NBA: 30 greatest international players in league history
Greatest international NBA players of all time: 4. Manu Ginobili
There’s always been a stigma around the NBA in regards to coming off the bench. Those that do are viewed as lesser players whose talents aren’t good enough to start off a game. Manu Ginobili didn’t just succeed leading the second unit, he made the role a part of his allure for 15 seasons in the NBA.
Having originally been drafted by the Spurs 57th overall in 1999, Manu wouldn’t officially make his debut until the 2002-03 season at age 25. During that three-year gap, Ginobili would put on a show across the pond in Lega Series A by averaging 18.0 points to go along with 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game.
One can’t simply peg Ginobili as either a scorer or passer. He was a playmaker, an unconventional guy who drove to the rim without any real knowledge of what he was going to do once there, but he made it work. He was creative in his methods, making the game up as he went along. The turnovers and bad shots were frustrating, but the euro-steps and flashy passes were poetic.
By the time he arrived in the Alamo, the Spurs already had a primary floor general, Tony Parker. Greg Popovich would try and fit all of his new Big Three of Parker, Ginobili and Tim Duncan into the starting lineup, but there simply weren’t enough shots to go around.
Pop could’ve continued to smash a round peg into a square hole with a firm belief that their talent would mask all deficiencies. Instead, he did what few coaches would ever do and sent Ginobili to the bench. Manu may have struggled in adjusting to the new role, but it came to be the best of both worlds for both himself and the Spurs.
San Antonio would go on to win a title in his first season with the team. His statistical contributions may not have been much, but they would increase as early as the following year once Ginobili acclimated himself to NBA basketball.
He averaged 13.3 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in just 25.4 minutes a game across 15 seasons, all with the Spurs. He may have been the team’s sixth man but was just as invaluable as any starter.
The Spurs would go on to win a total of four championships with Ginobili in the fold as the ultimate spark off the bench. He was never afraid of any moment with the results to back it up, born with a competitive fire and attack mentality that served San Antonio well during some of its most dire moments.
As far as accolades go, Manu doesn’t stack up with some of his international contemporaries with two All-Star and All-NBA nods to go with a Sixth man of the Year trophy. But to think that’s all he brought to the game of basketball is to misunderstand the greatness of Manu Ginobili.
Without his sacrifices, the Spurs likely aren’t the well-run dynasty built on unselfishness. Manu’s talent could’ve led to phenomenal numbers, but he opted for the greater good of the team. Four championships — and one memorable gold medal run in the 2004 Olympics — set his legacy in stone as one of the greatest sixth men ever.