One year after the legendary Manu Ginobili decided to retire from the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs gave him the greatest honor between team and player: immortalizing the No. 20 and retiring his jersey. It was a gesture everyone expected and a ceremony that was a fitting end to one of the greatest international basketball careers of all-time.
Manu Ginobili’s Spurs jersey retirement ceremony was a fitting tribute to his career
Understated, yet earnest and heartfelt. Here are all the highlights.
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
The Spurs opted to host Ginobili’s ceremony after their 116-110 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday. The mantra the night was “Gracias Manu, por todo.” Translated to English, that’s “Thanks Manu, for everything.”
In typical Spurs’ fashion, the event was understated, yet earnest and heartfelt. Here are the highlights.
The Spurs started with an introduction video
Tim Duncan and Tony Parker flew into town for Ginobili’s ceremony
These guys were inseparable during their playing days, and they reunited for a special night.
Parker came even though his Hornets are in the thick of a playoff race. He was actually given permission to fly on the Spurs’ charter plane after Charlotte’s OT win over San Antonio on Tuesday.
Fans stuck around after the game to honor Ginobili
That’s a sold-out crowd right there.
And they welcomed the former Spurs greats the way they always have
Of course Pop spoke
And he reflected on some of the moments he and Ginobili shared throughout the course of his career.
“The way the team was set up, we all needed each other,” he said. “And without Manu, there were no championships.”
Was that a kiss?
Some things Duncan and Parker said
The official jersey retirement
What a feeling this must be.
Then Ginobili spoke
And he thanked the fans for being with him all along.
The Spurs also included Ginobili in his own tribute
The interviewed Ginobili, and he reminisced about different phases of his career, from when he was merely considering the NBA after playing professionally in Argentina, all the way watching his career blossom under head coach Gregg Popovich.
The Golden Generation was there, too
Six of Ginobili’s teammates from the greatest era of Argentina national basketball history were flown in to attend: Luis Scola, Andres Nocioni, Pablo Prigioni, Fabricio Oberto, Pepe Sanchez, and Alejandro Montecchia. They held a special roundtable at halftime.
Ginobili’s jersey retirement didn’t come with as much pomp and circumstance as Chris Bosh’s — hell, Bosh even got his own day in Miami history — but it was typical of how the Spurs operate. What an incredible tribute to one of the greatest players to ever touch the floor.
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