Manu Ginobili Says Chances Are He Won’t Retire After the NBA Finals

San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili will soon turn 36 years old, and he’s not sure how much longer he’ll play the game. Manu’s gut, however, tells him that this won’t be his final season in the NBA. Per SI (via NBATV): “Ginobili said ‘I don’t know…the chances are, like, yes, I will keep playing and probably with the Spurs’ but he added that he wants to get through the NBA Finals first and then think about possibly retiring when he spends time with his family in July. Ginobili, who turns 36 next month, signed a three-year, $38.9 million contract in April 2010, which pays him $14.1 million this season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. He is coming off one of his worst seasons stastitically, averaging 11.8 points, his lowest since his rookie year in 2002-03 and is shooting 42.5 percent, his lowest since his sophomore season in the league. He’s also playing only 23 minutes per game, his lowest average since his rookie season and missed more than 20 games this season due to injuries related to a strained hamstring, calf and back. With swingmen Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green on the rise, Ginobili’s minutes coud continue to decline should he decide to come back. Despite being at the tail-end of one of his least impressive seasons, Ginobili seemed to be much more confident in May about his plans for next year, when he told the San Antonio Express-News ‘I’m not planning on retiring,’ than he is now only a few weeks later.”