Manu Ginóbili
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Basketball | ||
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2004 Athens | Basketball |
Emanuel David Ginobili (Spanish: Emanuel David Ginóbili) (born July 28, 1977 in Bahía Blanca, Argentina), better known as Manu Ginobili, is an Argentine basketball player. He is a member of the Argentine national basketball team and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. He is generally regarded as one of the best basketball players ever to come from both Argentina and Latin America.
Biography
Ginobili comes from a basketball family. Older brothers Sebastian and Leandro have played professionally in Argentina and Spain respectively. Their father, Jorge, was a coach at a club in Bahía Blanca, where Ginobili learned to play. Like many Argentines, Ginobili is a descendant of Italian immigrants.
Argentine and Italian years
He made his professional debut in the Argentine basketball league for the Andino Sport Club[1] team of La Rioja from 1995–1996, and was traded to Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca the next year. He played with his hometown team until the Italian league attracted him, and in 1998 he moved to Europe, playing in the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 seasons with Basket Viola Reggio Calabria, after which he was traded to Kinder Bologna, which he helped win the 2001 Italian Championship, 2001 and 2002 Italian Cups, and the 2001 Euroleague, where he was named MVP. He also made the Italian league's All-Star game three times during this period.
San Antonio Spurs
In the 1999 NBA Draft, the Spurs selected Ginobili late in the second round with the 57th overall pick, the penultimate choice in the entire draft. However, he did not sign with the Spurs until after the 2002 Basketball World Championship in Indianapolis, where he made the all-tournament team alongside future NBA star Yao Ming and established NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojakovic. Ginobili helped lead Argentina to second-place finish. In the years since, some commentators have deemed him the greatest draft day steal in modern NBA history, and perhaps all-time.
In his first season in the NBA, Ginobili came off the bench to help the Spurs climb to the NBA championship in 2003, when San Antonio beat the New Jersey Nets in six games. He continued to be an effective role player off the bench in 2004 and he became a starter for the Spurs by 2005. On February 8 of the following year, Ginobili was selected (by a vote of NBA coaches) to the 2005 Western Conference All-Star team as a reserve, his first time making it to the elite midseason showcase. On June 23, Ginobili won his second title with the Spurs playing as starter on a very defensive 7 games series against the Detroit Pistons, with a game seven score of 81-74. In the NBA Finals MVP Award voting, Manu was barely edged out (6 votes to 4) by teammate Tim Duncan. He was the second leading scorer of that team, finishing a memorable 2004-2005 season for him.
The 2005-2006 started with troubles for Ginobili, who suffered different foot and ankle injuries that prevented him from reaching his former game level, and thus left him out of the 2006 All-Star game. Yet short after the announcement of the All-star players, he had two very good games, where he scored 22 and 29 point respectively.
Olympic gold medal 2004
On August 15 2004, Ginobili led the Argentine team to the gold medal. Ginobili was named the MVP of the Olympic tournament, sporting heroics like in the 83-82 win over Serbia and Montenegro with a shot he made while falling to the floor with less than a second to go, in Argentina's basketball opener at the Olympic Games in Athens. The Argentina team went on to win the gold medal, with Ginobili leading the team in both scoring (19.3 ppg) and assists (3.3 apg).
Player profile
Ginobili is a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) shooting guard. He is a left-hander who is also adept at going to his right. Ginobili is known for his up-tempo style of play, his passing, and behind-the-back moves when attacking the basket. He also makes dunks with either hand, taking advantage of his first step. His modus operandi is the source of much consternation for opponents (for example, lowering his head while driving toward the basket, and willingness to draw charges on defense), among the most vocal of whom have been coach George Karl of the Denver Nuggets.
Notes
- Ginobili is the only player in basketball history to win the Euroleague, an Olympic gold medal, and an NBA Championship ring.
- He is also the second Latin American to be selected for the All-star game, after Panama's Rolando Blackman, though Ginobili played as a reserve.
- As of January 18, 2006, Ginobili is averaging 12.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assits and 26.8 minutes per game.
- During the 2005 Playoffs, Ginobili and teammate Tony Parker starred in an NBA-produced ad promoting the Finals where NBA players phoned in to the "Love Doctor" (portrayed by NBA legend Julius Erving) to get advice and to give their opinions about how much they loved the trophy.
Titles
- 2001 Italian League Championship (Kinder Bologna)
- 2001 Italian Cup (Kinder Bologna)
- 2001 Euroleague (Kinder Bologna)
- 2001 Americas Championship (Argentina)
- 2002 Italian Cup (Kinder Bologna)
- 2003 NBA Championship (San Antonio Spurs)
- 2004 Summer Olympic Games Gold Medal (Argentina)
- 2005 NBA Championship (San Antonio Spurs)
Awards
- 1999 Italian League All-Star
- 2000 Italian League All-Star
- 2000 Italian League Most Improved Player
- 2001 Italian League All-Star
- 2001 Italian League Most Valuable Player
- 2001 Euroleague Most Valuable Player
- 2002 Italian Cup Most Valuable Player
- 2002 Italian League Most Valuable Player
- 2002 Ideal Indianapolis World Cup Team
- 2004 Ideal Olympics Team
- 2004 Summer Olympic Games Most Valuable Player
- 2005 NBA All-Star
- 2005 Nike Baller Of The Year (fan poll)