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Born & Raised in San Antonio and I can say without a doubt that as beloved as Timmy, Tony & Dave are and even Vic so far... There's just something about Manu that resonates with our community. I've legit seen The Spurs faithful (grown men) cry whenever Manu addresses the fans in Spanish... I get chills even now composing this post. Oh, and the highlight of my career as an Uber driver was taking him and his wife to the airport. What a Class Act!!!!!
Timmy is the greatest Spurs player of all time, but if you ask anyone in San Antonio who their favorite player is, most of them will say Manu. He is so loved by the city and community. Especially the Spanish speaking community.
One of my favorite TNT moments was when Kenny was ranking the best international players in the NBA, and Chuck just kept screaming, "GINOBILI!" then got pissed when Ginobili wasn't on the list and told Kenny, "You got Tony Parker over GINOBILI?? You been drinking at work again."
Clayton, I'm happy you can appreciate Manu Ginobili. As a Spurs fan who witnessed his greatness in person, both in San Antonio and on the road, I can honestly say Ginobili is my favorite professional athlete of all time and you can see why. In addition to his play on the court and desire to win, he never played dirty. Never got into any physical or even verbal altercations with players or refs. He never got ejected or suspended, and when teams got desperate and tried increasing their physicality against hm, he always got back up and became even more focused, more driven, and more fearless, and walked away with the win. Never embarrassed himself, the franchise, San Antonio, or Argentina, and having won wherever he went, from Italy to Athens, to San Antonio, he's just a winner with the heart of a Champion. The heart of a Gold Medal Olympian, and the heart of the Spurs franchise, still to this day.
Manu was aggressive in play yet calm in attitude. It was a privilege to be a Spurs fan during those two decades. Duncan was the MAN and foundation of why we won. But with Pop coaching discipline, Parker with an underrated quick first step, and Ginobili with his crazy energy. Loved it
Right there with u dude ginobli was the man loved watching him play he played when I played so tried 2 do a lot of his moves only problem I was like a foot shorter lol
AGREED. Also Ginobilli didn't take games or plays off,he gave you everything he had all season long. Thank God Manu wasn't your typical,selfish,greedy,me-only nba player. Nor childish this is my team like-SHAQ. LOL.
I remember back when in 2002 Argentina beat the Dream Team for this first time (something most people for some reason forgot), people joked about how the Spurs were probably like "wait, we got that guy???"
Manu was one of the first NBA players I HATED when I was a kid. Every time I thought our Sonics would beat the Spurs, Manu would do something crazy and change that. It’s insane to think he led ARGENTINA to a gold medal in 2004. A person with individual greatness but always belonged to the bigger cause. To be so humble in that regard to inspire others in their own personal lives. It’s no wonder he was one of the greatest WINNERS of all time. He was skilled beyond imagination, absolutely fearless, and always ready to make plays in the clutch when the team needed it. Watching his career unfold was one of my greatest experiences.
See how u felt bout manu I felt bout Kobe lol I was huge spurs fan growing up and Kobe wud be the dude doing something crazy 2 keep em in the game. Loved watching them play ya nvr knew what they was gonna give u but boy was it fun 2 watch. Manu n Kobe what a matchup
As an Argentinian this video made me tear up a little.. god what a joy to see that man play and represent us. Not even in our country is Manu remembered and celebrated as fondly as in San Antonio; true NBA fans, FIBA fans, we will always love this man.. hopefully his legend can someday transcend and be equated to our GOATs in fútbol. Thanks Clayton, awesome video.
No one gets it unless they were there. You had, on one hand, Kobe Bryant heir apparent to Michael Jordan and Kevin Garnett, the most well-rounded big man with speed like a guard and strength like a centre. They were traditional stars. And on the other hand you had all of the Spurs, these brilliant, selfless, fundamentally sound juggernauts who worked together for the team despite it not being flashy. They were a different breed of star. Except Manu. No one moved like he did.
And then there's Wemby, who has flipped the Spurs playbook (and the entire NBA) upside down. It says so much about Manu that he would willingly take the time to show Wemby the ropes, five years into his retirement.
Agree 100% with your first sentence. Unless you watched Manu you didn’t know how good he was. He did something every night that I had never seen before, and is still one of the best passers ever to this day.
Euroleague MVP and of the best players on 2002 World championships (which was held in the USA), and was still underrated and unknown in the NBA. He was like Toni Kukoc - IQ, unorthodox and a perfect team player. TD was their best player, but Manu was the heart and soul of that team.
In the Mandarin NBA circle, Spurs fans have a saying: Go to Parker when the game is going well, go to Duncan when the game is going bad, and go to Manu when the game is desperate.
As a lifelong Spurs fan, I had a saying during the Manu years. "Win by Manu, die by Manu." Yes, he'd come off the bench, but he was always there at crunch time. And we were either going to win or lose based on his game play.
I am a Spurs fan, and I don't give a crap if anyone thinks I'm biased. Manu Ginobili is one of the BEST basketball players to ever play this game. Top 50 for sure, maybe top 25. Don't look at the stats, look at the results. Come at me for days, the receipts are on my side.
I'm San Antonio born and raised. Thank you for making this video on my favorite basketball player of all time. While we appreciate Timmy for the obvious reasons and Tony for the same, I think many of us Spurs homers saw Manu as the wild heart of San Antonio Basketball during that era. No matter what, you could always expect something crafty and crazy from Manu Ginobili. All the way up to his last years. Of course, this led to the saying of "live by Manu, die by Manu"... but man, we really were living during some of those amazing moments he gave us. Another commenter here mentioned the word "unorthodox" to describe him and I can't think of anything more fitting.
As an argentinian and somone that mostly watched Manu's NBA games, it amazes me the quality of basketball I saw back in the days with the Golden Generation of Argentina and those Spurs. To this day, I watch regular games and, maybe product of bias memory, used to see "my team" win or Manu's magic, I just feel like I'm watching lower caliber basketball besides 3 point shoots (and sometimes even that is sub par to my memory). Manu's magic has left the bar so high, I feel like an old man saying "the old days were the best days" each time I watch basketball.
I feel like the spurs and Manu were a perfect fit for each other. I really feel like if he was a #1 option on a different team, his playstyle was so "nuclear" that I don't know how long his body would have held up and his career might have been shorter. Coming off the bench let him go full tilt in spurts that let him bring energy to the team throughout every game of his career
Thank you for making this. Manu can never be measured by his numbers but his impact on and in the game. Will forever be my favorite player to watch and live and die with
He is just lika an Water. He can be peaceful river and in the moment big, loud waterfall. Adapting to every circumstances. And taking only level of basketbal skill he was one of the best in history.
Keep in mind that the 2004 U.S Olympic Team that he beat consisted of: Allen Iverson Dwayne Wade Carmelo Anthony Lebron James Shawn Marion Amar’e Stoudemire & Tim Duncan (Just to name a few) Plus they were Coached by Larry Brown who had just won the NBA Finals with the Detroit Pistons only a few weeks prior and had a Gold Medal of his own as a player in 1964.
Keep in mind, Larry Brown essentially stole Carlisle's championship. And that he chose to start Marbury, Iverson, Jefferson and Odom next to Tim Duncan and give hardly any minutes to guys like LeBron James and Wade. Horrific.
Thank you for beautifully describing what was beautiful about Manu. He just competed and fought, never cared about blunders (and there were BIG ones) but kept fighting back - and in this zero-sum media environment attitude people have I’m glad you get it and enlighten us with this video. I think videos like this MATTER a lot for Manu’s career because he never prioritized the individual numbers - numbers that makes simpletons like us understood who’s great or not - and he’s freaking amazing, not just a baller, a superstar, but a sports hero who elevated every team, team mate, organization and even the game itself. Manu arguments and discussions will always be fascinating because you’ll know who really understands basketball beyond the numbers. I’ve seen the internet compare him to Klay, PG, T-mac - great wing players who have the all starts and individual numbers and those talks were fascinating. Last one - the 2014 spurs was such an amazing team for even just reaching the finals that year - no NBA team in history brought more emotional and spiritual baggage than that team and they even won it all in style. I think Manu’s spirit encapsulates that arc. Again kudos for the video. Thanks.
Such a beautiful tribute to my favorite NBA player ever, Manu Ginobili. I stopped watching the NBA when he retired. Can't find another player as exciting and passionate like Manu. Oh i love him❤❤❤
This, coupled with the Thinking Basketball video, does a great job to contextualize Manu’s impact. But to really get it is to watch a game with him coming off the bench and see the other team just collapse
Manu's #20 jersey was far and away the top selling Spurs jersey when he played. One only had to look into the stands to see that over half of the fans that were wearing jerseys would be wearing #20. GINNOBIILIIIIIIII!
Among many few, Ginóbili is what you can describe as the closest thing to a perfect basketball player and certainly the perfect role player. Edit: almost forget to say, PERFECT CONTENT keep it up.
That 2014 Spurs team has gone down as one of the best teams of all time.. not because of their record or title but because how they played... analyst and commentators call them the most beautiful form of team basketball ever displayed
It will never cease to amaze me how the Spurs got such different players to completely buy into their collective idea. Not just the different skillsets, the different *people*. Of course it all starts with Duncan, but you had enforcers like Bowen, killers like Tony, artists like Manu all buying in into creating a machine that was more than themselves. All of these players would have had a much different career outside of the Spurs, probably with both more individual accolades and controversies, but they never would have gotten the titles or, I suspect, the happiness that they found on the Spurs. Hell...Manu wasn't even the most unpredictable player on the Spurs at some point. They got Boris Diaw, an absurdist philosopher who happened to ball like an angel when he felt like it, to pour himself into one of the most beautiful teams of all times (Boris 2014 Finals MVP, and yes I am saying this unironically). And then chance decided to give Victor Wembanyama to this franchise as well? What can you even do besides rooting for the Spurs...
Manu is the only classic spurs player Ive ever met, only jersey I own and that finals series in 2014 is the highest level of team basketball I've ever seen played.
I just gotta say this are the best basketball channel on UA-cam. Especially with what’s been going on with the “we done with the 90s” you seem to be the only one who appreciates and puts into proper perspective the feature and the past
Never heard of your channel, ever. Big time fan of the early 2000s since that is my first watch of nba! Subscribed and liked. Ginobli!! Every time I watched Spurs my brother and I would say wtf why does he ever come off the bench?! Cuz he's a winner!
Absolutely fantastic video about my favorite basketball player ever (just look at my avatar). But you missed one of the most insane sacrifices he made in his storied career. Back in 2016, taking a charge on Ryan Anderson, he got kneed so hard in the groin he had to have his right testicle surgically removed 😢
Manu gonna Manu. Look, there have been players who clashed with the coaching, the establishment or maybe both. Manu may have bucked how the Spurs played, but he bought in completely on how the Spurs rolled. Played behind other greats and contemporaries, played diminished minutes, got relegated to a bench position in his prime, took pay cuts, established connections with teammates outside of basketball, took the blows when everybody gave him the business and never missed a step and was undoubtedly instrumental in most if not all those championships the Spurs won with the Duncan-Manu-Parker connection and some before even that. Manu is the man.
I feel like when people say someone is "paying attention to the narrative" of an nba player or franchise its seen as a bad thing, But this channel celebrates those narratives so well without ever reaching into fantasy or glorification, love it.
The prettiest Euro step in the game.Growing up I was fortunate enough to be a teen during the 2000's And The n b a was joy to watch. So many good teams so many great players.So many household names, but I always knew that ginobli was gonna get his every time he stepped on the couit was a pleasure to watch him.
That was me 2 man right there wit ya didn't get no better idc who was playing on TV I was glued 2 the TV its shame not how it is anymore lets jus shoot till we can't shoot thats not basketball thats practice lol
As both a Spurs fan and a St. Louis Cardinals fan, I got to witness true greatness in two sports from two teams with the same philosophy: consistent, subtle, out-work you performance. I was able to discover my two favorite archetypes in sports, first of which was the Tim Duncan/Albert Pujols type. The type that would let their skill do the talking for them, never needing to talk the talk. All they ever needed to say was “Watch me.” The type that reminds me of my dad. The close second favorite of the archetypes was the Manu/Yadi type. The heart and hustle, the flair for the dramatic, the shouts toward the heavens in jubilation or rage. They played with this passion for their games that just drew me in. You couldn’t help but root for these guys if they were on your team, and you sure as hell would hate them as an opponent. I’ve kept up with baseball up to now, but I’ve mostly fallen away from basketball since Covid and other stuff. Wembanyama might be pulling me back in, though. Suffice it to say, these videos have helped remind me of how wonderful basketball was (and still is). Thanks for making this video and rekindling my enjoyment of this sport, Clayton. Hopefully you complete the Big Three one day with a Tony Parker video.
I was watching the video and waiting for 2004. You say 2003 and 2005 and I say "dudeeee where's the golden generation? " as an argentinian, beautiful video
Last saw him play at home vs Boston in 2017 when I was traveling in Texas. Drained a half court three at the half, then a three to win the game. Thanks Manu
This is the first comment I’ve left on a UA-cam video in years but I just thought I’d say, this video and your countless others are the most well crafted content surrounding basketball on this platform and to my knowledge on any platform.
You're like the anti-thinking basketball and I love it. I enjoy the experiences you curate and the feelings you evoke just as much as I enjoy the the way Ben frames analytics . Thanks for the content! Oh and Manu will forever be my favorite player of all time.
Man. Never thought I'd see you make a video on my favorite player. I know he's not the best, but Manu punched way above his weight class through his witty and almost conniving playstyle. He wasn't afraid to dream big, and every team needs someone like that.
Dawg. Your video quality -- editing, voiceover, humor -- you deserve at minimum 1 million subs. I'm not sure how long you've been doing this UA-cam thing, dude, but stick with it. You're gonna be huge, I'm sure of it!
I remember when there was an announcement saying ginobli was going onto the HOF and i saw comments saying he doesn't deserve it. It was so annoying how wrong they are
The Spurs were a well oiled offensive machine, honestly Popovic created some of the most perfect sets ever and then Manu would lead the second unit and it was wonderful chaos. No wonder a lot of teams just couldn't cope with the transition...
I hope that videos like these can reach the players and their families directly, serving as a powerful reminder of the deep admiration and respect fans hold for them. Amidst the noise of modern basketball discourse.
Great narrating and video clips! As a huge Spurs fan, I clearly remember the great memories the Big 3 created for us and the NBA world. Will you do a video like this on T. Parker?
21:20 right there. That has to be the best clip of Tim Tony and Manu ever. Not the trophy liftings, not the big celebrations. That silly and goofy 3 seconds.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
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where's the paid promotion banner? wouldn't have wasted my time otherwise
@@MarsofAritiawhy complain about a skippable minute long ad spot? Doesn’t take anything away from the solid video around it
@@mctheplaywright it's an ad that bypasses my adblocker without my permission. I refuse to support people who rely on such tactics.
@@MarsofAritia it’s how UA-cam has worked for nearly a decade dude, this is very old man yells at clouds
@@mctheplaywright how come the people i watch don't do that? People should not support scummy practices.
Manu is the definition of "your favorite player's favorite player"
Manu´f dooms
👏👏
“With the 57th pick, the San Antonio spurs select…. Emmanuel Geenobeelee”
There was a video game, either nba ballers or street that said it exactly like that when he was a rookie. I see where they got it from now.
*Zheenobeelee
And the rest is history
Gene-O-Billy 😂
Seen that clip probably 100 times now and it doesn’t get old.
Born & Raised in San Antonio and I can say without a doubt that as beloved as Timmy, Tony & Dave are and even Vic so far... There's just something about Manu that resonates with our community. I've legit seen The Spurs faithful (grown men) cry whenever Manu addresses the fans in Spanish... I get chills even now composing this post. Oh, and the highlight of my career as an Uber driver was taking him and his wife to the airport. What a Class Act!!!!!
That’s a beautiful post bro
Thank you for you post. I would've been crazy nervous giving my personal basketball God and his wife a ride anywhere ! Lol
Manu made the Spurs the best. “I am Manu, this is what I do.”
And argentina and italy teams @@AdrianLopez-n5x
@@Cbiz210 Manu didn’t bring the sauce, he brought the salsa! No other player did that, not LeBron, no one.
Im argentinian, and this is the greatest video of manu that i've seen
its very informative. theres a lot about Manu I didn’t know lol
I think this one is the best but my favorite is from bballbreakdown
basado
We love Manu.
!Que Rico!
He's my favorite.
Timmy is the greatest Spurs player of all time, but if you ask anyone in San Antonio who their favorite player is, most of them will say Manu.
He is so loved by the city and community. Especially the Spanish speaking community.
Agreed! I'm a Lakers fan but i absolutely love Manu
100% that year in 2005 cemented him as my ATF=All Time Favorite!! He just wins
Mainly because of San Antonio's cultural make-up. Ginobili obviously doesn't sniff Duncan's impact.
One word that subtly became synonymous with Ginobili and typically came along with all the awe was “unorthodox”. He just did whatever it took to win.
Doing tricks on it.
Lol that reminds me of MJ
"duncan... robinson... ᴅᴜɴᴄᴀɴ ʀᴏʙɪɴsᴏɴ" got me chortling
Same, i was like "you mean David?"
I was looking for this comment
I thought I was the only one to hear the whisper ship of both Duncan and Robinson
@@demonik2108 Yea Robinson is cool, Tim is a jerk and a cheapskate!!!
GINNOBIILIIIIIIII!
-Charles Barkley 2002-present
One of my favorite TNT moments was when Kenny was ranking the best international players in the NBA, and Chuck just kept screaming, "GINOBILI!" then got pissed when Ginobili wasn't on the list and told Kenny, "You got Tony Parker over GINOBILI?? You been drinking at work again."
Manu once held a door open for me. Manu was like that.
Clayton, I'm happy you can appreciate Manu Ginobili. As a Spurs fan who witnessed his greatness in person, both in San Antonio and on the road, I can honestly say Ginobili is my favorite professional athlete of all time and you can see why. In addition to his play on the court and desire to win, he never played dirty. Never got into any physical or even verbal altercations with players or refs. He never got ejected or suspended, and when teams got desperate and tried increasing their physicality against hm, he always got back up and became even more focused, more driven, and more fearless, and walked away with the win. Never embarrassed himself, the franchise, San Antonio, or Argentina, and having won wherever he went, from Italy to Athens, to San Antonio, he's just a winner with the heart of a Champion. The heart of a Gold Medal Olympian, and the heart of the Spurs franchise, still to this day.
Manu was aggressive in play yet calm in attitude. It was a privilege to be a Spurs fan during those two decades. Duncan was the MAN and foundation of why we won. But with Pop coaching discipline, Parker with an underrated quick first step, and Ginobili with his crazy energy. Loved it
Right there with u dude ginobli was the man loved watching him play he played when I played so tried 2 do a lot of his moves only problem I was like a foot shorter lol
Like what the dude said, the winningest trio
30 plus years of watching the NBA and Ginobilli is still one of the most exciting and creative players that I've ever seen.
AGREED. Also Ginobilli didn't take games or plays off,he gave you everything he had all season long. Thank God Manu wasn't your typical,selfish,greedy,me-only nba player. Nor childish this is my team like-SHAQ. LOL.
For someone who's not a Spurs fan, you sure do make the best Spurs videos.
Manu is not only a Spur. He succeeded in Argentina and Italy. And beating the USA 2 times in a row.
Ginobli is an example of someone who could have been picked higher if international scouting had been more developed at the time
1st OA pick probably if they only knew how great he was
I remember back when in 2002 Argentina beat the Dream Team for this first time (something most people for some reason forgot), people joked about how the Spurs were probably like "wait, we got that guy???"
Jokic before Jokic. I wonder what commercial played while Geenobeelee was being drafted
Manu was one of the first NBA players I HATED when I was a kid. Every time I thought our Sonics would beat the Spurs, Manu would do something crazy and change that. It’s insane to think he led ARGENTINA to a gold medal in 2004. A person with individual greatness but always belonged to the bigger cause. To be so humble in that regard to inspire others in their own personal lives. It’s no wonder he was one of the greatest WINNERS of all time. He was skilled beyond imagination, absolutely fearless, and always ready to make plays in the clutch when the team needed it. Watching his career unfold was one of my greatest experiences.
See how u felt bout manu I felt bout Kobe lol I was huge spurs fan growing up and Kobe wud be the dude doing something crazy 2 keep em in the game. Loved watching them play ya nvr knew what they was gonna give u but boy was it fun 2 watch. Manu n Kobe what a matchup
As an Argentinian this video made me tear up a little.. god what a joy to see that man play and represent us. Not even in our country is Manu remembered and celebrated as fondly as in San Antonio; true NBA fans, FIBA fans, we will always love this man.. hopefully his legend can someday transcend and be equated to our GOATs in fútbol. Thanks Clayton, awesome video.
Manu was a top 10-15 nba player for most of his career he just didn’t put up gaudy stats cause of his role. Thanks for this video.
Not the per-game stats, but his advanced stats tell the real story
@@RicardoAGuitar yeah his advanced stats really help paint the picture.
No one gets it unless they were there.
You had, on one hand, Kobe Bryant heir apparent to Michael Jordan and Kevin Garnett, the most well-rounded big man with speed like a guard and strength like a centre. They were traditional stars.
And on the other hand you had all of the Spurs, these brilliant, selfless, fundamentally sound juggernauts who worked together for the team despite it not being flashy. They were a different breed of star.
Except Manu. No one moved like he did.
And then there's Wemby, who has flipped the Spurs playbook (and the entire NBA) upside down. It says so much about Manu that he would willingly take the time to show Wemby the ropes, five years into his retirement.
Agree 100% with your first sentence. Unless you watched Manu you didn’t know how good he was. He did something every night that I had never seen before, and is still one of the best passers ever to this day.
Euroleague MVP and of the best players on 2002 World championships (which was held in the USA), and was still underrated and unknown in the NBA. He was like Toni Kukoc - IQ, unorthodox and a perfect team player. TD was their best player, but Manu was the heart and soul of that team.
In the Mandarin NBA circle, Spurs fans have a saying: Go to Parker when the game is going well, go to Duncan when the game is going bad, and go to Manu when the game is desperate.
Manu was NOT the heart and soul of that team it was always Tim Duncan. He said all the Sours players have said it and so has pop
@@kylemonsterdrywallfistbump5948 You have to understand, this is a Ginobili video... they're going to get carried away. lol
As a lifelong Spurs fan, I had a saying during the Manu years. "Win by Manu, die by Manu." Yes, he'd come off the bench, but he was always there at crunch time. And we were either going to win or lose based on his game play.
I am a Spurs fan, and I don't give a crap if anyone thinks I'm biased. Manu Ginobili is one of the BEST basketball players to ever play this game. Top 50 for sure, maybe top 25. Don't look at the stats, look at the results. Come at me for days, the receipts are on my side.
You got my vote
I'm San Antonio born and raised. Thank you for making this video on my favorite basketball player of all time. While we appreciate Timmy for the obvious reasons and Tony for the same, I think many of us Spurs homers saw Manu as the wild heart of San Antonio Basketball during that era. No matter what, you could always expect something crafty and crazy from Manu Ginobili. All the way up to his last years. Of course, this led to the saying of "live by Manu, die by Manu"... but man, we really were living during some of those amazing moments he gave us. Another commenter here mentioned the word "unorthodox" to describe him and I can't think of anything more fitting.
As an argentinian and somone that mostly watched Manu's NBA games, it amazes me the quality of basketball I saw back in the days with the Golden Generation of Argentina and those Spurs.
To this day, I watch regular games and, maybe product of bias memory, used to see "my team" win or Manu's magic, I just feel like I'm watching lower caliber basketball besides 3 point shoots (and sometimes even that is sub par to my memory).
Manu's magic has left the bar so high, I feel like an old man saying "the old days were the best days" each time I watch basketball.
I feel like the spurs and Manu were a perfect fit for each other. I really feel like if he was a #1 option on a different team, his playstyle was so "nuclear" that I don't know how long his body would have held up and his career might have been shorter. Coming off the bench let him go full tilt in spurts that let him bring energy to the team throughout every game of his career
I've said the same thing. Manu cannot pace himself, and getting monster minutes would have shortened his career for sure
Thank you for making this. Manu can never be measured by his numbers but his impact on and in the game. Will forever be my favorite player to watch and live and die with
The REAL definition of UNDERRATED!!
He is just lika an Water. He can be peaceful river and in the moment big, loud waterfall. Adapting to every circumstances. And taking only level of basketbal skill he was one of the best in history.
Keep in mind that the 2004 U.S Olympic Team that he beat consisted of:
Allen Iverson
Dwayne Wade
Carmelo Anthony
Lebron James
Shawn Marion
Amar’e Stoudemire
& Tim Duncan
(Just to name a few)
Plus they were Coached by Larry Brown who had just won the NBA Finals with the Detroit Pistons only a few weeks prior and had a Gold Medal of his own as a player in 1964.
Keep in mind, Larry Brown essentially stole Carlisle's championship. And that he chose to start Marbury, Iverson, Jefferson and Odom next to Tim Duncan and give hardly any minutes to guys like LeBron James and Wade. Horrific.
Thank you for beautifully describing what was beautiful about Manu. He just competed and fought, never cared about blunders (and there were BIG ones) but kept fighting back - and in this zero-sum media environment attitude people have I’m glad you get it and enlighten us with this video.
I think videos like this MATTER a lot for Manu’s career because he never prioritized the individual numbers - numbers that makes simpletons like us understood who’s great or not - and he’s freaking amazing, not just a baller, a superstar, but a sports hero who elevated every team, team mate, organization and even the game itself.
Manu arguments and discussions will always be fascinating because you’ll know who really understands basketball beyond the numbers. I’ve seen the internet compare him to Klay, PG, T-mac - great wing players who have the all starts and individual numbers and those talks were fascinating.
Last one - the 2014 spurs was such an amazing team for even just reaching the finals that year - no NBA team in history brought more emotional and spiritual baggage than that team and they even won it all in style. I think Manu’s spirit encapsulates that arc.
Again kudos for the video. Thanks.
Such a beautiful tribute to my favorite NBA player ever, Manu Ginobili. I stopped watching the NBA when he retired. Can't find another player as exciting and passionate like Manu. Oh i love him❤❤❤
Today I call manu Ginobili the Argentinian Michael Jordan I still called them that when I was younger and I still stand by it
He is better than jordan. You will not agree, but I know he is
This, coupled with the Thinking Basketball video, does a great job to contextualize Manu’s impact. But to really get it is to watch a game with him coming off the bench and see the other team just collapse
Clayton is becoming more and more unhinged for each video he uploades and we all here for it
Copying a top comment from the last video eh?
Manu's #20 jersey was far and away the top selling Spurs jersey when he played. One only had to look into the stands to see that over half of the fans that were wearing jerseys would be wearing #20. GINNOBIILIIIIIIII!
Among many few, Ginóbili is what you can describe as the closest thing to a perfect basketball player and certainly the perfect role player.
Edit: almost forget to say, PERFECT CONTENT keep it up.
That 2014 Spurs team has gone down as one of the best teams of all time.. not because of their record or title but because how they played... analyst and commentators call them the most beautiful form of team basketball ever displayed
It will never cease to amaze me how the Spurs got such different players to completely buy into their collective idea. Not just the different skillsets, the different *people*. Of course it all starts with Duncan, but you had enforcers like Bowen, killers like Tony, artists like Manu all buying in into creating a machine that was more than themselves. All of these players would have had a much different career outside of the Spurs, probably with both more individual accolades and controversies, but they never would have gotten the titles or, I suspect, the happiness that they found on the Spurs.
Hell...Manu wasn't even the most unpredictable player on the Spurs at some point. They got Boris Diaw, an absurdist philosopher who happened to ball like an angel when he felt like it, to pour himself into one of the most beautiful teams of all times (Boris 2014 Finals MVP, and yes I am saying this unironically).
And then chance decided to give Victor Wembanyama to this franchise as well? What can you even do besides rooting for the Spurs...
Pop was so ready to retire and sit back in the front office until Wemby came along.
"Ah shit here we go again" - Greg Popovich probably
This video cured my depression, thx.
Listening to this at work. Hit pause on my ear buds when the mailman came in. Came back to hit play on the screen, and the screen was on 4:32 😆
Manu is the Heart. SPOT ON!!!!
People being curious, kind, and enthusiastically themselves will always be awesome to hear about.
The oops then dunking on Yao Ming was absolutely insane 🔥🔥🔥
Another banger. Thanks, Clayton.
Manu is the only classic spurs player Ive ever met, only jersey I own and that finals series in 2014 is the highest level of team basketball I've ever seen played.
My favorite player of all time, Manu Ginobili. I wish more players played the way he does. He truly is one of a kind.
Clayton Crowley video about the man who got me into basketball? Dreams do come true
Thank you for this great video man! For me, the most important athlete in my country 🇦🇷 (yes, more than messi and maradona lol)
I just gotta say this are the best basketball channel on UA-cam. Especially with what’s been going on with the “we done with the 90s” you seem to be the only one who appreciates and puts into proper perspective the feature and the past
Have parts of the 90’s been exaggerated at times? In both directions yes.
But that doesn’t mean it can’t be appreciated for what it is
5:05 “Duncan robinson…..” 😂
He is my favorit player all time! love manu!
Never heard of your channel, ever. Big time fan of the early 2000s since that is my first watch of nba! Subscribed and liked. Ginobli!! Every time I watched Spurs my brother and I would say wtf why does he ever come off the bench?! Cuz he's a winner!
Absolutely fantastic video about my favorite basketball player ever (just look at my avatar). But you missed one of the most insane sacrifices he made in his storied career. Back in 2016, taking a charge on Ryan Anderson, he got kneed so hard in the groin he had to have his right testicle surgically removed 😢
GREAT VIDEO. THE BEST REFLECTION OF THE TOTAL TRUTH OF GINOBILI. Well , there is even more but we would need 100 hours for that👍
Manu is the best player anyone can hope for. 100% effort every night and then live with the results!
Manu gonna Manu. Look, there have been players who clashed with the coaching, the establishment or maybe both. Manu may have bucked how the Spurs played, but he bought in completely on how the Spurs rolled. Played behind other greats and contemporaries, played diminished minutes, got relegated to a bench position in his prime, took pay cuts, established connections with teammates outside of basketball, took the blows when everybody gave him the business and never missed a step and was undoubtedly instrumental in most if not all those championships the Spurs won with the Duncan-Manu-Parker connection and some before even that.
Manu is the man.
Best Manu video I've ever seen. Just classy from start to finish. Great job
Tom, Tony & Manu: The winningest trio in history.😊
The Spurs are also the winningest NBA team this century.
I feel like when people say someone is "paying attention to the narrative" of an nba player or franchise its seen as a bad thing, But this channel celebrates those narratives so well without ever reaching into fantasy or glorification, love it.
I wear my #20 spurs hat with pride, he was my childhood hero. ❤️
As a spurs fan, I always appreciate a reminder of manus greatness. Awesome video, thanks for that!
I'm definitely a fan of this player. He was such a overall great player.
your videos in general are amazing but this one in particular is an all timer
As he's one of my all-time favorite players, I've seen many a Manu video essays and highlight reels. But I have to say, this might be the best one.
The prettiest Euro step in the game.Growing up I was fortunate enough to be a teen during the 2000's And The n b a was joy to watch. So many good teams so many great players.So many household names, but I always knew that ginobli was gonna get his every time he stepped on the couit was a pleasure to watch him.
That was me 2 man right there wit ya didn't get no better idc who was playing on TV I was glued 2 the TV its shame not how it is anymore lets jus shoot till we can't shoot thats not basketball thats practice lol
As both a Spurs fan and a St. Louis Cardinals fan, I got to witness true greatness in two sports from two teams with the same philosophy: consistent, subtle, out-work you performance. I was able to discover my two favorite archetypes in sports, first of which was the Tim Duncan/Albert Pujols type. The type that would let their skill do the talking for them, never needing to talk the talk. All they ever needed to say was “Watch me.” The type that reminds me of my dad.
The close second favorite of the archetypes was the Manu/Yadi type. The heart and hustle, the flair for the dramatic, the shouts toward the heavens in jubilation or rage. They played with this passion for their games that just drew me in. You couldn’t help but root for these guys if they were on your team, and you sure as hell would hate them as an opponent.
I’ve kept up with baseball up to now, but I’ve mostly fallen away from basketball since Covid and other stuff. Wembanyama might be pulling me back in, though. Suffice it to say, these videos have helped remind me of how wonderful basketball was (and still is).
Thanks for making this video and rekindling my enjoyment of this sport, Clayton. Hopefully you complete the Big Three one day with a Tony Parker video.
Excited to send this to my mom. She LOVED David Robinson and the spurs and she was obsessed with Manu. Thanks Clayton
I became a Spurs fan because of Manu. Clinched it when Argentina beat USA in the Olympics
I think this is your best video yet - the palpable love and adoration of a man and a player who deserves to be loved and adored. Manu ❤️
I was watching the video and waiting for 2004. You say 2003 and 2005 and I say "dudeeee where's the golden generation? " as an argentinian, beautiful video
Love this video. I’m Argentinian and I literally teared up at the end of the video. We love Manu, a fighter, a winner and also a great human being.
Hi fronte Italy. Here we all love this guy! What a Thing The block over harden sta The age of 40! Immenso Manu!
Last saw him play at home vs Boston in 2017 when I was traveling in Texas. Drained a half court three at the half, then a three to win the game. Thanks Manu
Also not a spurs fan but this video is so fantastic. Loved watching that dude
My friend, Ive seen good videos of Manu over the years, but yours is simply PERFECT. Thanks for it
Cheers from Argentina.
This is the first comment I’ve left on a UA-cam video in years but I just thought I’d say, this video and your countless others are the most well crafted content surrounding basketball on this platform and to my knowledge on any platform.
You're like the anti-thinking basketball and I love it. I enjoy the experiences you curate and the feelings you evoke just as much as I enjoy the the way Ben frames analytics . Thanks for the content!
Oh and Manu will forever be my favorite player of all time.
We love you, Manu!
Too many good memories to recount.
This was a masterpiece
This was my favorite player (and still is) this video is pure bliss. Gotta give Dwayne Wade a bit of credit for the euro step getting big as well.
Can’t get enough of these player pieces!! Hope to see more spotlight videos like this one (and Horry’s video) in the future 🤌🏽
Man. Never thought I'd see you make a video on my favorite player. I know he's not the best, but Manu punched way above his weight class through his witty and almost conniving playstyle. He wasn't afraid to dream big, and every team needs someone like that.
Dawg. Your video quality -- editing, voiceover, humor -- you deserve at minimum 1 million subs.
I'm not sure how long you've been doing this UA-cam thing, dude, but stick with it. You're gonna be huge, I'm sure of it!
I really hope that this video gets more views. Goes viral. I loved this so much. He is my absolute hero. Thank you for making this video
this is an unfathomably massive W of a video, ginobili may be the most underrated player of all time just because he chose to come off the bench
I remember when there was an announcement saying ginobli was going onto the HOF and i saw comments saying he doesn't deserve it. It was so annoying how wrong they are
Excelenteeeee! one of the GOAT 🖤
Manu is the reason i started to play basketball at age 30.
The Spurs were a well oiled offensive machine, honestly Popovic created some of the most perfect sets ever and then Manu would lead the second unit and it was wonderful chaos. No wonder a lot of teams just couldn't cope with the transition...
I hope that videos like these can reach the players and their families directly, serving as a powerful reminder of the deep admiration and respect fans hold for them. Amidst the noise of modern basketball discourse.
Babe wake up.... New Clayton Crowley masterpiece just dropped
Man that was so so good!!
Great narrating and video clips! As a huge Spurs fan, I clearly remember the great memories the Big 3 created for us and the NBA world.
Will you do a video like this on T. Parker?
amazing video...thank you very much. Manu is an sports icon
21:20 right there. That has to be the best clip of Tim Tony and Manu ever. Not the trophy liftings, not the big celebrations. That silly and goofy 3 seconds.
😅
This is the best channel in youtube by far
Grandpa Juice! "“I am Manu. That's what I do"
Now that you've thrown a bone to the hermanos we're going to need that Varejão video
A great love letter. Thank you, Clayton.