Manu Ginóbili is known for a lot of things in his 16 year NBA career. To some people, Manu is considered the greatest 6th man of all time. He is a 4-time champion, a two-time all-star, and a key piece in the Spurs championship run throughout the early 2000s and early 2010s. What I’m getting at is Manu is a very accomplished player. However, one of his more unusual and underrated accomplishments came on Halloween night in 2009. Let me explain.
Picture this: The Spurs are playing the Kings on Halloween night, 2009. Somehow, a bat managed to get into AT&T Center. This was so unexpected, that eventually, the game was in danger of being delayed. Then, an unexpected hero arrived.
As the Kings take the ball up court, the referees blow their whistle. The bat was back again. As the bat flies close enough to the ground, Manu literally hit it out of the air. AT&T Center erupted with clapping. Manu also picked it up and gave it to a security guard. The best part of all this is that after Manu got the bat, the Batman theme song started to play.
In an interview, Tony Parker said “That was amazing, the legend continues with Manu. Unbelievable. He’s always doing crazy stuff.” Manu later posted on Facebook that it wasn’t a great idea, bats can potentially carry rabies, so he had to be vaccinated more than once for it. He also lets us know to not do it at home. Thanks for the warning Manu.
The Spurs went on to win the game 113-94, with Manu putting up 13 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, and one steal. Just remember, the Spurs have never lost a game in which Manu hit a bat out of mid-air.
SLAM DUNK3 