Tag: Manu Ginobili

The best draft-and-stash players in NBA history

Usually, players drafted in the draft sign their first NBA contracts that same offseason. For most players, and particularly Americans, the NBA is the pinnacle of professional basketball, the place they have always wanted to be. It is also …

Usually, players drafted in the draft sign their first NBA contracts that same offseason. For most players, and particularly Americans, the NBA is the pinnacle of professional basketball, the place they have always wanted to be. It is also indisputably where the most money is, and so the quicker one can prove themselves in it, the quicker one can earn the really big money.

Each year, though, some players do not join the NBA straight away. Some never come at all, with players as far back as 1986 still technically having their draft rights owned by an NBA franchise on account of never signing an NBA deal. Others will join in the future; after all, being selected in an NBA draft is a privilege, a prestige and an invitation to sign, but not a requirement.

From this latter group, there have been some big successes. Be it through a deliberate decision to stay and get more developmental playing time, a business decision for enhanced money and/or playing minutes, by arrangement with the NBA team who drafted them, or some other set of circumstances, several players in each draft class will not join the NBA at their first opportunity. And in some cases, that has paid big dividends for both the player and their team.

There follows a look at the best draft-and-stash players in NBA history.

Who is the greatest player of all time for the San Antonio Spurs in the Olympics?

One name in particular stands out.

Who is the greatest player of all time for the San Antonio Spurs in the Olympics? An intriguing question on its face, Bleacher Report NBA analyst Andy Bailey recently took a stab at answering the question of which player for every ball club in the league is their respective Olympics G.O.A.T.

Using an admittedly subjective standard for his assessment given “how sparse statistical analysis of these games are,” Bailey has a fairly obvious player in mind for San Antonio’s Olympics G.O.A.T. — Manu Ginobli, who “appeared in four different Olympics” for his native Argentina over the course of his career as a player.

“Over those 29 games, he averaged 18.0 points, 3.7 assists and 2.1 3s, while shooting 59.0% on 2s and 39.2% from deep,” adds the B/R analyst.

“He won two medals, and of course, was one of the leaders of Argentina’s golden generation,” recounts Bailey.

“In 2004, Manu’s country was the last one standing, thanks largely to his 19.3 points and 40.5 3-point percentage.”

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Ranking: The Top 15 players in Olympic basketball history

Olympic basketball ignites a competitive fire like no other national team competition. Most of the best NBA players have made at least one appearance at the Games. Some others without NBA experience have become legends in their own right due to …

Olympic basketball ignites a competitive fire like no other national team competition. Most of the best NBA players have made at least one appearance at the Games. Some others without NBA experience have become legends in their own right due to their performances on the Olympic courts alone.

According to the HoopsHype crew, these are the best 15 players in the history of the competition. For this exercise, we’re rewarding players who played and excelled in multiple Olympic tournaments.

How Manu Ginobili became a legendary role player

Manu Ginobili is both a San Antonio Spurs and NBA legend, and arguably one of the best role players in history.

Manu Ginobili spent his entire NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs, winning four championships during his 16 seasons under Gregg Popovich. He was also a two-time All-Star and one-time Sixth Man of the Year. During his illustrious career, Ginobili became an NBA legend for his innovative play and unrelenting will to win.

Ginobili suited up for 1057 regular-season NBA games, starting 349 of them. He retired with a career averaged of 13.3 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 36.9% from 3-point range and 50.6% from two-point range. He also made 218 postseason appearances and was part of the Spurs incredible success.

During a recent video by the Clayton Crowley YouTube Channel, the host takes a closer look at Ginobili’s career and how he was able to carve out such an impactful role off San Antonio’s bench. Ginobili’s incredible relationship with the Spurs fanbase is also explored.

If you want to re-live the incredible career and impact of Ginobili’s career, you can do so by clicking on the embedded link above.

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Klay Thompson credits Spurs’ Manu Ginobili for inspiration

After coming off the bench for the Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson credited San Antonio Spurs legend Manu Ginobili.

The Golden State Warriors haven’t been having the season they envisioned when they began the year, and Klay Thompson, in particular, has struggled. In fact, he’s been so rough that Steve Kerr recently moved him to the bench. He pointed to San Antonio Spurs legend Manu Ginobili as a primary reason why he’s willing to take on the role.

This year marks Thompson’s 11th season in the league, and on Thursday night, he came off the bench for the first time since his rookie season. The five-time All-Star and four-time NBA Champion has learned to accept the role, shouting out Ginobili in the process.

He said that if Ginobili can do it, he can. (H/t Tim Capurso of Sports Illustrated)

“Just got to let the ego go when you think of coming off the bench and all that. I thought about Manu Ginóbili,” Thompson said. “That guy has four rings and a gold medal. Came off the bench his whole career, and I don’t think anyone looks down on his Hall of Fame candidacy. He’s one of the greats. I embraced it before the tip.”

In 28 minutes off the bench against the Utah Jazz, Thompson poured in a season-high 35 points to go along with six rebounds and two assists. He shot 13-of-22 from the floor and 7-of-13 from behind the three-point line.

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Why 2014 San Antonio Spurs were best team in NBA history

Were the 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs the best team in NBA history?

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls went 72-10. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors went 73-9. The former won the NBA championship, and the latter didn’t, but both are considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history. And over the years, the San Antonio Spurs have had a few teams that deserve to have their name thrown in the ring for that title.

San Antonio’s best record in franchise history was in the 2015-16 season when they went 67-15. However, they didn’t win the championship. The Spurs’ team in 2014 was just as impressive. Their regular season was a bit worse at 62-20, but they finished the job when the season came to a close.

The Heart of Texas Media Network recently uploaded a YouTube video that detailed why the 2013-14 Spurs were the best team in NBA history.

Not only did the Spurs win the title that year, they managed to take down the Miami Heat, who were riding the high of two straight NBA championships.

Kawhi Leonard took home the Finals MVP award, largely because of the defense he played against LeBron James, but the Spurs’ scoring was well-rounded throughout the playoffs.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Leonard were able to bring home another championship to San Antonio on the tail end of their dynasty.

It was Duncan’s fifth title in San Antonio and the fourth for both Parker and Ginobili. All three were entering the final stages of their career, yet with the help of Leonard, they were able to take down one of the best teams in the league.

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Victor Wembanyama, Spurs take tour of San Antonio with Manu Ginobili

Victor Wembanyama and some of his San Antonio Spurs teammates took a tour of San Antonio with Manu Ginobili.

Throughout the years, the San Antonio Spurs have been home to lots of international superstars. From Tony Parker to Manu Ginobili, lots of great players have passed through the city and played for the Spurs organization. Even Tim Duncan can fall under the category, as he’s from the US Virgin Islands.

Their current roster is no different. Obviously, Victor Wembanyama is the star of the show. The French superstar was the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. But even guys like Sandro Mamukelashvili, who plays for the Georgian national team, and Sidy Cissoko, who is French, are on the Spurs, adding to the international culture in San Antonio.

Those three, accompanied by Ginobili and some other members of the team, recently took a tour of San Antonio. Rene A. Guzman of the San Antonio Express-News had some details on the tour.

“The mission tour was provided through a Spurs partnership with American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions,” Guzman wrote. “The group hosts the Spurs for its “Yanaguana Mission Heritage Tour,” which offers a history lesson from the perspective of this region’s native peoples, according to director of development, Sabrina San Miguel.”

With a huge international presence in San Antonio, the Spurs took it upon themselves to immerse their players into the city.

Heading into the season, the Spurs will look to compete for their first playoff spot in four years, but their main priority will be to develop their young talent, and part of that is getting them embedded into the community.

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Robert Horry on disagreement with Spurs teammates Parker, Ginobili

Former San Antonio Spurs forward Robert Horry recently spoke about a disagreement he had with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

The San Antonio Spurs are one of the best organizations in NBA history, having won five championships since 1999 on the back of Tim Duncan and a slew of other Hall-of-Famers. Guys like David Robinson, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili all helped Duncan out along the way, aiding the Spurs during their title runs.

However, things weren’t all rainbows and sunshine on the Spurs. Even the title teams dealt with some internal issues, one of which was recently revealed by Robert Horry, who won two championships in five years with the Spurs. He unveiled a disagreement he had with Parker and Ginobili.

During a recent edition of his podcast, the “Big Shot Bob Pod,” Horry stated that he disagreed with Parker’s and Ginobili’s decision to play for their respective national teams. (H/t Matt Guzman of Inside the Spurs)

“I looked at Manu, and I looked at Tony; I said, ‘I’m all about believing in your country, but you’re messing with my money,'” Horry said. “When you come into the NBA season, you don’t have the same gusto, you’re tired at the end of the season, you don’t have legs.”

Obviously, Parker played for the French national team and Ginobili played for Argentina, but Horry was worried that their international play would cut into their NBA performance.

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Will Spurs ever build Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili statues?

Should the San Antonio Spurs build statues for Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili?

Throughout the course of NBA history, the San Antonio Spurs have separated themselves as one of the greatest franchises ever. With their selection of Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in this year’s NBA Draft, they have a chance to start a new era of Spurs basketball, and it will be built on the back of past dynasties.

Most recently, they enjoyed decades of success led by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. Duncan ended his career with five rings, while both Parker and Ginobili have two. With how much success they had in San Antonio, how will the Spurs honor them?

During a recent edition of the Locked On Spurs podcast, host Jeff Garcia and Michael Jimenez of Alamo City Podcast pondered whether or not the organization will build them statues.

Do you think the Spurs should build statues for the Big 3?

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Keldon Johnson pitched as Spurs’ next Manu Ginobili

Could Keldon Johnson be the San Antonio Spurs’ next Manu Ginobili?

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The San Antonio Spurs have one of the brightest futures in the NBA, and a lot of that has to do with their selection of Victor Wembanyama this summer. But on top of that, they have a great group of guys around him. They’re slated to roll out a starting lineup of Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Victor Wembanyama, and Zach Collins.

Where does that leave Keldon Johnson? Well, according to Jeph Duarte of Pounding the Rock, it could see him slip into the role Manu Ginobili once played for the Spurs – the super sixth-man role – that helped them win a couple of titles.

Duarte referenced Johnson’s words to Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News in which he said he’d be willing to come off the bench, stating that the forward could be super useful in that role.

“Bringing Keldon off the bench offers immediate leadership to the second unit and could shape a back-up squad that can elevate the Spurs while the starters rest,” Duarte wrote. “The 2014 Spurs title team was able to rest elders and manipulate line-ups because of their amazing bench.”

Johnson is coming off a solid season in San Antonio, and in a bench role, he could be a great scoring punch for the Spurs. He may be one of the best bench players in the league should he take on that tole.

If he sticks around long enough to help them win, and he comes off the bench doing it, Johnson’s role on the squad and sacrifices along the way would certainly mimic those of Ginobili.

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