Manu Ginoibili Pondering Retirement, Time For Him To Walk Away From The NBA

By Jordan Long

The San Antonio Spurs will start the season on October 17^th against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They may be without Manu Ginoibili who is considering retirement from the NBA after 16 seasons.

Ginobili is one of the top guards to ever put on a Spurs’ uniform. He was drafted 57^th overall by the Spurs in the 1999 NBA Draft. In his first season, he averaged 2.3 rebounds, 2 assists and 7.6 points per game, a taste of what he could do in the NBA. Ginoibili’s top season was in 2008. He averaged a career high 19.5 points per game.

Last season was one of his worst years in recent memory. He appeared in 65 games, his lowest since 2016 when he played in 58. He was a bench player averaging 20 minutes per game. He was having trouble scoring with an average of 8.9 points per game. He was still able to find his teammates with 2.5 assists per game.

The Spurs managed to make the postseason. It was a 1^st round exit as they lost to the Golden State Warriors in 5 games. Ginoibili didn’t play well and the Warriors didn’t allow him to have easy looks at the basket. They even played defense so it was difficult for him to feed his teammates for baskets.   Ginoibili averaged 9 points and 3.2 assists per game.

It is time for him to walk away. He had a long and successful career in the NBA. Ginoibili averaged 14 points and 3.8 assists per game.     Ginoibili was voted to 2 NBA All-Star teams. He was placed on the NBA All-Third team 2 times and was voted Sixth Man Of The Year once.   Ginoibili owns 4 NBA Championship rings. There is nothing left for him to play for.

When Ginoibili decides to retire, the Spurs should place his jersey up in the rafters. He proved he was one of the best to ever put on the Spurs’ uniform. The Spurs will allow him as much time as he needs to make a decision but retiring might be the best option.