The Bahiense came to pose with the number 6 in his presentation in San Antonio.
Emanuele Ginobili is about to make history, again. This Saturday afternoon the Bahiense will certainly enter NBA Hall of Fame. The ceremony will begin at 19:00 (Argentine time) and the formal reception will be given by his former teammate and friend. Tim Duncan.
Manu wasn’t the first Argentine to play in the NBA, but he was the first to become a legend. Even when no one expected it. In fact, he came almost by accident Spurs of Sant’Antoniobeing chosen in the penultimate place (57) of the second round of the 1999 Draft.
The former shooting guard overcame all kinds of obstacles to enter the National League and when he did, his quality dispelled all the doubts that existed around him. Once in Italy, everyone was wondering if he was ready for the physical game that European basketball requires. And again, the Bahiense had an outstanding performance.
Thus came his opportunity in the NBA. The mecca of basketball. The earthly paradise for every lover of this sport. The San Antonio Spurs, who had just become champion in 1999, picked him in the draft on June 30, 1999. The southpaw was focused on a series of friendlies with Argentina and had breakfast on the news. I couldn’t believe it.
Manu continued playing for another three years in the Old Continent before making his debut with Spurs. They let him mature and he broke it in Italy. It was part of the plan, the Texan franchise reserved the rights and set foot on the parquet floor of the AT&T Center only in 2002.
A decisive choice
He played 16 seasons and won 4 rings. All with the number 20 jersey. But it was not the one who chose him in the first place. The Bahian used the number 6 in Reggio Calabria and Kinder Bologna and his idea was to repeat the number with which he had shone in Europe.
However, at the time of signing the contract with San Antonio, his wish was cut short. That number was romantically associated with Avery Johnson and would be withdrawn. The former Dallas Mavericks manager had been instrumental in the 1998/99 season in securing the only ring the Spurs had won against the New York Knicks. The former point guard was already playing for another team, but the community was very fond of him.
So, the authorities explained to Manu that it would be better not to wear the number 6 not to create too many expectations. And Bahiense had no problems.
Ginóbili chose the number 10 for the first time, the number she wore at Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca after her campaign at Andino de La Rioja. But another problem appeared. One of his teammates, Speedy Claxton, had selected that number a few weeks before the Argentine’s arrival in Texas.
Despite taking a photo at the official presentation in July 2002 with the 6 he never wore, Manu decided to choose the 20 he made history with.
“I think he’s the best, so they don’t think he’s disrespecting a player people love so much,” Ginobili said at a press conference. And he closed: “Excuse my English. I’ll practice it more.”
In an interview with Greg Ruder, Manu recalled the episode and claimed to have chosen the number 20 without having any identification: “I think I thought 20 was fine and that’s why I got it“He said at that moment.
The rest is history. Manu Ginóbili’s 20 and Avery Johnson’s 6 look together on the roof of the AT&T Center in Texas and no one will be able to use them anymore.
Source: Clarin
