The San Antonio Spurs made one of the most important draft decisions in franchise history in 1999 when they used the No. 57 overall pick to select Manu Ginobili.
The first time the Spurs had exposure to Ginobili came back in 1999 when RC Buford, who was the director of scouting at the time, attended the FIBA World Championships for Men Under 22 in Australia.
“He had passion and a lot of competitiveness,” Buford told ESPN of his first impression of the future Hall of Famer. “Argentina made it into the medal round, which was the best that they had ever done at that time.”
Ginobili stayed overseas for three seasons after being drafted and didn’t make his Spurs debut until he was 25. He won a EuroLeague championship in 2001 and was the EuroLeague top scorer twice (2001, 2002).
“As time went on obviously, he did a great job in Europe and won championships with Coach Messina,” Popovich said.
The time that Ginobili spent overseas before joining the Spurs was valuable. His coach at the time, Ettore Messina, in Italy proved to be valuable. Ginobili improved as a shooter and his passing reads when attacking.
“He improved his jump shot, and he improved his ability to see open teammates when driving, becoming aware of where his best shooter was located while he was using a pick and roll.”
“He started to understand the value of a possession in high-pressure games like the EuroLeague and Italian finals.”
Putting an exclamation on his pre-NBA career, Ginobili helped lead Argentina to a win over the United States at the 2002 FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis. Losing with NBA players just hadn’t happened for America before.
“We have given hope to many teams,” Ginobili said. “The US is no longer the best in the world. … I think they are not happy for sure.”
Ginobili made his Spurs debut during the 2002-03 and made an immediate impact. He was named All-Rookie Second Team with averages of 7.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
“The first time I saw him in action, he was perhaps the most fearless competitor I’d seen in a long time,” Popovich told ESPN. “He had a skinny body and a heart and a drive that were different from everyone else on the court.”
Ginobili had a clear peak from 2004-05 to 2010-11 with averages of 16.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. Overall, he earned two All-NBA Third Team nods in addition to helping the Spurs win four championships.
There was no shortage of iconic moments for Ginobili with how he impacted the game of basketball, even beyond his NBA career. Perhaps the most memorable of his non-NBA contributions occurred when he led Argentina to a gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
You can follow Grant Afseth on Twitter at @GrantAfseth.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Spurs? Click here.
Follow Inside The Spurs on Facebook here.
Follow Inside the Spurs on Twitter @InsideTheSpurs.
.