SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili announced on Monday that he will retire after a 23-year professional career.
In 16 seasons with the Spurs, Ginobili captured four NBA championships while posting a career winning percentage of .721, which is the best winning percentage in NBA history among players who have appeared in at least 1,000 games, according to the San Antonio Spurs website.
In a Tweet regarding the announcement, Manu said:
Today, with a wide range of feelings, I'm announcing my retirement from basketball. IMMENSE GRATITUDE to everyone (family, friends, teammates, coaches, staff, fans) involved in my life in the last 23 years. It's been a fabulous journey. Way beyond my wildest dreams. pic.twitter.com/3MLCUtmd6K
— Manu Ginobili (@manuginobili) August 27, 2018
The San Antonio Spurs posted the following video on their Twitter account:
Ginobili is one of just seven players in NBA history to spend his entire career with one team while playing at least 16 seasons, along with Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, John Havlicek, Reggie Miller, Dirk Nowitzki and John Stockton. He is the first South American and just the second player drafted in the second round or later to appear in at least 1,000 games with one team.
Ginobili played for the Argentinian National Team from 1998 to 2016, leading his home country to the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, a silver medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics. Ginobili is one of only two players in history, along with Bill Bradley, to win a EuroLeague title, an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal.
Spectrum News will have updates and reaction from players and fans throughout the day.