Despite being a European legend at the age of 25, Manu Ginobili did not have the confidence of Tim Duncan.
Manu Ginobili is no longer just a legend of San Antonio and Argentine basketball. He is officially one of the NBA’s all-time greats with the recent enshrinement of him in the Hall of Fame class of 2022.
Yet the two-time All-Star is now among the handful of stars with fewer individual honors than most of the names in the room at the legendary museum in Springfield, Massachusetts.
But the sacrifices he made despite having the caliber to be the star of a franchise and still playing the role of third/fourth best player for Gregg Popovic and Tim Duncan’s Spurs throughout his career, they make him Manu.
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From being almost undrafted in 1999 to having second thoughts about his selection even from The Big Fundamental, Ginobili changed his fandom in a year.
Manu Ginobili took a few months to impress Tim Duncan
Arguably the best sixth man in the NBA, Manu didn’t have it easy after the 1999 champions selected him with the 57th pick the same year they won their first championship.
He played three more years in Italy, winning everything both individually and for his Virtus Bologna team in both the Italian top division and the Euroleague, before being called up by Popovic to play in the United States, among the best talents in the world.
But according to Pop, Tim had second thoughts about the team’s decision to pick the EuroLeague Finals MVP.
“Thank you Manu, with all my heart.”
A special message from Coach Pop to @manuginobili ahead of his @Hoophall consecration tonight 🤍@HEB | #ManuHOF pic.twitter.com/hn78AnQ99Q
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) September 10, 2022
Obviously, it didn’t take long for Manu to dispel not only Duncan’s doubts, but everyone’s in the League that a slanderous 6’6 shooting guard who injured his ankles while showing off his graceful European move as soon as he got to the top, was there for the long haul.
Not only did he help Spurs win their second championship and their third, fourth and fifth, but he also made his European move one of the most famous moves in the league, which even now guards use to get past their defenders.
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