Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was surprised when 40-year-old Spurs guard Manu Ginobili returned for another season last fall.
Now Kerr thinks the future Hall of Famer could play well into the future.
"I can see Manu playing when he's like 58," Kerr quipped before the Warriors-Spurs game Monday night at the AT&T Center. "He loves the game. He keeps himself in such great shape."
Ginobili, who is in his 16th season with the Spurs, turns 41 in July. He has not said whether he plans to play beyond the current campaign. In the last few years, he has waited until the summer to announce his decision.
"I thought he was going to retire last year," Kerr said. "The fact that he came back this year surprised me, but I know how much he loves it. He loves his family being part of it. His kids are out there shooting around before games and wearing his jersey."
"That's a huge thrill when you're older and later in your career to be able to share your career with your family and your kids. It wouldn't shock me at all if Manu came back next year."
Kerr was a 37-year-old Spurs reserve guard in the final season of his long career in 2002, when Ginobili joined the Silver and Black as a 25-year-old rookie. The Spurs went on to win their second NBA championship that season.
"You could see the joy and the competitive desire, and the passion every single day, and it doesn't seem to have waned 18 years later, whatever we were at, 15 years later " Kerr said of Ginobili. "Crazy."
Kerr shared a funny anecdote about Ginobili's legendary serpentine-like drives to the basket.
"I still remember his, maybe his rookie year, Sean Elliott (former Spurs forward) had the best line about Manu when he drives in the line," Kerr said. "He said he looks like a squirrel running through traffic trying to dodge cars. You can't stay in front of him and then he explodes to the hoop. Still doing it at 40. Amazing. By the way, we've never run over the squirrel."
Kerr chuckled when he was asked if Ginobili is still a factor for the Spurs at his age.
"Is he still a factor?" Kerry said. "Yeah, we've got a game plan for the guy. We still had to walk through the Ginobili plays that the Spurs run today at shootaround. He's still coming down at you full bore with that left hand dominant drive. Even though you know he's going to go back to his left, you know it's coming, he still manages to get there."
Kerr, who played four of his last five seasons with San Antonio before retiring in 2003, won two title rings with the Spurs. Ginobili, from Argentina, has won four championships during his career in San Antonio.
