Manu Ginobili will not retire if he can continue to be useful to Spurs

Manu Ginobili is open to keeping his career going for another year if he can help his Spurs in their quest for a run at another NBA championship.

Manu Ginobili could stick around next season after all.

The soon-to-be 40-year-old shooting guard is open to keeping his career going for another year and enter his 16th NBA season if he can help his San Antonio Spurs in their quest for a run at another NBA championship.

“Manu will decide over the coming month(s),” his brother, Sepo Ginobili told ESPN Radio in Argentina, per NBA En Linea. “If he can help and be useful to the team, he will continue.”

Ginobili got a warm ovation upon his last minutes in Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors in May 22, knowing full well it could be the very last time he could grace the hardwood at the AT&T Center.

“Whatever I decide to do, I’ll be a happy camper,” Ginobili told reporters after recording 15 points, seven assists and three steals in 32 minutes of playing time in Game 4.

“I have to choose between two truly wonderful options. One is to keep playing in this league at this age, enjoying every day, playing the sport I still love. The other one is to stay at home, be a dad, travel more, enjoy my whole family. I have a wonderful family and spend time with them.

“Whatever it is, it’s two unbelievable options. So there is no way I can be sad because whatever I decide, it’s going to be great.”

Many diehard Argentinians made their way to San Antonio to watch their idol play, and he did so illustriously — having three of his best playoff games in the Western Conference Finals, scoring 17, 21, and 15 in Games 1, 3, and 4.

Ginobili's stat line isn't what he used to be, and he isn't the sixth man he used to be throughout his career, but the Spurs value his craft and intensity, added to the mentorship that he provides to the younger players of the team.

“It’s like grandpa and grandson – very close,” Spurs guard Patty Mills said of his relationship with Manu. “It is a relationship that will go on for years beyond basketball.”

If the Spurs hope to make a serious run at L.A. Clippers point guard Chris Paul this offseason, they might have a pending conversation with Ginobili in July, as they'll be unlikely to pay him the $14 million he earned last season while giving the All-Star point guard a hefty four-year deal.