For nearly two decades, Manu Ginobili has had hundreds of dinners and countless talks with San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, discussing everything from “politics, war, the game or kids.”
Popovich even showed up at Ginobili’s door at 1 in the morning with wine to cheer him up after a tough game.
But one dinner above all the “famous dinners” with Pop will forever stand out.
“It was a restaurant by the hotel called Il Gabbiano,” the longtime Spurs guard told ESPN. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t forget it.”
At a Miami restaurant named seagull in Italian, stunned players were sobbing and looking at one another in disbelief as Pop consoled each Spur.
Earlier that evening, on June 18, 2013, the Spurs were seconds away from celebrating another championship when Ray Allen hit one of the most iconic shots in NBA Finals history.
It was as crushing a blow to the Spurs as any during the…
