Assessing Spurs Legend Manu Ginobili’s Place in NBA History
If you look at his individual numbers, Manu Ginobili is not a Hall of Famer. He ranks 173rd in career points, 117th in career assists and 58th in career
If you look at his individual numbers, Manu Ginobili is not a Hall of Famer.
He ranks 173rd in career points, 117th in career assists and 58th in career steals. He’s a two-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA Third Team member and won Sixth Man of the Year in 2008. His best individual accolade might be a EuroLeague Finals MVP award when no one knew who he was.
And yet, when you look at Ginobili’s career in the context of a team, you won’t find another player more deserving of the Hall of Fame.
Ginobili was an unknown when the Spurs took him at the end of the second round of the 1999 draft. He wouldn’t come to the NBA until 2002-03, where he would struggle initially but end up playing significant minutes during San Antonio’s title run. Ginobili showed improvement in his second season, but couldn’t help the Spurs capture a second consecutive title.
The summer of 2004 was Ginobili’s big moment and it set off arguably the greatest individual year of his career. In the 2004 Olympics, Ginobili lead Team Argentina to a surprising gold medal run. He averaged 19.3 points, 3.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds across eight games, including a 29-point effort in a win against Team USA in the semifinal.
Back in the NBA, Ginobili exploded as a full-time starter. His all-out and occasionally reckless style wreaked havoc on the league and vaulted the Spurs to the second seed in the West. In the 2005 playoffs, Ginobili was a force. He averaged 20.8 points per game on an unreal 50.7 percent clip from the floor and 43.8 percent from deep. In a five-game series win over the top-seeded Suns, Ginobili poured in 22.2 points, 4.8 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game. He saved his best series for last.
In the 2005 Finals, Ginobili was unstoppable. His red-hot efficiency from the field continued and he showed up for the Spurs when they needed him most. In Game 5, in the final seconds of overtime with San Antonio down two, Ginobili caught the ball in the corner and immediately drew a double team. Then this happened.
Yes, Robert Horry made the shot. But look at Ginobili’s ridiculous pass out of the double team. Not only did he avoid a deflection, he put the ball right on Horry’s hands and let him step into a natural shooting motion. The series was tied 2-2. If Ginobili turns the ball over, that’s the game. If he takes a reckless shot instead, that’s also likely the game. Instead, the Spurs go back home up 3-2 and Ginobili gets to continue his heroics.
This is the best game of Ginobili’s career. In a low-scoring battle, he kept the Spurs afloat with his timely scoring. Tim Duncan won Finals MVP, but Ginobili was the best player in the series. After an injured plagued season in 2005-06, the Spurs decided it was best to bring Ginobili off the bench. This would simultaneously allow the star to preserve his body and lift a lackluster bench unit. Ginobili’s sacrifice was emblematic of the Spurs culture and their subsequent dynasty.
Ginobili’s bench role wasn’t his only sacrifice. Duncan, Ginobili and Parker form the winningest playoff trio in NBA history and are the foundation of San Antonio’s basketball supremacy. Ginobili was a star and could have demanded to be treated like one in every aspect. When you look at career earnings, Duncan made north of $100 million more than Ginobili. Parker brought in $60 million more and counting. It’s one thing to sacrifice stats; it’s another to turn down money.
Another great Ginobili moment on the court is from the 2014 NBA finals. The Spurs were well on their way to a fifth title and just needed one more win. Ginobili was not as athletic as his old self, but the same reckless style was present. This play is everything.
This was a redemption moment for Ginobili and the Spurs. San Antonio had lost the previous year’s Finals in jaw-dropping fashion. Ginobili could have dished to Boris Diaw after Chris Bosh rotated toward him. He could have found a trailing Duncan for an easy finish. Instead, he put Bosh and Ray Allen on a poster.
But it isn’t just the basketball moments that make Ginobili special. It’s the humor behind the competitor.
It’s the admiration from his coach after taking an ill-advised three-point shot only to bury a game winner moments after.
It’s the time he took out a bat on the court, looking way too calm in the process.
His playing style and personality formed a perfect mix. His trademark fist pumps, behind-the-back dribbles and reckless passes created greatness on the court. His humor, competitiveness and individual sacrifice created a legacy off it.
1,275 games later, his place in NBA history will be cemented forever.
Manu Ginobili isn’t a Hall of Famer based on individual numbers. He isn’t a Hall of Famer based on four titles or two Olympic medals. But you can’t tell the history of basketball without Manu Ginobili, and it doesn’t get more Hall of Fame worthy than that.
