It truly is the end of an era in San Antonio with the Monday afternoon announcement that legend Manu Ginobili is retiring from the NBA. Ginobili spent 16 years with the Spurs and he seems to have had a profound impact on almost every teammate he played with during his career.
Many of his former teammates took to social media to extend some form of well wishes and gratitude towards the Argentine star. Perhaps the most notable came from Tony Parker, his longtime teammate and someone Ginobili won four championships with.
Parker texted Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated to say, “He’s a legend. It was an honor to play with him.”
Parker arrived in San Antonio one year prior to Ginobili and the pair quickly became foundational pieces for Gregg Popovich's squad.
But the list of teammates stretches far. Marco Belinelli, Brent Barry, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, Dejounte Murray, and Pau Gasol were all among the players to heap praise on the legend.
San Antonio enters uncharted territory. The Spurs have long been one of the most stable organizations in the NBA, but with Ginobili's retirement, Parker's departure, and the trade of Kawhi Leonard, the roster will look completely different this season.
It will be interesting to see how Popovich and his staff handle the roster turnover. If Pop's track record is any indication, he'll figure things out and get his team on the right track.
But regardless, things will look very different in San Antonio in 2018-19 and the team is losing a legendary player in Manu Ginobili.