San Antonio Spurs fans are saying their goodbyes to Manu Ginobili after the announcement of the basketball star's retirement.

Manu wants San Antonio fans to know he isn't about to disappear. Manu gave the following statement to Argentinian website La Nacion, which was shared by Jeff Garcia with FoxSanAntonio.com:

What I made clear to Pop is that it's not a "Hey, I'm leaving". My children have already started classes and while I'm in town I'll be close to the team and the franchise, maybe I cannot help more by taking a foul or with a steal or something, but I'll try to add in what I can. I have a great appreciation for my teammates, for the staff and all the people on the team and I want it to go as well as possible. If I can help from the outside, I will do it with pleasure.

Spurs star Tim Duncan can still be found hanging out at the team's practices and now fans will also see Manu visiting the team and passing along what he has learned after a 16-year career. He told fans he played until he was 40 years old and left everything he had out on the court.

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