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.
NBA Career Night (48 points)
- NBA Regular Season: San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns
- Date: January 21, 2005
Manu Ginobili’s career night in the NBA was one of the most incredible games of his 23-year old career. Playing against Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire and the Phoenix Suns, the San Antonio Spurs were trailing by 17 points. Manu Ginobili took over the game, scored an incredible 48 points, and his team eventually defeated the Suns 128 – 123 in overtime in what was a fantastic game to watch. Ginobili played 44 minutes, shot an insane 72.7% from the field and to go along with his 48 points; he added six assists and five rebounds.
Olympic Game-Winner vs. Serbia
- Olympic Games, Athens: Serbia vs. Argentina
- Date: August 15, 2004
The ultimate journey in Athens, Greece in 2004 started with Manu Ginobili hitting the game-winning shot against Serbia for the first game. Serbia had a one-point lead with 3.8 seconds remaining, but Argentina quickly advanced the ball, run the court in transition and Manu Ginobili managed to shoot an off-balance jumper just a fraction of a second before the final buzzer sounded. The ball went through the net and Argentina eventually defeated Serbia 83-82 and Ginobili became a hero.
Manu Ginobili leads Spurs to NBA title
- NBA Finals, Game 7: San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons
- Date: June 23, 2005
With his 23 points, Manu Ginobili led the San Antonio Spurs to the championship, after defeating the Detroit Pistons 74-81 in a do-or-die game seven. For the 35 minutes he stayed on the court, Manu Ginobili made the best of it as he scored 23 points (8/13 FG), grabbed five rebounds and handed out four assists. The San Antonio Spurs won their third NBA championship, and the ‘Big 3’ of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili was just starting to heat up.
37 points against the Dallas Mavericks
- NBA Regular Season: San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks
- Date: December 5, 2007
The season has just begun, and the San Antonio Spurs were competing with an injured Tim Duncan. It was time for Manu Ginobili to become the go-to guy and leader of Gregg Popovich’s team. Manu Ginobili made a statement, as he scored 37 points and handed out six assists, while he also dunked viciously on DeSagna Diop and Josh Howard. Slowly but surely from the 2007-2008 NBA season, a healthy Manu became the Spurs first option.