UPDATE: More than a month after the deal was originally reported, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweeted out the terms of the contract: two years, $5 million. The contract is fully guaranteed, according to Charania.
According to reports, the San Antonio Spurs have re-signed unrestricted free agent shooting guard Manu Ginobili.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news Tuesday morning:
Manu Ginobili and the Spurs are finalizing details of his imminent return for a 16th NBA season, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 18, 2017
Manu Ginobili Re-Signs With San Antonio Spurs
The terms of Ginobili’s contract have not yet been finalized.
Ginobili averaged career-lows of 7.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game last season for the Spurs. He also chipped in just 2.7 assists per contest, his lowest number since his rookie year back in 2002-03. Ginobili has declined over the last few years since contributing to San Antonio’s championship run in the 2013-14 season. However, he still occasionally puts on vintage performances off the bench. In the 2017 playoffs, Ginobili had one of those performances, racking up 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the Spurs’ pivotal Game 5 second-round win against the Houston Rockets. Most importantly, Ginobili came through with a game-saving block on an MVP-caliber player, James Harden.
Despite his recent decline, Ginobili has always been a key reserve for San Antonio. He continues to provide a scoring and playmaking boost off the bench. The veteran also brings energy, constantly making crucial plays and appearing to be in the right place at the right time. Ginobili is an all-time great player and it seems as though he’ll remain with the Spurs for the rest of his NBA career. This will likely be his final contract, as he’ll be 40 years old at the start of next season and may have considered retiring after the 2016-17 season.
Ginobili’s History with the Spurs
Ginobili, a 15-year NBA veteran from Argentina, has been with the Spurs throughout his illustrious NBA career. He’s won four championships with the team, made two All-Star appearances, received All-NBA Third Team honors twice, and won the 2007-08 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. Ginobili dominated in Europe before coming to the NBA at the age of 25. He also starred for Argentina’s national team, leading the nation in its basketball “Golden Age” which included an Olympic gold medal in 2004.
The Spurs drafted Ginobili with the 57th overall pick of the 1999 NBA Draft. However, he didn’t come over to the NBA until three years later. Ginobili was undoubtedly one of the biggest draft steals in NBA history. Between his accomplishments in the NBA and international competition, Ginobili will surely make the Basketball Hall of Fame someday.
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