Manu Ginóbili officially retiring from the NBA after 16-year career

Manu Ginóbili is officially retiring from the NBA at age 41 per Shams Charania, with a professional career that started in 1995 overseas.

According to NBA Insider Shams Charania, Manu Ginóbili of the San Antonio Spurs has decided to call it a career in the NBA. Ginóbili first joined the Spurs back in the 2002-03 season and is a four-time NBA Champion, two-time NBA All-Star, an NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and made the All-NBA Third Team twice. In 2003, Manu made the All-Rookie Second Team and prior to his NBA career he was already EuroLeague Finals MVP and Champion in 2001. The Italian Cup MVP in 2002, two-time Italian League MVP in 2001, 2002, two-time EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer, and All-EuroLeague First Team.

Younger NBA fans will most notably remember his infamous playoff defining block on James Harden in the 2017 playoffs. Leading the Spurs to a Western Conference Finals birth against the Golden State Warriors after stifling the Houston Rockets chances in Game 5 of the semifinals with a 110-107 victory.

Seasoned NBA fans will remember just as Kobe once described Manu on NBA on TNT, as a player who “creates havoc on the floor,” a left handed wonder who can do it all one the floor. Everyone knows NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley was a big fan, always yelling an iconic, joyful “Ginóbili!” at another Manu play for the highlight reels.

Ginóbili’s final season with the Spurs had a cloud over the team with the question of would an injured Kawhi Leonard be able to return in time for the playoffs. When Leonard was unable to return, Manu, Aldridge and the rest of the Spurs did all they could but were simply outmatched against the Golden State Warriors. Manu once spoke about it being much worse to lose when you have the win/championship in your grasp (a few points deciding the victor) than to be overmatched in blowout fashion.

Ginóbili had a standing ovation when the Spurs were originally eliminated by the Warriors in the 2017 Western Conference Finals, with fans chanting “Manu! Manu!” He spoke at a post-game conference about how the fans sounded like they were ready for him to retire but all fans of the game were grateful he came back one more year. It seemed fans naturally expected that he’d be back again this season but you could always expect the unexpected with Manu Ginóbili.

Ginóbili was always the epitome of class, an unconventional player that played a conventional team-oriented game (occasionally being able to freelance on the court with Coach Pop’s blessing), sacrificing whenever asked, agreeing to come off the bench in his prime. No matter his age, you knew when Ginóbili was on the court there was a possibility of something special happening, or an imminent comeback regardless if the Spurs were down. A true Champion in every respect to the word!

FanSided spoke on Friday with BIG3 commissioner Clyde Drexler about the possibility of signing Manu Ginobili if he decided to retire, and he said the BIG3 would do “everything short of stalking Manu,” and that “He’s a perfect BIG3 player!” Now that possibility grows immensely with the retirement announcement. It’ll be up to Ginobili if he’d consider still playing just without a grueling 82 game season and playoffs. Drexler did mention they’d like to get his “teammate Tim Duncan” as well. Maybe there’s a chance of a Spurs reunion in the BIG3 somewhere down the line.