Manu Ginóbili debuted as the coach of Duki and streaming stars

The historic former player of San Antonio Spurs and the Argentine National Team, Emanuel Ginóbili, participated in a meeting between streaming celebrities from Latin America and the United States, where he took on the role of coach of the Hispanic team.

Since his retirement in 2018, Manu has distanced himself from the courts, but he took on a new challenge as coach of a team of Spanish-speaking content creators, who faced a U.S. team in a special event.

The event, called "YouTube Basketball Stars," took place this Friday and brought together prominent figures from the digital world. The Hispanic team, led by Uruguayan Fede Vigevani (one of the most popular YouTubers in the region with more than 66 million subscribers), had Manu as a coach for this peculiar match. In Vigevani's squad, figures such as:

• Ibai Llanos
• Fernanfloo
• Duki
• Germán Garmendia
• Ricky Limón
• Ian Lucas
• Elvis Ude
• Eladio Carrión

Meanwhile, the U.S. team was led by MrBeast, the most influential English-speaking content creator, whose channel has more than 360 million followers. His team included:

• Mark Rober
• Chandler Hallow
• Alex Stokes
• Alan Stokes
• FaZe Rug
• Marlon Lundgren
• Nick Nayersina

Manu's unprecedented experience

Ginóbili quickly integrated into the fun of the event and, in a humorous tone, commented before the game about his role: "I don't really know what I'm doing here. But the experience is good, and I love seeing your enthusiasm. I saw you shooting hoops and training," he said with a laugh to Vigevani, who also organized the event and has more than 67 million subscribers on his personal YouTube channel.

Manu also shared his feelings about his debut as a coach: "It's going to be my first experience as a coach. I'm debuting as a coach. Maybe a little nervous, but I'm happy to be here. Sports are always a good excuse to stay healthy, strong, and make friends to connect. Sports are always a solution and serve to connect worlds," said the 47-year-old from Bahía Blanca, already adjusted to the spirit of the event.

In his first talk with the players, he joked: "I hope you're ready, that you're training because we have to win this game. I don't like losing to the United States. So, Mr. Beast, here we go."

Ginóbili, who had several historic confrontations against the United States, including the two victories against the Dream Team in the 2002 Indianapolis World Cup and the 2004 Athens Olympics, couldn't repeat the luck this time. The U.S. team won with a final score of 65 to 55, in a game of four quarters of eight minutes each, which reached audience peaks exceeding one and a half million views.