Emanuel David "Manu" Ginóbili Maccari ( , ; born 28 July 1977) is an Argentine former professional basketball player. During a 23-year professional career, Ginóbili played in Argentina, in Italy, and in the NBA; he also represented Argentina in international competition. A shooting guard, he is best known for playing for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA from 2002 to 2018. Ginóbili, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker became known as the Spurs' "Big Three"; together, the trio won four NBA championships. In April 2022, Ginóbili was announced as a first-ballot inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Coming from a family of professional basketball players, Ginóbili spent the early part of his career in Argentina and Italy, winning several individual and team honors. Ginóbili's stint with Italian club Kinder Bologna was particularly successful, as he won two Italian League MVP awards, the EuroLeague Finals MVP, the 2001 EuroLeague championship and the Triple Crown. After joining the San Antonio Spurs, Ginóbili was named an All-Star in 2005 and 2011 and was selected to the All-NBA Third Team twice. In the 2007–08 season, he was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. The Spurs made the playoffs in each of Ginóbili's 16 seasons. He is regarded as one of the greatest Latin American players, sixth men, and draft steals in NBA history.Multiple sources: Ginóbili is also credited with popularizing the Euro step move in the NBA.
In international play, Ginóbili's achievements include leading Argentina to a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, where he was named FIBA Olympics Most Valuable Player. He also helped secure the historic feat of being a member of the only team in Olympic history (as of 2025) to ever eliminate the United States men's national basketball team since NBA players are allowed to participate (i.e. 1992). With Argentina's 2004 gold medal victory, Ginóbili became one of only two players (along with fellow Hall of Famer Bill Bradley) to have won a EuroLeague title, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.
In September 2021, the Spurs appointed Ginóbili as special advisor to basketball operations.
Family and personal life Emanuel David Ginóbili was born on the 28th of July 1977 in Bahía Blanca, a city in the southwest region of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, to Jorge Hector Ginóbili and Raquel Maccari. Ginóbili comes from a family of basketball players: Jorge was a coach at Bahiense del Norte, a local basketball club, where Ginóbili learned to play the sport, whereas his older brothers, Leandro and Sebastián, are both former professional players; Leonardo played seven years in the Liga Nacional de Básquetbol before retiring in 2003, and Sebastián has played in both the Argentine local league and in the Spanish 2nd-tier level, Liga Española de Baloncesto.Ludden, Johnny, "Mover and shaker: Motor always has been running for Spurs' Ginobili" , mysanantonio.com, 11 June 2005. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
Ginóbili is of Italian descent, tracing his heritage to the region of Marche. He has both Argentine citizenship and Italian citizenship.Hollinger, John, "The 30 best international players in the NBA", sports.espn.com, 27 April 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2007. In addition to his native Spanish, Ginóbili is fluent in English and Italian. In his spare time, Ginóbili enjoys listening to Latin music, watching movies, and traveling. He also enjoys cycling and playing tennis. Ginóbili's idol growing up was Michael Jordan.
In 2004, Ginobili married fellow Argentine Marianela Oroño.Manu Ginobili, Spurs Guard , Sports Illustrated, 30 May 2005. Retrieved 31 March 2008. On 16 May 2010, his wife gave birth to twin boys, Dante and Nicola.New father Ginobili welcomes twin boys , NBA.com, 17 May 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2010. On 21 April 2014, she gave birth to their third son, Luca.
A documentary based on Ginobili's life was directed by Rodolfo Lamboglia.
Professional career
Andino (1995–1996) Ginóbili made his professional debut in the Argentine basketball league for the Andino Sport Club of La Rioja in the 1995–96 season.
Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca (1996–1998) Ginóbili was traded to Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca in 1996.Manu Ginoboli Info Page – Bio , nba.com. Retrieved 17 June 2007. He played with his hometown team until 1998.(2026). Manu Ginobili. Sportskeeda. https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/manu-ginobili#:~:text=In%201996%2C%20he%20was%20traded,the%201998%2D99%20and%201999%2D2000%20seasons.
Viola Reggio Calabria (1998–2000) Ginóbili went to Europe to spend the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons with Italian team Basket Viola Reggio Calabria. In 1999, he teamed with Brent Scott, Brian Oliver and Sydney Johnson to earn promotion from the Italian 2nd Division to the Italian 1st Division.
Virtus Bologna (2000–2002) Ginóbili then entered the 1999 NBA draft and the San Antonio Spurs selected him late in the second round with the 57th overall pick.Manu Ginobili, Argentina , interbasket.net. Retrieved 17 June 2007. However, Ginóbili did not sign with the Spurs at this point. Instead, he returned to Italy to play for Kinder Bologna, whom he helped win the 2001 Italian League Championship, the 2001 and 2002 Italian Cups, and the 2001 EuroLeague. In the lattermost, Ginóbili was named the 2001 EuroLeague's Finals MVP. He was also named the Italian League MVP in 2000–01 and 2001–02, and made the Italian League's All-Star Game three times during this period.
While playing with the Argentina national team at the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis, Ginóbili made the All-Tournament Team, alongside future NBA star Yao Ming and established NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojaković,FIBA World Basketball Championships , insidehoops.com. Retrieved 18 August 2007. and helped lead Argentina to a second-place finish.
San Antonio Spurs (2002–2018)
Early NBA career and first championship (2002–2004)
Ginóbili joined the Spurs for the 2002–03 NBA season, where he played backup for veteran guard Steve Smith. Ginóbili spent much of the early season injured, and found it hard to adjust to the NBA's style of play. As his injury improved, so did Ginóbili, winning the Western Conference Rookie of the Month in March, and being named to the All-Rookie Second Team at the end of the season. Still, he only started in five games as the Spurs chalked up a 60–22 regular season win–loss record.Manu Ginobili Info Page – Career Stats and Totals , nba.com. Retrieved 9 June 2007.2002–03 Standings , nba.com/history. Retrieved 9 June 2007. The Spurs then entered the playoffs eager to upend the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers, at which point Ginóbili rose to prominence.
In contrast to his regular season, Ginóbili became an integral part of Gregg Popovich's rotation in the playoffs, playing in every game. The Spurs eliminated Phoenix and Los Angeles2003 Playoff Results , nba.com/history. Retrieved 9 June 2007. and in those games, Ginóbili's scoring threat took opponents by surprise, giving them one more thing to cope with against the now highly favored Spurs. He helped guide them past the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals and then the New Jersey Nets in the Finals, securing San Antonio's second championship. After the win, Ginóbili won his first Olimpia de Oro ("Golden Olympia") as Argentina's sportsperson of the year,Agencia Diarios y Noticias, "Todos los ganadores de los Olimpia de Oro" (Spanish), ar.news.yahoo.com, 17 December 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2008. and met Argentine president Néstor Kirchner. A gym in Bahía Blanca was also dedicated in Ginóbili's honor.
In the 2003–04 season, the Spurs began featuring Ginóbili more prominently, starting him in half of the 77 regular season games in which he played. Ginóbili's statistics improved in all major categories, as he averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. During the 2004 playoffs, the Spurs lost again to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. Following Game 5 where Derek Fisher scored a buzzer-beating jump shot,Fisher's Jumper Gives Lakers Dramatic Game 5 Win , nba.com, 13 May 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2007. the Spurs lost Game 6 and the series 4–2.At a Glance , nba.com. Retrieved 17 June 2007. While Ginóbili did not start in a single playoff game as he did in 2003, his playoff statistics improved significantly, with 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
Peak years: second and third championships (2004–2011)
After some initial issues with San Antonio over his contract, Ginóbili re-signed on a 6-year, $52 million contract with the Spurs and started every game during the 2004–05 season. This was his best season yet as he was selected as a reserve by NBA coaches to the 2005 Western Conference All-Star team, marking his debut in the elite mid-season showcase. During the playoffs, Ginóbili's play was pivotal to winning San Antonio's third championship. The Spurs first defeated Phoenix 4–1 in the Conference Finals,At a Glance , nba.com. Retrieved 17 June 2007. before prevailing in a very defense-oriented seven-game series against the Detroit Pistons.Spurs Dethrone Pistons To Take Third NBA Title , nba.com, 23 June 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2007. Ginóbili recorded career-highs in his playoff numbers, most notably 20.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg, and had the third-highest point total in the entire playoffs. In the NBA Finals MVP Award voting he came in second to Tim Duncan."In the 2005 NBA Finals Ginobili was second in the race for Finals MVP. Tim Duncan got just one more vote but everybody thinks Ginobili should have gotten that award." http://www.thebasketballworld.com/top_players/manu_ginobili.htm The former finished the 2004–05 season as the second-leading scorer on the team. During the season, Ginóbili became only the fourth person to win consecutive Olimpia de Oro, this time sharing the award with soccer star Carlos Tevez.
The 2005–06 season was an injury-plagued one for Ginóbili, who suffered foot and ankle injuries that hindered his ability to play. Ginóbili managed 65 games in the regular season, but saw a dip in major statistics as compared to the previous season. During the playoffs, he returned to form, but was unable to prevent the Spurs from being eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Semifinals.At a Glance , nba.com. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
In the 2006–07 season, the Spurs lacked energy from their reserves. Ginóbili came off the bench for most of the second half of the season, helping the Spurs attain the league's best record during that portion of the season. Ginóbili produced numbers closely identical to his successful 2004–05 campaign despite starting in only 36 of 75 games, his second-lowest number of starts since arriving at San Antonio. The 2007 NBA Playoffs saw him help the Spurs to defeat the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz; the team then swept the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ginobili's third and San Antonio's fourth championship.Parker, Spurs Close Out Cavs for Fourth Title nba.com, 15 June 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2007.