Emanuel David Ginobili (Spanish: Ginóbili) (born July 28, 1977 in Bahía Blanca, Argentina), better known as Manu Ginobili, is an Argentine basketball player of Italian descent. 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 Latin America.
Ginobili comes from a basketball family. Older brothers Sebastián 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.
Ginobili 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. Team's coach Ettore Messina helped him improve his shooting, defense and leadership. He also made the Italian league's All-Star game three times during this period.
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 FIBA 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 a 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. After some issues with San Antonio over his contract, with agent Herb Rudoy, Ginobili re-signed and he became a starter for the Spurs in 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-game series against the Detroit Pistons, with a game seven score of 81-74. In the NBA Finals MVP Award voting, Manu was 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 hindered his ability.
On the 21st February, 2007, Manu set a Spurs franchise record 24 straight points against the Atlanta Hawks. He scored 40 points to lead his team to a 103-96 victory.
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. Ginobili lead the team in both scoring (16.7 ppg) and assists.
Ginobili is a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), 205 lb (93 kg) shooting guard. His NBA career averages are 13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He is a relative latebloomer, entering the NBA at age 25 in a period where entering the NBA as a teenager was very popular.
Initially starting as a sixth man, Ginobili soon established himself as a starter. He is known for his up-tempo style of play, behind-the-back moves when attacking the basket and for his dunking skills. Ginobili is also known for his clutch play, documented by his numerous European league MVP awards, becoming 2004 Olympic tournament MVP, and proven by his strong play in the Spurs' 2004-05 championship-winning campaign, where he narrowly lost the Finals MVP vote to team mate Tim Duncan by 4-6 votes.
Ginobili's 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. These critics frequently accuse Ginobili of "flopping," or exaggerating the amount of contact that occurs when he is playing defense.
Ginobili also deserves mention for being one of the few players who are successful under both the physical, one-on-one play of the NBA and the more technical, jumpshooting rule set of the FIBA. He is the only player in basketball history to win the Euroleague, an Olympic gold medal, and an NBA Championship ring. He is also the only non-U.S. player ever to win both the NBA Championship ring and the Olympic gold medal, and the only second Latin American to be selected to play in an NBA All-star game (after Panama's Rolando Blackman).
Ginobili's career high in points is 48, which he scored vs. the Phoenix suns during an overtime game of January 2005. Manu Ginobili set his scoring high off the bench with 40 points in a February 21st victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
* During the 2005 Playoffs, Ginobili and teammate Tony Parker starred in an NBA-produced advertisement 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.
* Manu Ginobili speaks three languages fluently: Spanish, Italian and English.
Source : Wikipedia
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