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Argentine basketball player Ginobili sets mind to Olympics

Xinhua, July 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

Argentine basketball player Emanuel Ginobili assured on Monday that his immediate focus is on his national team, who he will compete with at the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro in August.

"In the meantime, I am focused on the national team. The hopes have been restored. I want to put on the Argentina shirt once again and be with my teammates and play in the Olympic Games. These are many things that generate lovely emotions," said the player, who at the weekend announced his decision to play one more year in the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA).

In his regular Monday column with local daily La Nacion, Ginobili said that the team's training, led by Sergio Hernandez will be "almost perfect."

At the same time, he said that his "priority" is to continue playing with San Antonio Spurs, a team with which he has won the NBA championship four times (2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014).

"It is my priority and I would prefer not to play somewhere else but, I also can't ignore the options that appear to them (San Antonio Spurs)," said Ginobili.

"I am aware that my team would like to sign Kevin Durant. Therefore, first of all these type of players will sign and then there will be a cascade effect as others sign contracts," said the Argentine player.

Ginobili, 38 (will turn 39 on July 28), said he had talked to Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich, who assured him that "he would like me to stay" in the team that that the Argentine has played for since 2002.

"I would love to return to my home, which Spurs has always been. However, I will have to see how everything works out because, apart from Durant, they (San Antonio Spurs) are looking for a center. I have to be patient. I assume that they will want me but, I will have to see how things pan out," added Ginobili.

When talking about Rio 2016, the Argentine player said "it is beautiful to be able to play once more in the country because for a moment I thought that I wasn't going to be given the opportunity again."

Ginobili won the gold medal at Athens 2004 and the bronze in Beijing 2008. At the London Olympics in 2012, Argentina just missed out on the bronze medal coming in fourth place. All these competitions were played with the team nicknamed the "Golden Generation." Enditem