By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
A future Hall of Famer, a role model for younger players, a four-time NBA champion, an Olympic gold medalist, a EuroLeague champion has retired from basketball after 23 years of continuous success. Manu Ginobili was a special player that revolutionized international basketball and provided fans from all over the world beautiful and unique moments over the past two decades.
On Monday night, the whole world sent special messages to Manu Ginobili, congratulating and praising him for his exceptional career. Among others, his rivals, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James also paid their fair share of respect with meaningful messages via Twitter.
Eurohoops created a list with his top ten most memorable games, to celebrate his illustrious career.
Ginobili, Argentina shock Team USA in Olympic Games Semi-Final
- Olympic Games, Athens, Semi-Finals: Argentina vs. USA
- Date: August 27, 2004
The final score was 89-81. Argentina had beaten Team USA and had advanced to the Olympic Games Final. Manu Ginobili had given it his all, as he had led his national team to the final in the world’s biggest stage. Against all the odds, his national team had defeated Team USA. The 27-year old at the time, Manu was unstoppable, especially on that night.
He had led all scorers with 29 points (four three-pointers) and in addition, had managed to grab three rebounds and hand out three assists. It indeed is one of Manu’s most memorable and significant game.
EuroLeague Career Night (31 points)
- EuroLeague Regular Season – Kinder Bologna vs. London Towers
- Date: November 15, 2001
Manu Ginobili’s career high in the EuroLeague competition came against the London Towers in 2001. It was a regular season game, and Bologna hosted London’s team. Manu Ginobili was on another level. The Argentinian guard scored 31 points (5/9 3FG), but also added an impressive seven assists and four steals on the night. Ginobili also posted 38 points in the PIR system. Kinder Bologna eventually blew out London Towers, winning the game 94-72.