Remembering Manu
and the Bat
In the history of the NBA, there’s been no one quite like Manu Ginobili. Throughout his career, Manu amassed a diverse highlight reel that included many spectacular moments alongside Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, as the Spurs’ legendary Big 3. The Argentine’s iconic highlights range from hitting a three with his first shot in the NBA to a searing 19-point performance against Miami that sealed the Spurs’ fifth – Manu’s fourth – NBA crown in 2014.
But perhaps the two-time All-Star’s most memorable moment happened Halloween night, 2009. The Spurs were hosting the Sacramento Kings in a game that’s become legendary for what happened on the court, although it had nothing to do with basketball. It was the night Manu caught the bat.
Because AT&T Center shares its grounds with the San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo, bats have been a common sight at Spurs games for years, so much so that Coyote, the Spurs’ mascot, has its own bat suit, complete with a bat-catching net. On October 31, 2009, Coyote donned the bat suit to try and corral a particularly precocious winged visitor that had caused multiple delays in the game – all to no avail.
After the bat swooped to nearly block a shot by Kings guard Kevin Martin, leading to another delay, the players took to the floor determined to play. With less than two minutes left of the first quarter, the bat reappeared. Manu, always lightning-quick, knocked the bat out of the air with one swoop of his long arm and turned the bat over to a startled usher. While there was initially some concern about the fate of the bat – it’s not every day you’re stunned by a six-foot-six shooting guard while you’re out for your nightly cruise – as later reported, the bat was taken by the usher outside, where it flew off and disappeared into the San Antonio night.
George Gervin #44 of the San Antonio Spurs dribbles against the New York Knicks circa 1978 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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Remembering Manu
and the Bat
watch the video
Manu, always lightning-quick, knocked the
bat out of the air with one swoop
In the history of the NBA, there’s been no one quite like Manu Ginobili. Throughout his career, Manu amassed a diverse highlight reel that included many spectacular moments alongside Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, as the Spurs’ legendary Big 3. The Argentine’s iconic highlights range from hitting a three with his first shot in the NBA to a searing 19-point performance against Miami that sealed the Spurs’ fifth – Manu’s fourth – NBA crown in 2014.
But perhaps the two-time All-Star’s most memorable moment happened Halloween night, 2009. The Spurs were hosting the Sacramento Kings in a game that’s become legendary for what happened on the court, although it had nothing to do with basketball. It was the night Manu caught the bat.
Because AT&T Center shares its grounds with the San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo, bats have been a common sight at Spurs games for years, so much so that Coyote, the Spurs’ mascot, has its own bat suit, complete with a bat-catching net. On October 31, 2009, Coyote donned the bat suit to try and corral a particularly precocious winged visitor that had caused multiple delays in the game – all to no avail.
After the bat swooped to nearly block a shot by Kings guard Kevin Martin, leading to another delay, the players took to the floor determined to play. With less than two minutes left of the first quarter, the bat reappeared. Manu, always lightning-quick, knocked the bat out of the air with one swoop of his long arm and turned the bat over to a startled usher. While there was initially some concern about the fate of the bat – it’s not every day you’re stunned by a six-foot-six shooting guard while you’re out for your nightly cruise – as later reported, the bat was taken by the usher outside, where it flew off and disappeared into the San Antonio night.
The bat may have been safe, but concern turned to Ginobili. Bats are known to be carriers of rabies, which is fatal in humans if left untreated. If you have contact with an animal that could have rabies, you need to get the rabies vaccine. Despite less than three percent of bats carrying rabies, that’s no chance to take with your beloved All-Star. Ginobili submitted to multiple rounds of rabies shots to be safe, an ordeal he called “not fun.” However, he did become the unofficial spokesperson for what to do if you come in contact with a potential rabies carrier: get the shots. In retrospect, he stressed that what he did was a bad idea, and that he’d jeopardized his safety and the safety of the bat.
All’s well that ends well. Ginobili had another stellar season and the bat flew off to live its bat life in the rodeo barns. But if you asked anyone on the Spurs, or anyone in the stands, who the most likely person to tangle with a bat would be, all fingers would point to Manu. In the Spurs’ family, Manu is the one always in the mix, doing the unthinkable, and keeping everyone on their toes. As Tony Parker said after the game that strange Halloween night, “He’s always doing crazy stuff.”
Note: no bats were harmed in the writing of this story!
The bat may have been safe, but concern turned to Ginobili. Bats are known to be carriers of rabies, which is fatal in humans if left untreated. If you have contact with an animal that could have rabies, you need to get the rabies vaccine. Despite less than three percent of bats carrying rabies, that’s no chance to take with your beloved All-Star. Ginobili submitted to multiple rounds of rabies shots to be safe, an ordeal he called “not fun.” However, he did become the unofficial spokesperson for what to do if you come in contact with a potential rabies carrier: get the shots. In retrospect, he stressed that what he did was a bad idea, and that he’d jeopardized his safety and the safety of the bat.
All’s well that ends well. Ginobili had another stellar season and the bat flew off to live its bat life in the rodeo barns. But if you asked anyone on the Spurs, or anyone in the stands, who the most likely person to tangle with a bat would be, all fingers would point to Manu. In the Spurs’ family, Manu is the one always in the mix, doing the unthinkable, and keeping everyone on their toes. As Tony Parker said after the game that strange Halloween night, “He’s always doing crazy stuff.”
Note: no bats were harmed in the writing of this story!
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Manu, always lightning-quick, knocked the bat out of the air with one swoop