After playing 16 years in the NBA, Manu Ginobili decided to call it a career in late August. While it remains to be seen if Ginobili's resume warrants a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, he's already carved his place in San Antonio Spurs lore. His name will now be added to the list of greats who wore a Spurs jersey, and apparently, he's also earned a seat on the team's retirement plane.
In a recently aired commercial from the San Antonio-based supermarket H-E-B, Tim Duncan walks on a red carpet with Ginobili as he leads him to an airplane with the Spurs logo on it. "You're going to love the SRP," Duncan declares. Once onboard, Manu is greeted by four other Spurs greats who are wearing grey robes with the team's logo and their number on the front.
"Welcome to the Spurs' Retirement Plane," Sean Elliott tells Ginobili, revealing the meaning behind the acronym SRP. David Robinson, George Gervin, and Bruce Bowen all jump at the opportunity to inform Manu of all the great amenities inside the SRP that incorporate items which you fittingly find at H-E-B.
After receiving a breakdown of what he can find on the SRP, Ginobili wondered why they ever needed to leave the aircraft. Duncan not only agreed with Manu's suggestion; he asked Spurs' mascot The Coyote to shut down the engine. It turned out to be a wise decision since The Coyote was learning how to fly a plane...on the fly. No pun intended.
