San Antonio Spurs: Manu Ginobili continues to be an ageless wonder

Manu Ginobili delivered another surprise performance for the San Antonio Spurs, tying the team lead in point and setting a record.

After the 2016-17 season, questions surrounded Manu Ginobili’s status. Would he return to the San Antonio Spurs for a 16th season? Why come back for another year? What could make him retire at age 40? However, Ginobili chose to return and, since then, hasn’t failed to provide a spectacle.

On Friday, “Grandpa Juice” delivered his best performance of the season. In just 19 minutes, he scored 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting, hitting 3-of-4 shots from 3-point range.

Along with this, Ginobili delivered a truckload of highlights vs. the Phoenix Suns. The Spurs Twitter account covered it all, with every highlight-reel moment.

He steals! He scores! —-For every fast break point we score this season, Brake Check will donate $20 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio. pic.twitter.com/6NnZUirKWl

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 6, 2018

Manu Ginobili had himself a 3Q. He's got a new season-high with 21. ?#NBAVOTE https://t.co/iWaKWOkOuE

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 6, 2018

GRANDPA JUICE! @manuginobili dropped a season-high 21 points tonight ? https://t.co/9QvRIyE4iM

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 6, 2018

“He’s something else. Whatever he’s drinking, I want some of that … there’s got to be a fountain of youth some place.”

– Coach Pop on Manu pic.twitter.com/wOrerM7BUA

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 6, 2018

On top of this, as Pounding the Rock noted, the former second-round pick became the second player in NBA history to score at least 20 points at 40 years of age. Vince Carter was the other.

It’s amazing what Ginobili can still do age 40. He’s not in All-Star form, but the 8.9 points on 44 percent shooting are upgrades from his 2016-17 work. That’s with nearly one more shot per game and 10 percentage points below his former 3-point mark.

The fans appreciate what the Argentinian star has done, if the 2018 All-Star Game voting means anything. Just look at how many votes he’s received on retweets alone:

1 RT = 1 Vote

Manu Ginobili #NBAVOTE pic.twitter.com/0ylk4DmlRu

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 4, 2018

That’s over 86,000 of the 231,000 votes he had, as of Jan. 4. Couple that with the subsequent tweets of “Manu Ginobili #NBAVote” on game highlights, and it provided enough juice to put him in the top six of Western Conference Guards.

Will Ginobili actually reach the All-Star Game, though? The fan voting only counts toward 50 percent, while the media and players receive 25 percent each. 8.9 points off the bench may not get the nod from the media and players, but if the fan vote stays strong, could this be the upset of the 2018 voting?

Next: Spurs vs. Suns reactions: Kawhi looks comfortable

Whether that’s the case or not, Ginobili continues to provide antics that contribute to the Spurs’ success. When will the next dose of “Manu Magic” happen next?