Giannis Antetokounmpo: Ranking the NBA’s best international players ever
By Adam McGee
Manu Ginobili
One of the game’s true greats in terms of skill and competitive spirit, Manu Ginobili still finds himself somewhat at risk due to the selfless attitude that saw him put his team first across the entirety of his NBA career.
Unlike the other players on this list, Ginobili’s numbers weren’t always the most eye-popping, and he wasn’t always the go-to guy, yet that made him no less instrumental to the success of one of the league’s all-time model dynasties.
With Argentina, Ginobili earned gold and bronze medals at Olympic Games, along with a World Cup silver. Prior to even setting foot in the NBA, Ginobili was also a EuroLeague and Italian League Champion, in addition to being the Finals MVP in the former, and league MVP in the latter.
For those who look to assess Ginobili in the future, perhaps the fact he only made two All-NBA and two All-Star teams will lead them to believe that he never quite reached those same heights in the NBA. The fact is that Ginobili was not only crucial in the Spurs winning four NBA championships, though, but that his style of play also went toward revolutionizing how offense is played.
If Ginobili had been the leading light on his own team, with the right players around him as complements, it’s not impossible that he would have managed to achieve the same elsewhere. Instead, he was a perennial Sixth Man in San Antonio, and contributed more to winning than any other player may go on to do in that role.