The San Antonio Spurs will retire former sixth man and NBA Champion Manu Ginobili’s No. 20 on March 28 in a matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to an announcement on Spurs.com:
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they will retire Manu Ginobili’s No. 20 jersey on Thursday, March 28 when the Silver and Black host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. CDT. A special postgame ceremony honoring Ginobili will take place on the AT&T Center floor and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Southwest and streamed live on FOX Sports GO.
Ginobili will become the ninth player in Spurs franchise history to have his number raised to the rafters, joining Bruce Bowen (12), Tim Duncan (21), Sean Elliott (32), George Gervin (44), Avery Johnson (6), Johnny Moore (00), David Robinson (50) and James Silas (13).
In 16 seasons with the Spurs, Ginobili captured four NBA championships while posting a career winning percentage of .721 (762-295), which is the best winning percentage in NBA history among players who have appeared in at least 1,000 games.
Ginobili won the 2008 Sixth Man of the Year with the Spurs; the Argentine guard was named a Western Conference All-Star in both 2005 and 2011, along and also made the All-NBA Third Team in 2008 and 2011. He announced his retirement just over two months ago after reportedly contemplating a return to the team.
Drafted in 1999, Ginobili didn’t play in his first NBA game until the 2002-03 season, when he made the All-Rookie Second Team. The 41-year-old averaged 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on nearly 45 percent shooting in over 1000 games throughout his 16-year career, all spent in San Antonio.
Ginobili will now join former teammates Bruce Bowen, David Robinson, and Tim Duncan in the rafters – likely to be followed by former backcourt mate and current Charlotte Hornets point guard Tony Parker.
