 Emanuel Ginóbili, 2004 Athens Olympics.
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| Position | Shooting guard |
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| Nickname | Manu, Gino, Narigón, El Contusión (first coined by teammate Brent Barry) |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs |
| Nationality | Argentina |
| Born | July 28 1977 Bahía Blanca, Argentina |
| Draft | 2nd round, 57th overall, 1999 San Antonio Spurs |
| Pro career | 1995–present |
| Former teams | Andino Sport Club (1995–1996) Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca (1996–1998) Viola Reggio Calabria (1998–2000) Kinder Bologna (2000–2002) |
| Awards | 2001 Lega A (Italy) MVP 2001 Euroleague MVP 2002 Lega A MVP All-Tournament, 2002 FIBA World Championship 2002-03 NBA All-Rookie Second Team 2004 Olympics MVP 2004-05 NBA All-Star All-Tournament, 2006 FIBA World Championship |
Emanuel David Ginóbili, better known as Manu Ginóbili, (born 28 July 1977 in Bahía Blanca, Argentina), is an Argentine basketball player. Coming from a family of professional basketballers, he is a member of the Argentine national basketball team and the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ginóbili spent the early half of his basketball career in Argentina and Italy, where he won several individual and team honors. His stint with Italian side Kinder Bologna was particularly productive, earning two Lega A Most Valuable Player awards, one Euroleague MVP award and the 2001 League Championship. The San Antonio Spurs drafted the shooting guard as the 57th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, but Ginóbili returned to Italy and only joined the Spurs in 2002. He did not take long to establish himself as a key player for the Spurs, and has since won three NBA championships as well as being named an All-Star once. With the national team, Ginóbili has also enjoyed success. He made his début in 1998, and was a member of the team which won the gold medal during the 2004 Olympics. Hailed as one of the finest Europe-based players to grace the NBA with his high-tempo and intensive game, Ginóbili is also the only basketball player ever to win a Euroleague title, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.
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Family and personal life
Ginóbili comes from a family of basketball players. His eldest brother, Leandro, retired in 2003 after seven years in the Argentine basketball league, while Sebastián has played in both the local league and the Spanish Liga Española de Baloncesto. Their father Jorge was a coach at a club in Bahía Blanca, where Ginóbili learned to play the game.[1] Given the proliferation of basketball clubs in Bahía Blanca and his idolization of Michael Jordan, Ginóbili's love for basketball grew rapidly.[2] Like many Argentines, Ginóbili is a descendant of Italian immigrants, and he has dual citizenship with Argentina and Italy.[3] As a result of his travels, he can speak Spanish, Italian and English fluently.[4] In his free time, Ginóbili enjoys surfing the internet, listening to Latin music, watching movies and relaxing with his friends.[4] In 2004, he married Many Orono.[4]
Professional career
Argentine and Italian years
Ginóbili made his professional début in the Argentine basketball league for the Andino Sport Club team of La Rioja from 1995–1996, and was traded to Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca the next year.[4] He played with his hometown team until the Italian league attracted him, and in 1998 he moved to Europe, spending the 1998–1999 and 1999–2000 seasons with Basket Viola Reggio Calabria.[4] Ginóbili then entered the 1999 NBA Draft and the San Antonio Spurs selected him late in the second round with the 57th overall pick.[5] However, he did not sign with the Spurs at this point in time. Instead, he returned to Italy to play for Kinder Bologna, which he helped win the 2001 Italian Championship, the 2001 and 2002 Italian Cups, and the 2001 Euroleague, where he was named Most Valuable Player (MVP).[4] He was also named League MVP in 2000–01 and 2001–02, and made the Italian league's All-Star game three times during this period.[4]
San Antonio Spurs
It was not until after the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis that Ginóbili joined the Spurs. There, he made the All-Tournament team alongside future NBA star Yao Ming and established NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojakovic,[6] and helped lead Argentina to a second-place finish.[4] In his first season in the NBA, Ginóbili played backup for veteran guard Steve Smith.[2] He spent much of the early season injured, and found it hard to adjust to the NBA's style of play. As his injury improved, so did Ginóbili, winning the Western Conference Rookie of the Month in March, and being named to the All-Rookie Second Team at the end of the season.[4] Still, he only started in five games as the Spurs chalked up a 60–22 regular season win-loss record.[7][8] The Spurs then entered the playoffs eager to upset favorites Los Angeles Lakers, and this was when Ginóbili rose to prominence. In contrast to his regular season, Ginóbili became an integral part of Gregg Popovich's rotational set up in the playoffs, playing in every game.[4] The Spurs eliminated Phoenix and Los Angeles[9] and in those games his scoring threat took opponents by surprise, giving them one more thing to cope with against the now highly-favored Spurs. He helped guide them past the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals and then the New Jersey Nets in the Finals,[9] securing San Antonio's second ever championship. After the win, Ginóbili was named Argentina's top sportsman in the country's main newspaper, Clarín, and even met Argentine president Néstor Kirchner.[2] A gym in Bahía Blanca was dedicated in Ginóbili's honor as well.[2]
In the 2003–04 season, Ginóbili began featuring more regularly for the Spurs, starting in half of the 77 regular season games he played in.[7] His statistics improved in all major categories, as he averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.[7] During the playoffs, the Spurs met perennial rivals Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. Following a controversial Game 5 where Derek Fisher scored a buzzer-beating jumpshot,[10] the Spurs lost Game 6 and lost the series 2–4.[11] While Ginóbili did not start in a single playoff game as he did in 2003, his playoff statistics improved significantly, with 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.[7] After some issues with San Antonio over his contract, Ginóbili re-signed with the Spurs and he started in every game in the 2004–05 season.[7] This was his best season yet as he was selected as a reserve by NBA coaches to the 2005 Western Conference All-Star team, marking his début in the elite mid-season showcase.[4] During the playoffs, Ginóbili's play was pivotal to winning San Antonio's third ever championship. The Spurs first defeated Phoenix 4–1 in the Conference Finals,[12] before prevailing in a very defensive seven-game series against the Detroit Pistons.[13] Ginóbili recorded career-highs in his playoff numbers, most notably 20.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg,[7] and had the third highest point total in the entire playoffs.[4] In the NBA Finals MVP Award voting, the shooting guard was a candidate but was edged out by teammate and captain Tim Duncan.[2] The former finished the 2004–05 season as the second leading scorer on the team.[4]
The 2005–06 season was an injury-plagued one for Ginóbili, who suffered foot and ankle injuries that hindered his ability to play. He managed 65 games in the regular season, but saw a dip in major statistics as compared to the previous season.[7] During the playoffs, he returned to form, but was unable to prevent the Spurs from being eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Semifinals.[14] In the 2006–07 season, the Spurs lacked energy off the bench and Ginóbili provided it coming off the bench for most of the second half of the season helping the Spurs to the best record in the second half of the season. Ginóbili produced numbers closely identical to his successful 2004–05 campaign despite starting in only 36 of 75 games, his second lowest since arriving at San Antonio.[7] The 2007 NBA Playoffs saw him help the Spurs to defeat the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz, before sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers to win his third and San Antonio's fourth championship.[15]
NBA career statistics
- Correct as of 24 December 2007[7]
| Regular season | Team | GP | MPG | SPG | BPG | RPG | APG | PPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | San Antonio | 69 | 20.7 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 7.6 | 0.438 | 0.345 | 0.737 |
| 2003–04 | San Antonio | 77 | 29.4 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 12.8 | 0.418 | 0.359 | 0.802 |
| 2004–05 | San Antonio | 74 | 29.6 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 16.0 | 0.471 | 0.376 | 0.803 |
| 2005–06 | San Antonio | 65 | 27.9 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 15.1 | 0.462 | 0.382 | 0.778 |
| 2006–07 | San Antonio | 75 | 27.5 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 16.5 | 0.464 | 0.396 | 0.860 |
| 2007–08 | San Antonio | 26 | 28.8 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 19.2 | 0.440 | 0.396 | 0.831 |
| Career | 386 | 27.2 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 14.0 | 0.451 | 0.377 | 0.806 |
| Playoffs | Team | GP | MPG | SPG | BPG | RPG | APG | PPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | San Antonio | 24 | 27.5 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 9.4 | 0.386 | 0.384 | 0.757 |
| 2003–04 | San Antonio | 10 | 28.0 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 5.3 | 3.1 | 13.0 | 0.447 | 0.286 | 0.818 |
| 2004–05 | San Antonio | 23 | 33.6 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 5.8 | 4.2 | 20.8 | 0.507 | 0.438 | 0.795 |
| 2005–06 | San Antonio | 13 | 32.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 18.4 | 0.484 | 0.333 | 0.839 |
| 2006–07 | San Antonio | 20 | 30.1 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 5.5 | 3.7 | 16.7 | 0.401 | 0.384 | 0.836 |
| Career | 90 | 30.4 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 15.6 | 0.447 | 0.383 | 0.808 |
Argentine national team
| Olympic medal record | |||
Competitor for  Argentina |
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| Men's basketball | |||
| Gold | 2004 Athens | Team | |
Ginóbili is a member of the Argentina national basketball team, and made his début during the 1998 FIBA World Championship in Athens.[4] His best accomplishment as a member of the national team came at the 2004 Athens Olympics when Argentina became the first team other than the United States to win the gold medal in 16 years. His highlight of the tournament was probably his game-winning buzzer beater with 0.7 seconds remaining, on the opening day of the Olympics, in a game versus Serbia and Montenegro.[16] Ginóbili was also named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, as he led the team in both scoring (19.3 ppg) and assists (3.3 apg).[17]
Player profile
| He has a willingness to do what it takes to win, and to do it at the highest possible level of intensity, every single minute he steps on the court. Gregg Popovich, after the 2005 NBA Playoffs[1] |
Ginóbili is a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), 205 lb (93 kg) left-handed shooting guard[4] who has been deployed either as a sixth man or starter for the Spurs. He has established himself as a reliable and versatile backcourt presence, and is a relatively late bloomer, entering the NBA at age 25 in a period where entering the NBA as a teenager was very common.[2] Alongside teammates Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, he forms one of the centerpieces of San Antonio's game.[2] Apart from his up-tempo and aggressive style of play, Ginóbili is known for his clutch play.[1] This is documented by his numerous European league MVP awards, 2004 Olympic tournament MVP, and his performances in San Antonio's 2004-05 championship-winning campaign. Ginóbili's modus operandi however, is a source of consternation for some of his opponents. A fierce attacker of the basket, he often lowers his head when driving to the basket, and is willing to draw charges on defense.[1] He was even listed by ESPN writer Thomas Neumann at #6 on the list of greatest floppers in NBA history.[18] But having traversed the major basketball continents in his basketball career, Ginóbili is one of the few players who have enjoyed success 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.[5][19] He is also the first non-U.S. player ever to win both the NBA Championship ring and the Olympic gold medal, and only the second Latin American to be selected to play in an NBA All-Star game (after Panama's Rolando Blackman).[19] In 2007, ESPN sportswriter John Hollinger even ranked Ginóbili as the sixth best international player in the NBA, describing the 57th draft pick as the "great heist of all time", and attributed the trend of NBA teams drafting developing European players to the success of the Argentine.[3]
Honors
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)
- 2007 NBA Championship (San Antonio Spurs)[4]
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 All-Tournament Team, FIBA World Championship
- 2004 Ideal Olympics Team
- 2004 Summer Olympic Games Most Valuable Player
- 2005 NBA All-Star
- 2006 All-Tournament Team, FIBA World Championship[4]
References
- ^ a b c d Ludden, Johnny, "Mover and shaker: Motor always has been running for Spurs' Ginobili", mysanantonio.com, 11 June 2005, accessed 18 August 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g Manu Ginobili - Bio, jockbio.com, accessed 18 August 2007.
- ^ a b Hollinger, John, "The 30 best international players in the NBA", sports.espn.com, 27 April 2007, accessed 17 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Manu Ginoboli Info Page - Bio, nba.com, accessed 17 June 2007.
- ^ a b Manu Ginobili, Argentina, interbasket.net, accessed 17 June 2007.
- ^ FIBA World Basketball Championships, insidehoops.com, accessed 18 August 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Manu Ginobili Info Page - Career Stats and Totals, nba.com, accessed 9 June 2007.
- ^ 2002-03 Standings, nba.com/history, accessed 9 June 2007.
- ^ a b 2003 Playoff Results, nba.com/history, accessed 9 June 2007.
- ^ Fisher’s Jumper Gives Lakers Dramatic Game 5 Win, nba.com, 13 May 2004, accessed 9 June 2007.
- ^ At a Glance, nba.com, accessed 17 June 2007.
- ^ At a Glance, nba.com, accessed 17 June 2007.
- ^ Spurs Dethrone Pistons To Take Third NBA Title, nba.com, 23 June 2005, accessed 17 June 2007.
- ^ At a Glance, nba.com, accessed 17 June 2007.
- ^ Parker, Spurs Close Out Cavs for Fourth Title nba.com, 15 June 2007, accessed 17 June 2007.
- ^ Ginobili Lifts Argentina at Buzzer, washingtonpost.com, 16 August 2004, accessed 18 August 2007.
- ^ Olympic Basketball - 2004 Olympics, insidehoops.com, 29 August 2004, accessed 17 June 2007.
- ^ Neumann, Thomas, "The greatest floppers in NBA history", 7 June 2007, accessed 22 June 2007.
- ^ a b "Emanuel Ginobili" - Para Tí magazine (Spanish)
Biographies
- Frescó, Daniel, Manu, el Cielo con las Manos (2005) Aguilar 304pp. ISBN 987-04-0271-2 - biography (Spanish)
External links
- Official site in English
- (Spanish) Web Oficial en español
- NBA.com Profile - Manu Ginóbili
- Manu Ginóbili at ESPN.com
- Manu Ginóbili Player Profile (InterBasket)
- Manu Ginóbili article on Hoopsworld.com
- Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard on Manu Ginóbili
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2 Mohammed | 3 Robinson | 5 Horry | 8 Nesterovic | 9 Parker | 12 Bowen | 14 Udrih | 17 Barry | 20 Ginobili | 21 Duncan (Finals MVP) | 23 Brown | 34 Massenburg | Coach Popovich |
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| First Round Elton Brand • Steve Francis • Baron Davis • Lamar Odom • Jonathan Bender • Wally Szczerbiak • Richard Hamilton • Andre Miller • Shawn Marion • Jason Terry • Trajan Langdon • Aleksandar Radojević • Corey Maggette • William Avery • Frédéric Weis • Ron Artest • Cal Bowdler • James Posey • Quincy Lewis • Dion Glover • Jeff Foster • Kenny Thomas • Devean George • Andrei Kirilenko • Tim James • Vonteego Cummings • Jumaine Jones • Scott Padgett • Leon Smith |
| Second Round John Celestand • Rico Hill • Michael Ruffin • Chris Herren • Evan Eschmeyer • Calvin Booth • Wang Zhizhi • Obinna Ekezie • Laron Profit • A. J. Bramlett • Gordan Giriček • Francisco Elson • Louis Bullock • Lee Nailon • Tyrone Washington • Ryan Robertson • J.R. Koch • Todd MacCulloch • Galen Young • Lari Ketner • Venson Hamilton • Antwain Smith • Roberto Bergersen • Rodney Buford • Melvin Levett • Kris Clack • Tim Young • Manu Ginóbili • Eddie Lucas |
 2004 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – Argentina |
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Pepe Sánchez | Emanuel Ginóbili | Alejandro Montecchia | Fabricio Oberto | Wálter Herrmann | Gabriel Fernández | Hugo Sconochini | Luis Scola | Leonardo Gutiérrez | Andrés Nocioni | Carlos Delfino | Rubén Wolkowyski | Coach: Rubén Magnano |
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Argentina squad - 2002 FIBA World Championship Finalists - Silver medal | |
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4 Sanchez | 5 Ginobili | 6 Montecchia | 7 Oberto | 8 Victoriano | 9 Fernandez | 10 Sconochini | 11 Scola | 12 Gutierrez | 13 Nocioni | 14 Palladino | 15 Wolkowyski | Coach: Magnano |
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Argentina squad - 2006 FIBA World Championship - 4th place | |
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4 Scola | 5 Ginobili | 6 Sánchez | 7 Oberto | 8 Herrmann | 9 Gabriel Fernández | 10 Delfino | 11 Prigioni | 12 Gutierrez | 13 Nocioni | 14 Farabello | 15 Wolkowyski | Coach: Sergio Hernández |
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Ginóbili, Manu |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ginóbili, Emanuel David |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Professional basketball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 28 1977 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bahía Blanca, Argentina |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
