Spurs to retire Manu Ginobili’s jersey in March ceremony

WASHINGTON, USA – Argentina’s Manu Ginobili will have his number 20 jersey retired by the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs in a ceremony at a March 28 home game against Cleveland, the team announced Tuesday, October 30.

Ginobili won 4 NBA titles in 16 NBA seasons with the Spurs with a career .721 win percentage – his 762-295 record is the best in NBA history among players with at least 1,000 league appearances.

The 41-year-old South American star, who retired in August, joins American Bill Bradley as the only players in basketball history with an NBA title, a EuroLeague crown and an Olympic gold medal.

Ginobili won a European crown with Virtus Bologna in 2001, led Argentina to 2004 Olympic gold in Athens and helped the Spurs to NBA titles in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.

Together with French guard Tony Parker and power forward Tim Duncan, Ginobili was part of a “Big Three” combination during the Spurs’ glory years.

Parker and Ginobili combined for 132 playoff triumphs, the most post-season victories by any pair of teammates in NBA history.

Ginobili will become only the ninth player in Spurs history to have his jersey number forever retired.

He’s among only 7 players to suit up for one team over an NBA career lasting at least 16 seasons, joining Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Reggie Miller, John Stockton, John Havlicek and German star Dirk Nowitzki.

Over 1,057 career games, Ginobili averaged 13.3 points, 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He’s the all-time club leader in 3-pointers made with 1,495 and steals with 1,392.

Ginobili was the 2008 NBA Sixth Man of the Year as the league’s top reserve.

In 218 career playoff games, he came off the bench 165 times and owns career post-season records for reserve players with 2,014 points, 576 assists, 635 rebounds and 205 steals as well as baskets, three-pointers and free throws made.

Overall, Ginobili joined four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James as the only players with at least 3,000 points and 300 3-pointers in the playoffs for their careers. – Rappler.com