Four time NBA Champion and future Basketball Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili officially announced his retirement today after notifying the San Antonio Spurs a few weeks ago of his decision.
Ginobili said that once he returned to the San Antonio practice facility this summer and saw his level compared to the younger players, he knew that he was too far behind and would not be able to contribute like in seasons past. It took more convincing for his family though, and he shared a story about a talk he had with his son Nico about his decision.
“I don’t want you to retire, dad,” Ginobili said quoting his son. He then asked his son why? “Well, the chicken tenders in the family room are awesome,” Ginobili said he replied. “Nah, I’ll get you some chicken tenders in a different situation, but that can’t be the reason why I stay.”
Now that Ginobili is officially retired, the Spurs legend said he’s excited about the uncertainty of his future and ready to spend time in his native Argentina during the country’s summer season, something he has not been able to do for close to 20 years due to the NBA’s scheduling in December. See videos of his press conference below.