It’s Sunday afternoon in late July, which is not exactly prime time in the NBA news cycle.
But birthdays happen all year long -- even daily, I’m told. And today, Manu Ginobili turned 36 years old, so we’ll celebrate (and kill some time) with a look at a few of his highlights.
I was traveling overseas covering adidas Eurocamp in Italy for the start of the NBA Finals, and while I got caught up as much as I could before getting back to the states to attend Games 4 through 7 in person, I missed this bit of wizardry that Ginobili displayed in Game 1.
Judging by the over four million views this clip has on YouTube, plenty of other people missed it, as well.
That doesn’t even seem possible.
Next up is a play that kind of epitomizes Ginobili’s game. He uses a ball fake against Kevin Durant to get him to commit to the corner, which creates enough space for him to get to the rim, where he finishes through contact. Craftiness on the court is kind of what Ginobili is all about.
Finally, here’s a little feature some other players talking about Ginobili’s game, with Manu himself attempting to explain his unique style of play.
Happy 36th, Manu. Enjoy that new two-year deal playing for this guy, who clearly understands exactly what a special player he’s been fortunate enough to coach for the past 11 seasons.