Manu Ginobili re-signs with San Antonio Spurs

Manu Ginobili has re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs.

After much speculation regarding his NBA future, it appears that Manu Ginobili has decided to extend his contract with the San Antonio Spurs for the upcoming two years.

The 40-year-old, two-time NBA All-Star and four-time champion Ginobili has spent the last 16 seasons with the Spurs and has amassed a grand total of 13,467 points.

Despite losing Spurs legend Tim Duncan to retirement on July 11, 2016, Ginobili has provided San Antonio with a veteran presence as the “sixth man” on the roster.

Ginobili has spent the last 16 years with the same team that drafted him in 1999 and has helped solidify the Spurs’ status as one of the Western Conference’s powerhouses.

Moreover, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard has served his duty as the face of the Argentinian Olympic team, helping the squad secure a Gold medal in 2004 and a Bronze one in 2008.

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Although the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors are early favorites to earn themselves a third crown in four years, the Spurs’ youth movement could use an experienced and iconic player such as Ginobili to help pave the way for their professional careers. Long-serving veteran Tony Parker has only one year left on his contract and hopes that the examples of Duncan and Ginobili can help him earn one final contract, as per French site RMC Sport:

"I will be entering my final contract year, it will be the first time in my career that I will be free-agent. I’ve already said it several times, I want to play three more seasons, do the 20 seasons with the Spurs, and I think it’s two decades. I want to continue to perform well on the floor."

Should all things remain the same, Ginobili could come off the bench and show up-and-coming stars Kawhi Leonard and Dejounte Murray how to be true NBA professional during the 2017-18 season.