A week after the talks and rumors started, it became official on Monday, as Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs announced his retirement. The 41-year-old spent all 16 NBA seasons with the Spurs, winning four NBA Titles, all under head coach Gregg Popovich. Ginobili made the announcement via social media, calling his time in the league a "fabulous journey" and "beyond my wildest dreams."
This wasn't an easy decision for Ginobili, who was still working out at the team's training facility in case he did return for a 17th season. The Spurs were hopeful that he would return, but did give him all the time he needed to make up his mind. Following this announcement, they did add Quincy Pondexter on a one-year deal on Monday.
The Spurs also took to social media to thank Ginobili for his time with them with a special tribute video.
To go along with his four titles, he is also a two-time All-Star, an Olympic Gold Medalist for Argentina, and a Euroleague MVP. He participated in 1,057 regular season games, 218 playoff games, and ranks in the top five in Spurs history with 14,043 career points, 4,001 assists, and 1,392 steals.
He did have one year left on his current contract, which would've paid him $2.5 million. In his final season with the Spurs, he averaged 8.9 points and 20 minutes per game. He joins Kawhi Leonard as players who have parted ways with the team this off-season, as Leonard was dealt to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan. Despite the loss of another veteran, the Spurs are still expected to contend in the Western Conference playoff race this upcoming season.
This wasn't an easy decision for Ginobili, who was still working out at the team's training facility in case he did return for a 17th season. The Spurs were hopeful that he would return, but did give him all the time he needed to make up his mind. Following this announcement, they did add Quincy Pondexter on a one-year deal on Monday.
The Spurs also took to social media to thank Ginobili for his time with them with a special tribute video.
To go along with his four titles, he is also a two-time All-Star, an Olympic Gold Medalist for Argentina, and a Euroleague MVP. He participated in 1,057 regular season games, 218 playoff games, and ranks in the top five in Spurs history with 14,043 career points, 4,001 assists, and 1,392 steals.
He did have one year left on his current contract, which would've paid him $2.5 million. In his final season with the Spurs, he averaged 8.9 points and 20 minutes per game. He joins Kawhi Leonard as players who have parted ways with the team this off-season, as Leonard was dealt to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan. Despite the loss of another veteran, the Spurs are still expected to contend in the Western Conference playoff race this upcoming season.
