named EuroLeague Finals MVP.
2003: In his rookie year with the San Antonio Spurs, Ginobili emerges as a surprise star helping to lead the Spurs to their second ever title after beating the New Jersey Nets.
2004: Overcoming the Americans – who were the overwhelming favourites – Ginobili is Argentina’s star man as lead his side to the Olympic gold. Only the third time Team USA didn’t win gold.
2008: After playing third banana for much of his time with the Spurs, Ginobili takes a full leadership role and scores a career-high 19.5 points per game.
