“The one thing you notice, right off the bat, is the energy Manu plays with. He gives up his body to help the team.”
—Teammate Brent Barry

“I love Manu. He makes the game difficult to play. He makes the game difficult to defend. He makes it difficult to referee. You want him on your side.”
—Nuggets head coach George Karl

“Ginobili is a different species. He’s the first international player who brings athletic explosiveness to the equation. He can attack the rim, but what strikes me is that he’s such a great defensive player.”
—Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle

“He’s an excellent player. The main factor in his success is his confidence.”
—Former NBA All-Star Rolando Blackman

“He gives me a stomach ache. He’s got an edge to him, a real presence.”
—Former NBA head coach Rudy Tomjanovich

“He’s the kind of guy who wants the ball in pressure situations, and if he doesn’t get it, he looks over at the coach like, ‘Don’t you know I’m here?’”
—Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich

“He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is.”
—Popovich

“Manu makes everybody better. He’ll take a charge with three fouls. He can play team D, individual D, shoot it, pass it, drive it.”
—Popovich

“He’s just hell-bent for leather, absolutely all-out. He plays with a ferocity at both ends of the court that’s very unique. Coaches love that stuff.”
—Popovich

“He brings in a personality that’s not the norm. He adds the little bit of spice you need in the pot.’
—Popovich

“I love watching him play.”
—Nuggets All-Star Carmelo Anthony

“He has developed leadership in a lot of areas.”
—Spurs GM R.C. Buford

“He’s a non-stop goof guy.”
—Argentine star Pepe Sanchez

“He’s a great guy.”
—Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe

“He’s a very confident player, such a great shooter from outside. He’s so quick with this first step in getting past you. He takes charges and gets his hands on a lot of basketballs. He has led his team to the gold medal, so you don’t have any higher standards than he has had”
—Former NBA head coach Jim O’Brien

“Playing with Manu, it’s like playing with my brother.”
—Teammate Tony Parker

“You can hit him in the first quarter or the fourth quarter. It don’t matter. Not him. That kid ain’t stopping.”
—Nuggets All-Star Kenyon Martin

“I wish he was on our team. He’s a terrific player. I can’t take anything away from him.”
—NBA veteran Marcus Camby

“He puts his head down and he goes, and we pray for the best.”
—Spurs All-Star Tim Duncan

“That's just the way that guy plays, always going hard, diving, jumping, doing whatever he has to do. He has a lot of energy, that's for sure.”
—Teammate Robert Horry

“What he does, when someone bodies him or puts an arm on his head, his head always flops. So then his hair goes wild, and it looks like someone just murdered him.”
—All-Star Ray Allen

“Everything he does is aimed at winning. He might make some interesting attempts, but he is not doing it for show.”
—All-Star Steve Nash

“He's one of those guys, who, at age 50, won't be able to walk.”
—Sonics head coach Nate McMillan