The first clue that, no, Manu Ginobili did not invent the Eurostep should come from the move’s name. Ginobili isn’t from Europe. He’s from South America. And it’s not called the South Ameristep.
Perhaps it should be. The long, lateral move — step one way to get a defender leaning, then cut the other way into open space — was Ginobili’s signature, something he mastered, something that he brought into the mainstream.
In turn, it brought him to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The four-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs is one of the headliners for Saturday night’s enshrinement ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts. Ginobili spent all 16 of his NBA seasons in San Antonio, partnering with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to form a Big Three that was, and surely will remain, one of the best trios the league has ever seen.
“It’s something you never expect,” Ginobili said of entering the Hall. “You start playing ball because you love it, because it’s fun, because you’re there with your friends. … And now, when I thought there were not going to be more surprises after my career was done, you get a recognition like this which makes you think, go back a little bit in time, and relieve your story, and it’s incredible.”
Ginobili isn’t the first international NBA player to make the Hall. He is, however, the first to be selected by the North American committee, which means he got into the Hall solely on the merits of his NBA career and not what he did playing internationally.
He’s quick to point out that he won’t be the last name on that list. Parker, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol will be getting their calls before long.
“I’m proud of being part of that generation that changed the way the game was played, the game was perceived, the international players were recognized,” Ginobili said. “It was fun to be part of that.”
The Spurs drafted Ginobili in 1999, when he was playing in Italy, and it took more than three years for him just to come to the NBA. It’s not like San Antonio had made a huge investment: Ginobili was the next-to-last pick in his draft class, 57th out of 58. And most of the players taken in the bottom 15 picks of that draft never played a single game in the NBA.
But in 2002, he showed up. With his Eurostep.
