Argentinean basketball star Manu Ginobili is retiring after a stellar 23-year career, 16 of them with the National Basketball Association’s San Antonio Spurs, where he won four championship rings.
The 41-year-old Ginobili announced his retirement Monday in a brief message on Twitter: “IMMENSE GRATITUDE to everyone (family, friends, teammates, coaches, staff, fans) involved in my life in the last 23 years. It’s been a fabulous journey. Way beyond my wildest dreams.”
Ginobili joined the Spurs in 2002 after eight years playing in his native Argentina and in Italy, and led the franchise to NBA titles in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014 alongside teammates Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, known affectionately as the “Big Three.” Ginobili also led Argentina to a gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Duncan retired in 2016, while Parker joined the Charlotte Hornets in the off-season as a free agent.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver led the outpouring of tributes to Ginobili Monday, calling him a “pioneer who helped globalize the NBA” and “one of basketball’s greatest ambassadors.”
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