Manu Ginobili planning to retire in two years – NBA Update
Manu Ginobili, the San Antonio Spurs shooting guard who has enjoyed enormous success since joining the franchise, has revealed that he has a plan set to retire. The Argentinean sniper, who has been with the Spurs since 2002 and
has become synonymous with the franchise, said that he planned to retire after two more seasons in the NBA.
“The truth is that I have set the date of my retirement, but I have two years left on this contract in San Antonio, and I will reach age 36. I think it may be an appropriate age to stop playing,” Ginobili told an Argentinean publication.
Ginobili is a massive part of the Spurs Dynasty, that has been built around power forward Duncan. Although, there is no denying that Tim Duncan is one of the all time greats and the backbone of the San Antonio Spurs side that has
won 4 NBA World Championships, it is hard to imagine Duncan achieving those feats without the help of Manu Ginobili.
The first NBA title for the Spurs was won with a side built around “The Two Towers”, Tim Duncan and David Robinson. However, the next three had Duncan as the spearhead with Ginobili and French point guard Tony Parker as the other
two heads of the Hydra.
In his time with the Spurs, Ginobili elevated himself to one of the best shooting guards in the league and brought a dynamic skill set to the Spurs roster. The left hander who can drain the outside shot, drive to the rim and set
up teammates, became a most potent weapon for the Spurs in their march towards NBA title glory time and again.
At age 33, he was still a standout performer for the San Antonio Spurs last season when they finished with the second best record in the league. Ginobili averaged 17.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
His retirement would spell the end of an era at the San Antonio Spurs. Tim Duncan’s contract ends after next season and he is believed to be considering retirement at that point. With Tony Parker also rumoured to be on his way
out of the club, Ginobili’s departure could be the last of the three players that made Spurs one of the most successful NBA teams of the last decade.
Ginobili, who hails from Argentina, has also paved the way for many foreign players, especially South Americans, to come and play in the NBA due to his unprecedented success. It had been speculated that Ginobili could consider
a final swansong season or two in his home country after leaving the NBA but the player downplayed any such possibility,
“I never had the desire to play in the country and retire at home. I always thought about retiring at the highest level,” Ginobili stated.
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