Thursday night marked one of the most memorable occasions in the storied career of Manu Ginobili, as the San Antonio Spurs retired his No. 20 jersey and raised it to the rafters of the AT&T Center.
Former teammate Tony Parker was one of the many notable names in attendance for the momentous event, and the six-time All-Star point guard gave a very moving speech in honor of Ginobili. According to Parker, Manu is truly a one-of-a-kind athlete, player, and person, whose friendship he will forever cherish:
#GraciasManu pic.twitter.com/ixaR3pO0uX
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) March 29, 2019
Parker and Ginobili's NBA careers started only one year apart, with the former being drafted by the Spurs in 2001, and the latter just a year later. Neither guys came close to being a lottery pick, with Parker being a late first-round selection and Ginobili settling for the 57th overall pick.
However, as we all know, both players would end up being two of the greatest to ever dawn the Spurs uniform, and along with the legendary Tim Duncan, they would form one of the most decorated trios in the history of the sport. The Big 3 of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili (coached by the great Gregg Popovich, of course) would bag no less than four NBA titles for the Spurs in 14 seasons together.
Duncan was the first to hang up his boots in 2016, while Ginobili followed suit just last summer. As for Parker, he still has some gas left in the tank, and now serves as a backup point guard for the Charlotte Hornets.
Ginobili's jersey now hangs in the rafters together with that of Duncan and other San Antonio greats. Surely, it is only a matter of time before Parker eventually joins them up there.
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