Ginobili: I sacrificed my right testicle for Spurs
Few players have given more to their organization than San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili.
The 14-year veteran recently joked that he made the ultimate team sacrifice last season after taking a charge on Ryan Anderson that forced him to undergo surgery to repair his sore testicle.
"I gave my right one," Ginobili told Don Harris of News 4 San Antonio. "I gave it all, I gave it all. I gave my right one for the Spurs, I can say it, I can really say it. It’s true."
Fortunately for Spurs fans, Ginobili was able to quickly recover from the injury, returning to the lineup after just 12 games.
"Usually when that happens, it hurts for a little bit. And then after three minutes, you're back at it," Ginobili told ESPN's Michael C. Wright in March. "It was three minutes, five minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour, an hour and a half, and I was still in the same level of pain. So when we got to the clinic, once we did an MRI, (the doctors said), 'We need the surgery, and it's got to be right now.' When they told me it was going to take a month or a month and a half, unbelievable. It was a very unfortunate situation. It was a perfect storm for this type of thing."
At 39 years of age, it's possible that 2016-17 will mark Ginobili's final NBA season.