What is it about Manu Ginobili that brings out the worst behavior from opposing crowds such as in Phoenix? It’s not just in Phoenix either, many fans from arenas around the NBA consistently show contempt and disapproval for the Spurs’ superstar shooting guard.
For example, in Thursday night’s game against Phoenix, Ginobili was instantly booed even before he reached the scorer’s table to check into the game.
Ginobili over the past year and a half has typically found himself coming off the bench into contests, usually with about six minutes remaining in the first and third quarters. This gives opposing team’s fans ample opportunity to show their ire for Manu.
Ginobili gets booed just as frequently when the Spurs play the Utah Jazz, where he is often greeted with hostility in a city and state full of supposedly good-hearted, loving, faithful Mormons.
They simply don't like him there.
I’ve seen fans on TV at Energy Solutions Arena throw empty bottles in the direction Spurs after a heartbreaking defeat. There are other examples around the league that I don’t have the time to mention.
Is it that he is so talented and gifted as a basketball player that he draws so much attention from the crowd? This is definitely the case, because there is no other reasonable explanation for such behavior from fans.
In the case of the Phoenix Suns, Ginobili has on many occasions burned the Suns with his clutch play. During the 2007 Western Conference Semifinals against the Suns, Ginobili came up with huge buckets to knock the favored Suns out of the playoffs in Game six of that series.
During that 2007 series with the Suns, many from Phoenix, i.e. former Head Coach Mike D’Antoni, thought the Spurs played dirty and were deemed as never before by fans as the “Bad Boys” in silver and black from San Antonio. But, Manu Ginobili is not a dirty player. So, it must be something else about Manu that sets him apart.
Maybe it is due to the fact that he has displayed consistent excellence throughout his career. He has been instrumental in winning three NBA titles for the Spurs, and he played for a team that won the Euroleague Championship in 2000-01. In fact, he was the finals MVP during that championship series.
Ginobili has also won an Olympic Gold Medal for his home country, Argentina in
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