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On the recent Saturday, April 2, it became official that Emanuel Ginobili will be included in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In his first year of eligibility, the former Los Angeles San Antonio Spurs He managed to access the prestigious group of basketball players who somehow marked the history of the sport. During the last victory of the Texas franchise against the Portland Trail Blazers por 113 a 92, the bahiense received a standing ovation from the AT&T Center when he was focused by the cameras.
The two-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion spoke to the media in the stadium shortly after the official announcement was made at the NBA Men’s Final Four. NCAA in New Orleans, Louisiana. “I am here because of my environment, the players I played with, the coaches I have been trained with and the organizations.”Ginobili declared in front of the microphones. And he added about it: “I don’t take it as an individual achievement. It’s just that I’ve been in the right place at the right time and I contribute in any way I can and we all make each other better and that’s why I’m here.”
The Bahiense will be included with 12 other honorees where the figure of Tim Hardaway and former Spurs player and assistant coach, George Karl. The winner of the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 2008 recalled during the press conference his first impressions when he arrived in San Antonio, which were the heat and not knowing exactly where the city was. Additionally, Ginobili admitted that he knew the Spurs had just won the Finals before the team selected him in the 1999 NBA Draft. Manu he was selected in the second round and joined the team in 2002.
On the other hand, he took the time to share his thoughts on playing his entire career with Gregg Popovich. “Well, the first two years were a bit rough. It was not easy to adapt to having a coach like him. We both started to respect each other and appreciate what his real mission and goals were and why he was playing like this and why he was training me like this. We started making compromises and then it became great,” she revealed with a smile on her face. And he added: “Not much was expected of a 57th pick, so I guess I have a story to tell.”.
Ginobili, who had his No. 20 retired by the Spurs in 2019, also reflected on which NBA championships held additional meaning to him. He also talked about when he finally felt like he belonged with the Spurs and why he and his family decided to stay in San Antonio after retiring from the NBA after 16 seasons. Hall of Fame weekend will take place September 9-10 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
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