kolko
03-29-2005, 04:42 PM
Link (http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/manu_feature_050329.html)
March 29, 2005
SuperManu!: Argentine Superstar Electrifies Spurs Fans
by Grant Fuller, spurs.com contributor
In the tiny sports shops on the pedestrian malls of Buenos Aires, between hundreds of soccer jerseys on the wall, hangs a single Spurs jersey: a sign that in Argentina, that other ball has suddenly become popular at the hands of Manu. In his third year in the NBA, Manu Ginobili has earned the complete adoration of an Argentine people who normally go crazy only for soccer, and at the same time continues to capture the attention of whoever sees him play the sport he loves so much.
Playing in a city with such an evident Latin American influence, Ginobili has established a good relationship with San Antonio fans who like to call him “SuperManu” and cheer wildly at the miraculous moves Manu pulls off on the court.
“I’ve created a pretty unique feeling with the people here,” Ginobili says. “The people have treated me very well from the first day, and that, on the basketball court, is felt and it makes me feel more confidence, so that has helped me out a lot.”
As a key ingredient in the current internationalization of the NBA, Manu has turned himself into a player universally loved and he also carries the burden on his shoulders of being an ambassador to the league for his country so that other Argentines follow his lead. In fact, two fellow Argentines established themselves in the league this season: Andrés Nocioni of the Chicago Bulls and Carlos Delfino of the Detroit Pistons.
“I like to feel like I’m one of the first Latin players, and it’s good for me to have had this opening of borders,” Ginobili says. “I think it’s making the game better as well because many of the international players are playing very well, so anything to improve the sport is more than welcome.”
To say that Manu Ginobili is “playing very well” would be quite the understatement considering the Spurs guard took a spot on the All-Star team and also recently carried Argentine basketball to its greatest moment in history when his national team defeated the Americans in the Athens Olympics last summer, winning the gold medal. Ginobili says the team went to a bar to celebrate its victory with the Italians, who also rejoiced for having finished ahead of the American Dream Team that had always dominated the Olympics in the past. For Manu, that amazing Argentine success story means more than just a good reason for one night of celebration.
“It was very important for sports in my country, and for basketball, it was something practically unthinkable,” Ginobili said. “Until a few years ago it was a fantasy, something impossible. Something incredible was achieved and we’re trying to take advantage of that in order to help the sport grow and so that more kids go out and play basketball.”
The entire nation of Argentina moved to the rhythm of its national teams during those Athens Olympics as the Argentine soccer team also won the coveted gold. In a single word, Manu describes his time in Athens as being “beautiful.”
“It’s something unique, to share those two weeks with the best athletes in the world from distinct sports, from distinct countries,” Ginobili said. “Afterwards a person creates friendships with the other athletes from his country, which is something that can’t be done later because everybody has their own obligations, and to have finished it off with the gold medal is like the cherry on the cake. It was a unique experience.”
When Ginobili was a child, he never would have imagined the situation he’s living out today simply because in Argentina, the opportunities to play professional basketball didn’t exist outside of the European leagues. That’s why he says his dream to become an NBA player was really far-fetched.
“For a young ten-, twelve-year-old boy in Argentina, it seemed impossible to play in the NBA,” Ginobili says. “I watched it on television until late at night, watching the NBA Finals, but we thought more about Europe than the NBA. When I went to Europe and kept improving, then the NBA started to become a more realistic objective.”
In Argentina, Ginobili’s success has lifted him to the status of idol among his followers, and recently the Spurs guard was even named “Figure of the Year” in a survey conducted by the Argentine newspaper Clarín. The respondents selected the basketball player instead of any other public figure like popular singers or influential politicians. Although Manu has already made himself comfortable here in San Antonio, it’s obvious he hasn’t forgotten about his native country.
“I’m very proud, very happy to be Argentine, and I adore my country,” Ginobili says. “I know that we have thousands of problems, many of which are chronic, but I continue adoring my people, I continue adoring my land. I’m not going to forget that just because I feel very good living in America.”
For a country still feeling the effects of a military dictatorship and an economy collapse, both in the past 30 years, sports tend to serve as a way to escape the political problems. Ginobili says he wishes that people could better understand his beloved homeland.
“Sometimes when I speak with Americans, they can’t understand the conditions certain people live in or how our economy is so poor being such a potentially rich nation,” Ginobili explains. “But it’s a long story and it’s not very easy because the difference between the American culture and Latin American culture is fairly large.”
Even if the differences are big, the truth is that Manu is helping build a bridge between cultures because his style of play knows neither language nor border. And thanks to the presence of so many international names on the Spurs roster, Ginobili doesn’t have to feel like the ugly duckling on the court.
“For us players from other countries it’s nice to have each other because it helps us to understand better the situation that we’re in,” Ginobili says. “When I arrived, Tony Parker had come a year before, Nesterovic three years earlier, and now Beno Udrih is here so we can tell him more things. So it’s like among the international players, we understand each other a little better due to having lived through similar experiences.”
March 29, 2005
SuperManu!: Argentine Superstar Electrifies Spurs Fans
by Grant Fuller, spurs.com contributor
In the tiny sports shops on the pedestrian malls of Buenos Aires, between hundreds of soccer jerseys on the wall, hangs a single Spurs jersey: a sign that in Argentina, that other ball has suddenly become popular at the hands of Manu. In his third year in the NBA, Manu Ginobili has earned the complete adoration of an Argentine people who normally go crazy only for soccer, and at the same time continues to capture the attention of whoever sees him play the sport he loves so much.
Playing in a city with such an evident Latin American influence, Ginobili has established a good relationship with San Antonio fans who like to call him “SuperManu” and cheer wildly at the miraculous moves Manu pulls off on the court.
“I’ve created a pretty unique feeling with the people here,” Ginobili says. “The people have treated me very well from the first day, and that, on the basketball court, is felt and it makes me feel more confidence, so that has helped me out a lot.”
As a key ingredient in the current internationalization of the NBA, Manu has turned himself into a player universally loved and he also carries the burden on his shoulders of being an ambassador to the league for his country so that other Argentines follow his lead. In fact, two fellow Argentines established themselves in the league this season: Andrés Nocioni of the Chicago Bulls and Carlos Delfino of the Detroit Pistons.
“I like to feel like I’m one of the first Latin players, and it’s good for me to have had this opening of borders,” Ginobili says. “I think it’s making the game better as well because many of the international players are playing very well, so anything to improve the sport is more than welcome.”
To say that Manu Ginobili is “playing very well” would be quite the understatement considering the Spurs guard took a spot on the All-Star team and also recently carried Argentine basketball to its greatest moment in history when his national team defeated the Americans in the Athens Olympics last summer, winning the gold medal. Ginobili says the team went to a bar to celebrate its victory with the Italians, who also rejoiced for having finished ahead of the American Dream Team that had always dominated the Olympics in the past. For Manu, that amazing Argentine success story means more than just a good reason for one night of celebration.
“It was very important for sports in my country, and for basketball, it was something practically unthinkable,” Ginobili said. “Until a few years ago it was a fantasy, something impossible. Something incredible was achieved and we’re trying to take advantage of that in order to help the sport grow and so that more kids go out and play basketball.”
The entire nation of Argentina moved to the rhythm of its national teams during those Athens Olympics as the Argentine soccer team also won the coveted gold. In a single word, Manu describes his time in Athens as being “beautiful.”
“It’s something unique, to share those two weeks with the best athletes in the world from distinct sports, from distinct countries,” Ginobili said. “Afterwards a person creates friendships with the other athletes from his country, which is something that can’t be done later because everybody has their own obligations, and to have finished it off with the gold medal is like the cherry on the cake. It was a unique experience.”
When Ginobili was a child, he never would have imagined the situation he’s living out today simply because in Argentina, the opportunities to play professional basketball didn’t exist outside of the European leagues. That’s why he says his dream to become an NBA player was really far-fetched.
“For a young ten-, twelve-year-old boy in Argentina, it seemed impossible to play in the NBA,” Ginobili says. “I watched it on television until late at night, watching the NBA Finals, but we thought more about Europe than the NBA. When I went to Europe and kept improving, then the NBA started to become a more realistic objective.”
In Argentina, Ginobili’s success has lifted him to the status of idol among his followers, and recently the Spurs guard was even named “Figure of the Year” in a survey conducted by the Argentine newspaper Clarín. The respondents selected the basketball player instead of any other public figure like popular singers or influential politicians. Although Manu has already made himself comfortable here in San Antonio, it’s obvious he hasn’t forgotten about his native country.
“I’m very proud, very happy to be Argentine, and I adore my country,” Ginobili says. “I know that we have thousands of problems, many of which are chronic, but I continue adoring my people, I continue adoring my land. I’m not going to forget that just because I feel very good living in America.”
For a country still feeling the effects of a military dictatorship and an economy collapse, both in the past 30 years, sports tend to serve as a way to escape the political problems. Ginobili says he wishes that people could better understand his beloved homeland.
“Sometimes when I speak with Americans, they can’t understand the conditions certain people live in or how our economy is so poor being such a potentially rich nation,” Ginobili explains. “But it’s a long story and it’s not very easy because the difference between the American culture and Latin American culture is fairly large.”
Even if the differences are big, the truth is that Manu is helping build a bridge between cultures because his style of play knows neither language nor border. And thanks to the presence of so many international names on the Spurs roster, Ginobili doesn’t have to feel like the ugly duckling on the court.
“For us players from other countries it’s nice to have each other because it helps us to understand better the situation that we’re in,” Ginobili says. “When I arrived, Tony Parker had come a year before, Nesterovic three years earlier, and now Beno Udrih is here so we can tell him more things. So it’s like among the international players, we understand each other a little better due to having lived through similar experiences.”