Manu Ginobili Will Return To The San Antonio Spurs After Flirting With Retirement

San Antonio Spurs fans made it a point to make Game 4 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals special. That’s because the game might have been the last one of Manu Ginobili‘s fantastic career. Ginobili’s contract was up at the end of the season, and seeing as how he retired from international hoops after the 2016 Olympics, no one would have been shocked if the 40 year old decided to ride off into the sunset.

But for Spurs fans — and, really, all basketball fans — who want to see Ginobili take the floor again, some good news got announced on Thursday. Shams Charania of The Vertical announced that Ginobili and the Spurs came to terms on a two-year deal.

While that money might be a bit modest by NBA standards, Charania reported that it’s fully guaranteed.

It’s important to note that just because it’s a two-year deal, that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Ginobili will play both years. He could very easily decide after 2017-18 that it’s time to walk away from the game and retire at that point.

But having said that, Ginobili coming back is great news. Yes, he’s not the player he used to be, but every once in a while, Ginobili is able to turn back the clock and give us a classic Manu performance. Additionally, while he’s gotten older, he’s still one of the sharpest and most clever basketball players in the league, so he’s still capable of busting out something crazy like an overly-ambitious pass that knocks your socks off every now and then.

Plus basketball is just more fun when Ginobili is around — watch any Spurs game and the amount of joy he exudes always comes through. He’s the best South American player ever, and it’s wonderful that we might get another two years to appreciate his work on the court.