Spurs: Manu Ginobili to make triumphant return as advisor

No one is more familiar with the San Antonio Spurs' bench than Manu Ginobili. This season, he'll be back on the sidelines three years after his retirement from the NBA.

"Manu Ginobili has been named Special Advisor to Basketball Operations," said the official memo from @SpursPR on Twitter. The addition comes among several staff additions and promotions and stands to benefit the franchise greatly going forward.

Now 44 years old, Ginobili will be invaluable in helping out a roster in which half the team was born after 1996. San Antonio Express-News writer Tom Osborn offered some insight.

It's no surprise the Spurs have been wanting Ginobili back in some kind of role given what he meant for the franchise and its fanbase for nearly 20 years. As Adrian Wojnarowski reported in his ESPN column, "Gregg Popovich, RC Buford, and general manager Brian Wright have wanted his influence in advancing the Spurs culture to the next generation of players and staff."

As a special advisor with the team, he'll be able to offer his assistance in both on and off-court matters as the team looks to make a push back to the NBA playoffs.

In typical Big Three fashion, Manu wanted his return to be low key, as Orsborn further shared on Twitter.

Ginobili's presence alone will mean a lot to the young players on the current roster, but his savviness and knowledge of the game will also do wonders for guys like Lonnie Walker, Keldon Johnson, and Joshua Primo.

We'll have more on how Ginobili can make a true impact in the coming days at Air Alamo, but for now, congratulations to both the organization and the man himself for their much-anticipated reunion.

It'll be nice to see a familiar face around again next season, especially one that's a lock to join Tim Duncan in the Basketball Hall of Fame next year.