About Manu Ginóbili
Emanuel David "Manu" Ginóbili (English: MAN-oo jin-OH-blee, Spanish: [ˈmanu ʝiˈnoβili]; born 28 July 1977) is an Argentine former professional basketball player. During a 23-year professional career, Ginóbili played in Argentina, in Italy, and in the NBA; he also represented Argentina in international competition. A shooting guard, he is best known for playing for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA from 2002 to 2018. Ginóbili, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker became known as the Spurs' "Big Three"; together, the trio won four NBA championships. In April 2022, Ginóbili was announced as a first-ballot inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Coming from a family of professional basketball players, Ginóbili spent the early part of his career in Argentina and Italy, winning several individual and team honors. Ginóbili's stint with Italian club Kinder Bologna was particularly successful, as he won two Italian League MVP awards, the EuroLeague Finals MVP, the 2001 EuroLeague championship and the Triple Crown. After joining the San Antonio Spurs, Ginóbili was named an All-Star in 2005 and 2011 and was selected to the All-NBA Third Team twice. In the 2007–08 season, he was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. The Spurs made the playoffs in each of Ginóbili's 16 seasons. He is regarded as one of the greatest Latin American players, sixth men, and draft steals in NBA history. Ginóbili is also credited with popularizing the Euro step move in the NBA. In international play, Ginóbili's achievements include leading Argentina to a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, where he was named FIBA Olympics Most Valuable Player. He also helped secure the historic feat of being a member of the only team in Olympic history (as of 2025) to ever eliminate the United States men's national basketball team since NBA players are allowed to participate (i.e. 1992). With Argentina's 2004 gold medal victory, Ginóbili became one of only two players (along with fellow Hall of Famer Bill Bradley) to have won a EuroLeague title, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal. In September 2021, the Spurs appointed Ginóbili as special advisor to basketball operations.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.