Tag: Manu Ginobili

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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Victor Wembanyama raved about his dinner with a few ‘generous’ Spurs legends

A handful of Spurs greats have already taken Victor Wembanyama under their wing.

Not even two days removed from the 2023 NBA Draft, San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama has already learned from some of the franchise’s great players.

Wembanyama reportedly dined with Spurs legends Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Manu Ginobili on Friday night, and the rookie raved on Saturday about how much they taught him and invested in him for their few hours together.

“In probably a couple hours, I learned more about the NBA than in my whole life,” Wembanyama said. “It’s comforting to see that these people, who are so important to the city of San Antonio and to the franchise, are such kind people, and generous, because they genuinely wanted to share with me their experience.”

What a cool moment it must’ve been for Wembanyama to get to engage with those Spurs legends in such an intimate setting.

The new San Antonio franchise face also has support from his fellow countryman and Spurs legend Tony Parker, as the two already had an established relationship with each other before Wembanyama was drafted.

“I know he wanted to go to San Antonio, and so it feels like it was destiny, with the French connection we built over the years,” Parker told AP. “And he is going to keep the legacy going. It’s pretty cool.”

Wembanyama is going to carve out his own legacy in San Antonio history, and it’s already so neat to see the Spurs greats of yesterday already embrace the franchise’s future star.

Manu Ginobili is a first-ballot Hall of Famer as one of the best international players ever

Manu is an official all-time great.

The Spurs’ dynasty of five championships might be over but they’re far from done getting their flowers. It doesn’t stop at the steward of their run, Gregg Popovich, becoming the NBA’s all-time wins leader in early March.

The latest news concerns one of the more unique championship pillars ever to grace a court in any basketball sense: Manu Ginóbili.

A gifted and deft scorer for 16 years in San Antonio, it sometimes felt like Ginóbili wasn’t appreciated the way he should be. Those legendary Spurs teams that managed to beat Shaq, Kobe, and LeBron in so many big games never do so if they don’t have the Argentine on their side.

The folks with the Basketball Hall of Fame agree.

That’s why Ginóbili is being inducted on the first ballot.

Goosebumps. I have goosebumps

The Ginóbili announcement comes on the heels of the reveal of the entire Class of 2022, which also includes:

  • Swin Cash — four-time WNBA All-Star, two-time Olympic gold medalist
  • Tim Hardaway — five-time NBA All-Star
  • Bob Huggins — two-time NCAA Coach of the Year
  • George Karl — sixth all-time in NBA wins

With all due respect to these legends, it’s Ginóbili who is the unquestioned headliner.

Now at the age of 44 and since retired, Ginóbili entered the NBA game a little late. He wasn’t breaking the hearts of the Lakers in a black jersey until he was 22 — over three years after the Spurs drafted him. Instead of jumping to the United States right away, the Argentine decided to plug away a little longer elsewhere and play in Italy.

Oh and at the same time: His beloved Virtus Bologna won the EuroLeague in 2001 where he was crowned EuroLeague Finals MVP.

When Ginóbili finally decided to make the leap and join Tim Duncan and Popovich in 2002, it was all downhill from there. Not only was he an integral part of four championship teams, he was a player of unquestioned versatility:

  • Two-time All-Star 
  • Two-time All-NBA Third Team
  • Sixth Man of the Year (2008)

Sure, it might not seem like the most impressive ledger at first. But when you remember that Ginóbili most often came off the bench for the Spurs to light other teams up, you reconsider. He was a one-of-a-kind microwave scorer and the heart and soul of one of the NBA’s best-ever teams.

Ginóbili will enter the Hall of Fame in the conversation for the best international NBA player ever. Which, you won’t hear any argument for me. As a proud Argentine, he helped grow the league and the game on a worldwide scale, and then some. I’d even go as far as to say that his status as an international player comes before his esteemed reputation as a cog in the Spurs machine.

Manu Ginóbili is an all-time basketball great. It’s really heartening to see the powers that be give him, among all people, the flowers he truly deserves.

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Gabriel Deck improving, hoping to pave path for other Argentinian athletes

Gabriel Deck was thrown into the action immediately for the Thunder. Head coach Mark Daigneault said he has improved each game.

The day after Gabriel Deck debuted for the Oklahoma City Thunder, he talked about how well the organization had been treating him.

“From the moment I got on the plane in Madrid up to now, everything’s been unbelievable,” he said through a translator.

Deck, an Argentinian who last played for Real Madrid in Spain, arrived in Oklahoma City in mid-April. The Thunder may have treated him well, but they also gave him a rude welcome to the court: Game 1, go defend Zion Williamson.

He did a fine job of it, and he has improved each outing. Deck had two points and defended Williamson in his debut; he scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his second game; he had 11 points, six boards and three assists in his third.

Against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, he posted 16 points on seven shots in 16 minutes of play.

“He’s gotten better every game,” said head coach Daigneault. “We love his physicality around the basket. Plays much bigger than he is. Plays much tougher than his size. He’s a pretty nasty dude defensively. And then offensively he really knows how to play, and that’s a pretty good combination.”

Daigneault went so far as to compare Deck to other players on the team who show these attributes.

“When you got a guy that’s got some size, some versatility, some strength, that’s tough as nails and knows how to play, you’re in Kenrich Williams, Isaiah Roby territory. And that’s a good place to be,” Daigneault said.

From afar, Argentinian legend Manu Ginobili has been paying close attention. The former San Antonio Spurs star has been tweeting along as he watches the newest Argentinian in the NBA play.

Deck hopes that he can set the standard for the next generation of Argentinian players the way Ginobili did for athletes like him and Denver Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo, the two current NBA players from the South American country.

“I’m grateful for all of those who came before me to kind of pave the way for Argentinians in the NBA,” he said. “I hope to continue building on that lineage and hopefully create opportunities for boys and girls that are looking up to us to reach the league and have more of a presence moving forward.”

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Gabriel Deck improving, hoping to pave path for other Argentinian athletes

Gabriel Deck was thrown into the action immediately for the Thunder. Head coach Mark Daigneault said he has improved each game.

The day after Gabriel Deck debuted for the Oklahoma City Thunder, he talked about how well the organization had been treating him.

“From the moment I got on the plane in Madrid up to now, everything’s been unbelievable,” he said through a translator.

Deck, an Argentinian who last played for Real Madrid in Spain, arrived in Oklahoma City in mid-April. The Thunder may have treated him well, but they also gave him a rude welcome to the court: Game 1, go defend Zion Williamson.

He did a fine job of it, and he has improved each outing. Deck had two points and defended Williamson in his debut. He scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his second game. He had 11 points, six boards and three assists in his third.

Against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, he posted 16 points on seven shots in 16 minutes of play.

“He’s gotten better every game,” said head coach Daigneault. “We love his physicality around the basket. Plays much bigger than he is. Plays much tougher than his size. He’s a pretty nasty dude defensively. And then offensively he really knows how to play, and that’s a pretty good combination.”

Daigneault went so far as to compare Deck to other players on the team who show these attributes.

“When you got a guy that’s got some size, some versatility, some strength, that’s tough as nails and knows how to play, you’re in Kenrich Williams, Isaiah Roby territory. And that’s a good place to be,” Daigneault said.

From afar, Argentinian legend Manu Ginobili has been paying close attention. The former San Antonio Spurs star has been tweeting along as he watches the newest Argentinian in the NBA play.

Deck hopes that he can set the standard for the next generation of Argentinian players the way Ginobili did for athletes like him and Denver Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo, the two current NBA players from the South American country.

“I’m grateful for all of those who came before me to kind of pave the way for Argentinians in the NBA,” he said. “I hope to continue building on that lineage and hopefully create opportunities for boys and girls that are looking up to us to reach the league and have more of a presence moving forward.”

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