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How San Antonio Spurs Found Manu Ginobili Before 1999 NBA Draft

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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.”

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