'I'm The Manu of Football': Lionel Messi Praises Spurs, Argentina Legend
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One of the greatest athletes in the history of Argentina athletics is now a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
With San Antonio Spurs legend Manu Ginobili joining the Hall of Fame, the history of basketball is now immortalized in Argentina and it has a place in the history of the game.
Ginobili joins the likes of the late Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi among the greatest athletes in the country's history to be forever recognized in their respective sport.
Messi is considered to be the greatest soccer player in the world for the current generation, prompting a journalist to call Ginobili "the Messi of basketball." And that triggered a response and compliment from Messi about Ginobili.
"It makes me very proud to hear a journalist say that Manu is the Messi of basketball. In fact, they should say that I am the Manu of football," Messi said.
Ginobili was drafted by the Spurs in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft, but was stashed overseas until 2002 when he joined the team in San Antonio as a bullish guard off the bench. It took him a little while to get acclimated to the NBA game, but once he did, he helped stretch San Antonio's championship window.
In 16 seasons with the franchise, Ginobili averaged 13.3 points per game and was named an All-Star twice while winning four championships with the Spurs.
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