SAN ANTONIO — Manu Ginobili and his Hall of Fame career were honored on opening night at the AT&T Center.
At halftime of Wednesday night's game against the Hornets, Ginobili addressed the crowd before his jersey in the rafters was updated with the words "Hall of Fame."
Ginobili said he got the emotional bit out of the way at his induction ceremony, and he thanked the fans for the love and appreciation that they showed him from day one. As he was speaking the crowd began to chant, "MANU, MANU, MANU!"
He said he's always tried to reciprocate that love. It was a sweet moment that he and the fans in attendance will remember for a long time.
After Ginobili was done speaking the PA announcer asked everyone to turn their attention to the rafters, where a black cloth covered the jersey nestled between Tim Duncan's and Tony Parker's. The cloth was raised to raucous applause.
Ginobili won four titles with the Spurs, and an Olympic gold with Argentina in 2004. During his induction speech in Springfield, he said that his accomplishments came because he was fortunate enough to be a part of special teams over the years.
"16 years playing for the same coach with mostly the same players representing the same colors and city," he said then. "So many wins, losses, so many friends so many incredible experiences. And for that I've got a lot of people to thank of course you've got some of these ones. Pop, what can I say? I'll be short this time. But you've been so, so important for me and my family on and off the court that I will never be able to thank you enough."