By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Three years separated from the ceremony to retire his jersey, Manu Ginobili was back in AT&T Center for yet another jersey retirement ceremony, dubbed Hall of Fame Night.
Ginobili, 45, saw jersey #20 raised to the ceiling once more with the addition of a Hall of Fame distinction Wednesday evening. The ceremony took place at halftime of the 2022-23 Regular Season opener against the Charlotte Hornets.
“I already got emotional a couple of weeks ago, I am more relaxed now,” he mentioned referring to being enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year. His jersey was originally retired in March 2019, one year after he retired as a player.
He thanked the fans for their support over the years with “Manu” chants rocking the venue. “I am not exaggerating. I really felt welcomed, loved, and appreciated from day one,” he said on the relationship with the San Antonio crowd.
Other jerseys retired by the Spurs include Tim Duncan’s #21 and Tony Parker’s #9. Further stretching to Johnny Moore’s #00, Avery Johnson’s #6, Bruce Bowen’s #12, James Silas’ #13, Sean Elliott’s #32, George Gervin’s #44, and David Robinson’s #50.
Ginobili spent his entire NBA career playing for the Spurs logging 1,275 games played and scoring a total of 17,097 points combined between the Regular Season and the Playoffs from 2002 and 2018. He was crowned champion four times, in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014, and on the way earned several individual accolades, including a couple of All-Star Game nods.
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