J-Speaks: The Final Member of Spurs' 'Big Three" Retires

On July 11, 2016, the key part of the “Big Three” of the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan announced his retirement from the NBA after 19 seasons with the “Silver and Black.” On July 23, 2018, starting lead guard Tony Parker signed a two-year, $10 million deal to join the Charlotte Hornets after playing his first 16 seasons with the Spurs. On Monday, the last member of one of the most remarkable eras for one team in NBA history called it a career. 

Spurs’ guard Manu Ginobili announced his retire from the National Basketball Association (NBA) after playing all of his 16 seasons with the team from the “Alamo City” of San Antonio, TX. He averaged 13.3 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds during those seasons. 

The 41-year-old two-time All-Star made the announcement on his twitter account with a photo of him exiting the court of AT&T Center, with four fingers raised, representing the four titles he help the Spurs win @manuginobili saying, “Today, with a wide range of feelings, I’m announcing my retirement from basketball. IMMENSE GRATITUDE to everyone (family, friends, teammates, coaches, staff, fans) involved in my life in the last 23 years. It’s been a fabulous journey. Way beyond my wildest dreams.”

The high energy left-handed shooter who’s next stop is the Hall of Famer and the Spurs were hopeful he would want to come back for a 17^th season. He had according to a report from ESPN.com been working out at the Spurs’ practice facility on a regular basis as he considered his decision to retire. The organization allowed him according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski to take all the time necessary to make his decision. 

Ginobili had one-year and $2.5 million left on his contract. Wojnarowski also reported that on Wednesday he was “seriously considering” retiring and that he would meet up with head coach Gregg Popovich to discuss his future with the team. 

When it was all said and done, the husband of fellow Argentine Marianela Orono and father of three to Dante, Nicola and Luca decided that this was the time to hang up his sneakers.

 

“An NBA champion and All-Star, Manu Ginobili is also a pioneer who helped globalize the NBA,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement on Monday. “He is one of the basketball’s greatest ambassadors who believes in the power of sports to change lives. And for 16 years, we were fortunate to watch a legend compete at the highest level. Thank you, Manu, for a career that inspired millions of people around the world.”

In a tweet @spurs as well as video, the team thanked Ginobili for his 16 years with them by saying on Monday afternoon, “#GraciasManu por todo!” 

His former teammate Pau Gasol @paugasol tweeted, “THANK YOU for absolutely everything have done for basketball. A role model for all of us that love this wonderful sport. Fortunate to have shared locker room with you the last two years. #GraciasManu https://t/co/HBJDvjlw2j.”  

To put the amazing career of the No. 57 overall pick in the 1999 draft into context, he is just one of eight players in NBA history to win four NBA titles and a gold medal. Ginobili along with Hall of Famer of the New York Knicks and former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley are the only two players in NBA history to win an Olympic Gold Medal, an NBA title and a EuroLeague title. He is the only non-United States born player to do having dual citizenship with Argentina and Italy. 

The 918 wins (918-378 mark) he, Duncan, Parker and head coach Gregg Popovich help the Spurs to in their time together starting in the 2002-03 season, the first of four seasons where the Spurs captured Larry O’Brien trophies they led the Spurs are the most in "The Association during that span. The 575 wins by the Spurs' so-called "Big Three"  is the most by a trio in league history. 

Ginobili teamed with Coach Popovich to win 135 playoff games in his career. That is third behind the 137 of Coach "Pop" and Parker and the 157 by the future Hall of Fame coach and Duncan. 

In Spurs franchise history, only Duncan (1,392), Parker (1,198) played more games than the 1,057 of Ginobili, who also played 218 playoff games and averaged 14.0 points, four boards and 3.8 assists. He finished fifth on the team’s all-time scoring list with 14,043 points, trailing Duncan (26,496), Hall of Famers George Gervin (23,602) and David Robinson (20,790) respectably and Parker (18,943). Ginobili finished fourth on the team’s all-time assists list with 4,001 trailing Duncan (4,225), current Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball head coach Aver Johnson (4,474) and Parker (6,829). Ginonbili is the all-time leader in steals with 1,392 and three-pointers made with 1,495. 

Besides being a two-time All-Star (2005, 2011) and four-time champion, Ginobili won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2008 and was a two-time All-NBA Third Team selection (2008, 2011). 

He, Duncan, Parker, and Coach Popovich help guide the Spurs to 18 consecutive seasons of 50-plus wins, which concluded this past season where they won 47 games. 

In his 16 seasons, all with the Spurs, Ginobili never missed the playoffs and his squad never won less than 47 games.

Before joining the Spurs, Ginobili made a great name for himself overseas first for the Argentine Basketball League’s Andino Sport Club of La Rioja back in 1995-96. 

The next year he was traded to the Estudiantes de Bahia Blanca, where he played for his hometown from 1996-98. 

He then moved to Europe the next two seasons playing for the Italian team Basket Viola Reggio Clabria. 

After being drafted by the Spurs in the 1999 draft as mentioned, he did not sign with the team then. Instead, he went back to Italy to play for Kinder Bologna, helping them to the Italian League title in 2001 and the 2001 and 2002 Italian Cups and the 2001 EuroLeague. He won EuroLeague Finals MVP in 2000-01 as well as being named the Italian League MVP in 2000-01 and 2001-02. Ginobili also was selected to the Italian League’s All-Star Game three times during this span. 

At the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis, IN, Ginobili made the All-Tournament team alongside Hall of Famer in former Houston Rockets’ center Yao Ming, future Hall of Famer in Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki and former sharp shooter of the Sacramento Kings, then New Orleans Hornets’ and Indiana Pacers Peja Stojakovic. Argentina finished that tournament in second-place.

“Congrats @manuginobili on an amazing career. Great player. Fierce competitor. Winner. Next stop: HOF,” Nowitzki tweeted @swish41. 

Rookie of the Year runner-up from this past season Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz tweeted @spidadmitchell, “Thank you @manuginobili.”  

For all his accolades both individually and how he played a major role on all the teams he was on in his career, Ginobili in his own way was a game changer. 

In the words of ESPN.com’s senior writer Brian Windhorst, he might not have been the originator of the eurostep, but how he made it popular and a major part of his offensive arsenal. 

On top of that he was one of the most unselfish players of all-time in the NBA. This was a guy that was asked on many occasions by head coach and future Hall of Famer himself in Popovich to come off the bench. 

Most star players might have been a little salty if they were the caliber of Ginobili and they saw the likes of Duncan, Parker, and now former Spur Kawhi Leonard win at least one Finals MVP and not have one of their own. That did not matter to Ginobili, who only cared about doing what was best for the team and that resulted in consistent winning. 

Along the way, he developed his game to where he became a versatile player on offense from making plays for his teammates to making perimeter shots consistently, especially from three-point range and worked himself into being a solid defender. 

To fully illustrate the kind of player Ginobili was for the Spurs in the postseason, he and four-time league MVP of now the Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James are the only two players in NBA playoff history to register more than 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 300 three-pointers made. 

Ginobili is the all-time postseason leader for points, assists, rebounds, steals, field goals, three and free throws made by a reserve

“The quintessential type of modern play NBA player,” Windhorst called Ginobili on the Monday edition of ESPN’s “NBA: The Jump.” 

Perhaps where Ginobili really showed his greatness besides on the championship stage of the NBA is what he did on the international stage for Argentina national team in the late 1990s to about 2004, where they captured Gold in the Olympic games in Athens. 

He and former NBA players Luis Scola, Carlos Delfino and former Spur Felicio Oberto, who were part of the so-called “Golden Generation” of Argentina basketball played the kind of team basketball in terms offensive continuity in how they passed the basketball to one another and the kind of team togetherness they displayed was a thing of beauty. The kind of team work that has been synonymous with the defending back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors, who have won three of the last four Larry O’Brien trophies. 

Nick Friedell whose at that game when Ginobili and Argentina took down Team USA in the Semifinals at the 2004 Olympic Games said his fondest memory of that team and Ginobili was the passion they consistently played with in their 89-81 victory, led by the game-high 29 points from Ginobili. 

“What I will remember is the passion that Ginobili and that group always played with. He defined his career both internationally and in the NBA with that passion and it’s why he’s going to the Hall of Fame,” Friedell said. 

Windhorst echoed similar praise calling Ginobili and his teammates that, “they were so crisp and they played such a great team game.” 

“I always thought you could turn the lights off and they could still score baskets. When we watch like the Warriors today, we say, ‘Wow, look at how these guy play.’ Go watch Argentina from 2002-04, that’s where they learned it from.” 

In the Gold Medal game, Argentina defeated Italy 84-69, paced by the game-highs of 29 points and 11 rebounds from Scola. Ginobili had a game-high six assists. 

In three of the past four seasons via retirement, departing in free agency or via trade the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs said goodbye to the four of the six most important players in franchise history. The foundation for them began with George Gervin starting back when they were in the American Basketball Association (ABA). Then with David Robinson from 1990-2003. It extended to Tim Duncan from 1997-2016. Then along came Tony Parker in 2001 to this off-season. The Finals MVP of 2014 Kawhi Leonard was dealt to the Toronto Raptors for All-Star DeMar DeRozan in July, and Manu Ginobili retired in 2002 to this off-season. 

On Monday came to a conclusion of one of the best eras in NBA history by a dynamic three that helped the Spurs win four of their five titles. All three players Duncan, Parker and Ginobili were true treasures with their play on the court as well as off the court. In the case of Ginobili he put together a career where he shined both in the NBA in the U.S. and on the international stage. His next stop the Hall of Fame and he and Parker will have their No. 20 and No. 9 jerseys hanging in the rafters of the AT&T Center not to long for now when Parker retires. 

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 8/27/18 3 p.m. edition of ESPN’s “NBA: The Jump,” with Cassidy Hubbarth, Nick Friedell, Brian Windhorst and Chris Forsberg; 8/27/18 NBATV news crawl, headlines section; 8/29/18 6:30 a.m. edition of NBATV's "Gametime," with Matt Winer and Brent Barry; 8/27/18 www.espn.com article, “Spurs’ Manu Ginobili Announces Retirement after 16 Seasons;” 8/27/18 www.nba.com article “Manu Ginobili, 4-Time Champion with San Antonio Spurs, Retires at 41,” by Tim Reynolds of “The Associated Press;” 8/27/18 www.bleacherreport.com article, “Manu Ginobili Announces Retirement from NBA after 16 Seasons with Spurs,” by Kyle Newport; www.espn.com’s “NBA Free Agency: Every New Contract and Extension;” https:///basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/leaders_career.html; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics_-_Men%;  and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manu_Ginobili.