1. Manu Ginobili
By: Kale George

2. Manu is born Emanuel David Ginobili was born
on July 28th, 1977 in Bahia Blanca,
Argentina.

3. Family Parents: Jorge and Raquel. Jorge was a coach at a club in Bahia
Blanca and taught his
children about the game
of basketball.
Has 2 brothers, Sebastian and Leandro
Both played professional basketball in Argentina and Spain

4. Early Years of Basketball
Ginobili made pro debut in in Argentina for the Andino Sport Club team of La Rioja in 1995.
He then played for his hometown team until he moved to Europe to join the Italian league.
Played with Basket Viola Reggio Calabria, an Italian league team.

5. Getting Good
Entered 1999 NBA Draft and was selected 57th overall by San Antonio Spurs.
Didn’t sign with spurs at that time and returned to Italy to play for Kinder Bologna
Won the Italian Championship and the Euroleague, winning 2001 Euroleague MVP as well as Italian league MVP from

6. Finally a Spur Manu Joined the Spurs in 2002
Was injured early that year and found it tough to adjust to the NBA style of play.
Ginobili soon got healthy and adjusted to style of play winning Rookie Of The Month in March and was named to 2nd team all rookie team in helping the team to a record and an NBA Championship.
Had a gym named after him in Bahia Blanca that year and was named Argentina’s sportsman of the year.

7. Spurs Career Manu started for the team from 2003-2005
In the season Manu once again helped the team to winning an NBA Championship and was selected as an All-Star
In 2006 Manu was injured most of the year but returned for the playoffs, however the Spurs lost in the 2nd round
Ginobili did not start for the team in the and seasons but provided a huge spark off the bench

8. Spurs Career Continued
In 2007 he helped the team to another NBA Championship.
In 2008 Manu was named to the All-NBA 3rd team and was awarded 6th man of the year, however the team lost in the playoffs
In 2009 Manu was injured all year and the team missed the playoffs entirely
Last year Manu signed an extension with the team through the 2013 season

9. Player Profile and Achievements
6’6”, 205 pound left handed shooting guard
Won NBA Championships in ‘03, ‘05, and ‘07
NBA All-Star in 2005
NBA Third team and Sixth man of the year in ’08
Played for Argentine Olympic team in 2004 winning the Gold Medal, and in 2008, winning the Bronze Medal
In 2004 they were the first team to win Gold other than U.S. in 16 years. Manu also hit a buzzer beater with 0.7 seconds left to send the team to the Gold Medal Game, defeating Serbia. Manu calls it his greatest achievement.

10. The Bat…
On 31 October 2009, in a game against the Sacramento Kings, a bat flew down to the court stopping play. As the bat flew past, Ginobili swatted it to the ground with his bare hand and killing it. He then carried it off the court, earning an applause from the crowd.