SAN ANTONIO – Manu Ginobili says he plans to play for Argentina’s national basketball team at this summer’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to ESPN and other media outlets.
Ginobili, 38, had told Argentine newspaper “La Nacion” in the summer of 2014 there was a “98 percent” chance he would never play for the national team again.
ESPN reported Ginobili notified Argentina’s head coach of his availability for the summer games before the Spurs beat the Miami Heat Wednesday night at the AT&T Center.
Ginobili has played for the Argentine national team since 1998 and led the squad to the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and the bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.
Ginobili is averaging nearly 10 points and three assists per game this season for the Spurs.
Ginobili was forced to sit out 12 games this season while he recovered from testicular surgery for an injury that occurred on Feb. 6 in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans.