“His wife needed him gone”: Gregg Popovich explains why Manu Ginobili returned to the Spurs front office

Manu Ginobili teamed up with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to form one of the most successful trios ever. This famous trio won more games than any other trio in NBA history.

Ginobili played a large role during four of San Antonio’s five title-winning runs in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014 as part of a Spurs dynasty that spanned for two decades.

It’s been over 2 years since Manu Ginobili last suited up in San Antonio’s famous white strip and entered the AT&T arena.

Manu Ginobili is now returning to the franchise in a front-office role focused on player development

Manu Ginobili will join their front office as a special adviser to basketball operations. The team announced this in a news release on Friday.

The Spurs Head coach indicated that the Former 2-time NBA All-Star will help the team in various ways.

When talking about the Former Sixth Man of the Year, Popovich said –

“He’s going to do everything, help with management, coaching, scouting.”

In typical Pop fashion, he then jokingly said –

“Probably figure out a two-week trip to Italy, might go with him”

More Popovich on Manu Ginobili’s new role with the Spurs…“he’s going to do everything…help with management, coaching…probably figure out a 2-week trip to Italy, I might go with him”…Pop added it’s just great to have him back bc it’s Manu Ginobili. #KSATsports #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/CFYqjffyWL

— RJ Marquez (@KSATRJ) September 27, 2021

Popovich also joked and said the reason Manu Ginobili joined the front office is because “his wife needed him gone.”

Popovich on why Manu returned to Spurs front office…”his wife needed him gone” #GoSpursGo #KSATsports pic.twitter.com/lAH4Abg6lP

— RJ Marquez (@KSATRJ) September 27, 2021

Also Read: https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-kobe-bryant-got-dunked-on-by-37-year-old-charles-barkley-when-the-rockets-star-put-the-young-lakers-legend-on-a-poster-in-the-playoffs/

How Former All-Star Manu Ginobili can help the current Spurs squad.

After letting go of DeMar DeRozan this offseason, the San Antonio Spurs have hit the reset button. They are now focused on rebuilding around their young core.

As a result, Almost 80% of the Spurs players under contract entering next week’s training camp have five-six years of NBA experience or fewer. Rotational contributors like Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell are all under the age of 26 going into the season.

New Free-agent acquisition Zach Collins is still just 23 years old. The Spurs then drafted 18-year-old Joshua Primo as a lottery pick, who turned out to be the youngest player selected in this draft.

Manu Ginobili will be tasked with developing this young core, but in particular, will be tasked to help young guards like Dejounte Murray and Josh Primo to fulfill their potential.

Manu Ginobili’s career-winning percentage of .721(min 1000 games) is the best in NBA history. The Spurs franchise hopes that he can instill that same winning mentality in the young core of the San Antonio Spurs.

Also Read: https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-kyrie-irving-is-goated-decoding-dangelo-russells-cryptic-tweet-and-why-karl-anthony-towns-may-not-be-so-pleased-with-his-wolves-teammate/

We don’t know if this appointment is purely a nostalgia move by the Spurs or whether Ginobili is part of the long-term plan of the front office, but hopefully, he can still remain an integral part of this franchise because everyone loves Manu.