By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Growing into an elite NBA player, Manu Ginobili’s rise was connected to the 2000-01 championship run of Kinder Bologna in the EuroLeague. He was named Finals MVP.
Last season, his former team, now named Virtus Segafredo Bologna, was finally back in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after a long absence stretching to 15 years.
Ginobili, 45, returned to Bologna, enjoyed numerous pleasant memories, and also stressed that Virtus Segafredo Bologna belongs to EuroLeague in an interview shared by the Bologna outfit.
“This picture shows an incredible moment for me,” he pointed to the background illustrating himself celebrating the 2001 EuroLeague championship, “Until that exact moment I had never won anything.”
“This is the moment when I became who I am,” he added and went from the individual ups and downs to the current team, “My memories in the EuroLeague are amazing, we won the first one, then in 2002, we lost in the final, which was a devastating one, and I am extremely happy that Virtus is back where it should be. This is the place where everything happened, where I grew up. I always want to thank this club.”
From Bologna, following the loss to Panathinaikos in the 2002 championship game of EuroLeague, to the San Antonio Spurs, the winning trend resumed and extended to four NBA championships.
Virtus Bologna head coach Sergio Scariolo also made an appearance with kind words for Ginobili.