Good news for the San Antonio Spurs fans - Manu Ginobili is coming back! Apparently Ginobili isn't ready to retire just yet, even after 15 seasons in the NBA. The Spurs finished as the number two seed in the Western Conference last season with a 61-21 record, but it turned out even the Spurs weren't ready for the Warriors. San Antonio got swept in the Conference Finals by the Golden State Warriors, and many thought Game 4 of that series was the last game of Manu Ginobili's career.
Even Ginobili himself appeared to be at peace with his retirement, as he walking off the court in the Conference Finals last season while receiving a standing ovation at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. But the way things are looking now, the 6-foot-6 guard from Argentina will most likely play one more season in the NBA.
Hall of Famer back for one last dance
According to ESPN reports, Manu Ginobili is finalizing a deal with the San Antonio Spurs that will keep him in Spurs uniform for the next season. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported the news on Tuesday, but it is unknown how much will the deal be worth.
It is expected that Ginobili will sign a one-year deal for veteran's minimum, considering the fact that he will turn 40 in just a couple of days. Assuming that the deal gets done, the 2017/2018 season will be the 16th of Ginobili's career.
He has spent his entire career with the San Antonio Spurs, and it's only right that he ends it next season in San Antonio. Ginobili was drafted late in the second round in the 1999 NBA Draft, but played his first season in 2002. He averaged 7.6 points per game in his rookie season, while his best year was during the 200/2008 campaign. It was the season when Ginobili averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The 15-year NBA veteran from Argentina played 69 games for the Spurs last season, and played an average of 18.7 minutes per game.
His 7.5 points per game last season were the lowest of his career, but his presence on the court and in the Spurs locker room is priceless for head coach Gregg Popovich.
Fan-favorite in San Antonio
When it's all said and done, Ginobili will go down as one of the best international, non-American players in NBA history. The fans in San Antonio love him, and over the years he has shown great energy, passion and relentlessness while playing in the San Antonio Spurs uniform. He stayed loyal, playing his entire career with the team that drafted him and will have the chance to compete for the NBA championship one last time next season. Manu is a four-time NBA champion with the Spurs, three-time All-Star and he's also an Olympic gold medalist with Argentina. Last season he became the first player age 39 or older to score 20 or more points off the bench in a playoff game since 1970.