Manu Ginobili's Retirement Ceremony Last Night Was The Very Definition Of #RelationshipGoals
As you may know Manu’s #20 was raised to the rafters last night after the Spurs took down the Cavs, and as someone who loves retirement ceremonies I couldn’t wait for this one. Nobody, and I mean nobody does this event quite like the Spurs, and coming off the heels of Chris Bosh’s ceremony a few days ago it’s a little weird to start to see all these guys I grew up watching finally have their moment. You knew it was going to be an emotional night when the Spurs made sure to pass out tissues to every single person in attendance
ahead of time and I imagine if you’re a life long Spurs fan you were bawling your eyes out the entire time. I remember when they had this same format for Duncan’s retirement and how awesome that was, so I had little doubt that Manu’s would disappoint. If you didn’t get the chance to see it because you were watching the tournament, here ya go
It’s pretty apparent from the jump that when it comes to the Duncan/Parker/Manu/Pop foursome things go way deeper than basketball. That’s the truest love I’ve ever seen. We even had Tim Duncan making jokes! And sure maybe some of that is due to all the titles they won together, but you hear these stories and see how much they care for one another and I have to admit, I’m jealous. Really at the end of the day all we want is for someone to love us like those four love each other. Manu even sort of said as much once it was his turn to speak
When you think of Manu as a player I think it’s fair to say he was one of a kind. His fingerprint on the game of basketball is everywhere when hyou look at today’s NBA, everything from his eurostep to his creative passing, the guy was truly one of the greats. It just felt like whenever the Spurs needed a big moment Manu was going to come through, and the way he accepted his role and flourished within that system is not exactly something you see a ton of guys willing to do nowadays. But that’s what makes the Spurs special and why they are a dynasty that will never truly die. Even now that those three guys are gone and all that’s left is Pop, we see the same old blueprint that those four first created still be successful.
Given how frequently guys move teams in today’s NBA we probably won’t see a trio of players with one coach like the Spurs had ever again. Certainly not one as successful in my opinion. With two down and Tony Parker being the final piece, I can’t wait for his ceremony and I’m not even a Spurs fan. Now, what other way to end this blog than some awesome Manu highlights? It’s Friday, what are you going to do work? Didn’t think so
