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Emanuel David Ginóbili (born July 28, 1977 in Bahía Blanca, Argentina), also
known as Manu Ginobili, is an Argentine basketball player. He is a member of
the Argentine national basketball team and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA.
He is generally regarded as one of the finest basketball players ever to
come from Argentina, and indeed from South America. Like many Argentines,
Ginobili is a descendant of Italian immigrants. Ginóbili comes from a
basketball family. Older brothers Sebastian and Leandro have played
professionally in Argentina and Spain, respectively, and their father,
Jorge, was a coach at a club in Bahía Blanca where Ginóbili learned to play.
Ginobili is a wiry, 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) left-hander who is also adept at
going to his right. Being fearless, though, could be one of his better
assets.
***
***
He made his professional debut in the Argentine basketball league for the
Andino Sport Club team of La Rioja in the 1995-1996 season, and was traded
to Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca the next year. He played with his hometown
team until the Italian league attracted him, and in 1998 he moved to Europe,
playing in the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 seasons with Basket Viola Reggio
Calabria, after which he was traded to Kinder Bologna, which he helped win
the 2001 Italian Championship, 2001 and 2002 Italian Cups, and the 2001
Euroleague, where he was named MVP. He also made the Italian league's All-Star
game three times during this period.
In the 1999 NBA Draft, the Spurs selected Ginóbili late in the second round
with the 57th overall pick, the penultimate choice in the entire draft.
However, he did not sign with the Spurs until after the 2002 Basketball
World Championship in Indianapolis, where he made the all-tournament team (alongside
fellow NBA rookie-to-be Yao Ming and established NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki and
Peja Stojakovic) and helped lead Argentina to second-place finish. In the
years since, some commentators have deemed him the greatest draft day steal
in modern NBA history, and perhaps all-time.
In his first season, Ginóbili rose from the bench to help the Spurs climb to
the NBA championship in 2003, when San Antonio beat the New Jersey Nets in
six games. In 2004, however, the Spurs lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in an
NBA playoff rematch with a memorable shot from Derek Fisher with no time
remaining in the series' fifth game. Then Spurs were demoralized and the
Lakers went on to win the series a game later.
On August 15 of the same year, Ginóbili led the Argentine team to an 83-82
win over Serbia-Montenegro with a shot he made while falling to the floor
with less than one second to go, in Argentina's basketball opener at the
Olympic Games in Athens. Argentina team went on to win the gold medal, with
Ginóbili leading the team in both scoring (19.3 ppg) and assists (3.3 apg).
Ginobili was named the MVP of the Olympic tournament.
On February 8 of the following year, Ginóbili was selected (by a vote of NBA
coaches) to the 2005 Western Conference All-Star team as a reserve, his
first time making it to the elite midseason showcase.
On June 12th, 2005 of Finals Game 2, it was reported that the Finals global
ratings had been at a record high of over 105 million viewers tuning in to
watch as Ginóbili had a stellar performance in Games 1&2. If his style of
play continues, his marketability as a new face of basketball might play a
role in the globalization of basketball, considered second only to football
(soccer) in the world.
During the 2005 Playoffs, Ginóbili and teammate Tony Parker starred in an
NBA-produced ad promoting the Finals where NBA players phoned in to the "Love
Doctor" (portrayed by NBA legend Julius Erving) to get advice and to give
their opinions about how much they loved the trophy. In his ad, Ginóbili
coined one of his now famous quotes about love being "like stars in the
night sky." It has been noted that ABC executives considered advertisements
to attract more U.S. viewers after games 1&2, that portrayed the finals as a
cheesy sitcom, with its star Ginóbili, and referred to the Finals as "The
Manu Show." In scenes edited from the basketball footage of Pistons-Spurs
games, the Wallaces (Ben and Rasheed) were portrayed as the bullies plotting
against Ginóbili with each game. However, that idea was scrapped as they did
not want it to look like Manu and the Spurs were favored by ABC and the
media. On June 23, Ginóbili won his second title with the Spurs playing as
starter on a very defensive 7 games series against the Detroit Pistons, with
a game seven score of 81-74. In the NBA Finals MVP Award voting, Manu was
barely edged out (6 votes to 4) by teammate Tim Duncan. He was the second
leading scorer of that team, finishing a memorable 2004-2005 season for him.
Ginóbili is known for his up-tempo style of play, his passing, and behind-the-back
moves when attacking the basket. He also makes exciting dunks with either
hand, taking advantage of his explosive first step. His modus operandi (for
example, lowering his head while driving toward the basket, and willingness
to draw charges on defense) is the source of much consternation for
opponents, among the most vocal of whom have been coach George Karl of the
Denver Nuggets.
He is the only player in basketball history to win the European Cup, an
Olympic gold medal, and an NBA Championship ring.
Profile:
2001 Italian League Championship (Kinder Bologna)
2001 Italian Cup (Kinder Bologna)
2001 Euroleague (Kinder Bologna)
2001 Americas Championship (Argentina)
2002 Italian Cup (Kinder Bologna)
2003 NBA Championship (San Antonio Spurs)
2004 Summer Olympic Games Gold Medal (Argentina)
2005 NBA Championship (San Antonio Spurs)
1999 Italian League All-Star
2000 Italian League All-Star
2000 Italian League Most Improved Player
2001 Italian League All-Star
2001 Italian League Most Valuable Player
2001 Euroleague Most Valuable Player
2002 Italian Cup Most Valuable Player
2002 Italian League Most Valuable Player
2002 Ideal Indianapolis World Cup Team
2004 Ideal Olympics Team
2004 Summer Olympic Games Most Valuable Player
2005 NBA All-Star
2005 Nike Baller Of The Year (fan poll) |
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EMANUEL GINOBILI PICTURES |
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