AW
ForeignExchange
When theSanAntonioSpurs tabbedManuGinobili
with the57thoverall pick in the 1999NBAdraft, few
evenknewwhohewas,much lesswherehewas from.
Today, theArgentine,who left hispro league in Italy to
join theSpurs in2002, is regardedas oneof thegreat-
est draft steals inhistoryanda catalyst for theNBA’s
emergingpopulationof star foreigners. ¶Ginobili, along
withFrenchguardTonyParker andU.S. Virgin Islands
nativeTimDuncan,makeup the “big three” for aSpurs
franchise that has tapped into talent pipelinesworldwide
over thepast decadewhile en route to four league crowns.
They took timebetween roadgames to chatwithus.
Does theSpurs’ locker room sometimes feel likeaglobal
cross section,where cultural barriers are eliminated?
ManuGinobili
: Yes, especiallywith this franchise. I
remember that a few years ago,Rasho [Nesterovic]and
I,we spoke Italian. TherewasRussian, Serbian, Tony
speakingFrench—wehada lot of languages goingon,
and itwas funnyat thebeginning. ¶But thereare still
some teams that area little reluctant tohire somebody
who’s foreign. Some teams that don’t havemany, but I
guess there’s at least one [international player]on every
team. But toget to20percent is something.
Would you like to see theNBA continue to spread into
foreign venues asmuchaspossible to scout, including in
yournative country?
TonyParker
: I think itwouldbegreat for the imageof the
NBAandall the youngpeoplewhowant to see the foreign
guys.
Whyhave theSpurs succeeded sowell in incorporating
foreignplayers?
Parker
: It’s a very family-orientedatmosphere in the
locker roomandwith theway they run stuff. I think the
fact that itwas agood team led them to takea chanceon
theEuropeanguys—because theyhad the late, latepicks
in thefirst round—and that’show theygotme [in2001]
andManu. ¶They couldn’t take thebestAmericansbe-
cause they’dgo to theworst teams. So they took riskswith
us, and it paidoff.
Has thegrowth in thenumber of foreignplayers season
after seasonbeennoticeable?
Ginobili
: I think thebiggest changewas, like,my third
year,whenother teams started really looking into it and
takingbig risks, evenwith the topfive taken in thedraft.
That hadn’t been seenbefore.
Has theacceptanceof foreignplayers changedanything
as far as theway the league is advertisedor theopportu-
nities available for foreignplayers inadvertisements?
Parker
:Not really.Most of the stuff Ido is inFrance. Yao
[Ming]has stuffwithApple, andbesides that, SteveNash
and Idid somethingwithNike. But thebig spots are still
going tobedonebyall thebigplayers, becauseofwho
theyareasplayers andnotwhere they’re from.
Is it a shockafterhaving come inas oneof the few for-
eigners tonowbeplayingagainst andwith friends and
national teammates?
Ginobili
:True, it is.Butnow it’sgettingmorecommon.
Thebiggest shockwasmy thirdyear,when I started seeing
themcoming in.Now I’mkindofused to it. It’snice.
TonyParker
and
ManuGinobili
of the
SanAntonioSpurs takea time-out to
discuss theglobalizationof theNBA
and thebreakdownof cultural barriers.
ByRichardOliver
Photography:
NathanSchroder
Styling:
TammyTheis/IndependentArtistsAgency
StylingAssistant:
BrittanyWinter/IndependentArtistsAgency
Grooming:
Al Tidwell/KimDawsonAgency
Location:
Hotel CrescentCourt,Dallas, Texas
