There never has been and there never will be another Manu Ginobili. The future Hall of Famer was one of the most unique players basketball has ever seen, combining plus athleticism and prototypical size with preternatural court sense, evolutionary footwork, and the type of overall stylistic flair that's impossible to duplicate.
Ginobili's legend with the San Antonio Spurs isn't solely related to his basketball exploits, though, something Gregg Popovich and Boris Diaw, his former teammate, made clear on Thursday while recalling his largely unknown affinity for mathematics.
I didn’t know this, but Pop and Boris said Manu really loves mathematics. Boris said Manu would come to lunch excited, “I just heard this great math riddle. There were two men on one side of the river and there is one canoe …” Boris still looked confused by Manu’s excitement.
— Raul Dominguez Jr. (@Abrjsdad) March 28, 2019
Sounds about right.
Ginobili, of course, is back in San Antonio on Thursday night to get his jersey retired at AT&T Center. He spent the entirety of his NBA career with the Spurs, helping the team to four championships after coming to the NBA as a rookie in 2002-03. Considered the league's best bench player for the majority of his tenure, Ginobili pioneered the role of the modern-day super sub, embracing his role as a reserve for the betterment of the team despite his obvious status as one of the game's best players. The two-time All-Star and two-time Third Team All-NBA honoree retired after last season, finishing his NBA career with averages of 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.3 steals in just 25.4 minutes per game.
Ginobili's most significant achievement, though, came on the international stage, when he led Argentina to a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. He scored a game-high 29 points in Argentina's historic 89-81 semifinal victory over Team USA, ensuring the Americans would fail to win gold for the first time since NBA players began participating in the Olympics.
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