Farewell, Manu Ginobili

After weeks of pondering his future, Manu Ginobili has come to a decision. Yesterday, Ginobili announced his retirement from basketball.

Ginobili sent out a tweet yesterday afternoon that confirmed his retirement. His tweet read: "Today, with a wide range of feelings, I'm announcing my retirement from basketball. IMMENSE GRATITUDE to everyone (family, friends, teammates, coaches, staff, fans) involved in my life in the last 23 years. It's been a fabulous journey. Way beyond my wildest dreams."

Manu Ginobili played 16 seasons in the NBA. However, his career started in 1995. He played a few years in both Argentina and Italy prior to joining the San Antonio Spurs. Ginobili was drafted by the Spurs in 1999 as the 57th pick. However, Ginobili did not join the Spurs until 2002.

At that time, the 57th pick was the second to last pick in the NBA Draft. The 60th pick was not established until the 2005 draft. It's strange to think that a player like Manu Ginobili was drafted so late, especially the 57th pick. But, the Spurs pulled off their typical magic and found an exceptional player that would become crucial to their success. The same can be said about former Spurs guard Tony Parker. Parker was the 28th pick of the 2001 draft. Parker went on to win 4 championships with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. Like Ginobili, Parker was a "sleeper" pick that the Spurs found and molded into a championship player. Ginobili and Parker are testaments to how great the Spurs organization truly is.

In his first season with the Spurs, Ginobili played 69 games. He averaged his career low in points with 7.6 points per game. Ginobili started in only five games that year. Despite a career low in points, Ginobili was a part of the Spurs' 2003 NBA Championship team. The Spurs beat the New Jersey Nets in a 6 game series to win. In other words, Manu Ginobili won his first championship in his first year in the NBA. This is impressive for any player. Ginobili had his first taste of victory, but it certainly wasn't his last.

His stats improved the following year as he averaged 12.8 points and a career high 1.8 steals. Then, in the 2004–2005 season, the Spurs won another championship. They beat the Detroit Pistons in a seven-game series. Ginobili won his second championship within a span of three seasons. He averaged 16 points in 74 games that season. He started in all 74 games, which is a complete turnaround from his first season where he only started five games. Ginobili was became an excellent player and a key piece of the San Antonio Spurs.

Ginobili won two other championships with the Spurs. They won in the 2006-2007 season when they swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals. Then, they faced LeBron James again in 2013-2014, but this time James was with a different team. James was a part of the "Big Three" Miami Heat with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Miami's "Big Three" went head to head with the Spurs' "Big Three," which is arguably the first "Big Three." The San Antonio Spurs prevailed in both of their meetings with LeBron James.

Ginobili had other accomplishments as well, both in and out of the NBA. He was a two-time All-Star (in 2005 and 2011), two-time All-NBA Third team (in 2008 and 2011), the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2008 and NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He also was a EuroLeague Champion in 2001, All-EuroLeague First Team in 2002, Italian League champion in 2001, a two-time Italian League MVP (in 2001 and 2002), and an Olympic Gold Medalist in the 2004 Athens Games.

I've watched Manu Ginobili play throughout the years. I was amazed at his talent and his tenacity. It will be strange to see the San Antonio Spurs and Manu Ginobili isn't on the court. It will take a while getting used to.

All in all, I want to congratulate Manu Ginobili on a great career. As Steph Curry referred to him as, Ginobili is "a champion through and through." It was fun to watch you throughout the years and I hope you enjoy retirement.