Manu Ginobili Reminds Steve Kerr Of Roger Federer As Retirement Possibility Addressed

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr hopes Manu Ginobili will keep playing basketball next season as the San Antonio Spurs guard's longevity reminds him of tennis legend Roger Federer.

The Spurs crashed out of the NBA playoffs on Tuesday night after the Warriors won Game 5 in a 99-91 win at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, to advance to the second round where they will play the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 1 on Saturday.

Playing their third game in the absence of head coach Gregg Popovich as he mourns his late wife, the Spurs were pushing on with a late charge in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to just two points at 93-91.

However, the reigning champions were able to weather the storm and close out the game with Kevin Durant burying crucial buckets in an overall impressive 25-point display from last year's NBA Finals MVP.

After helping extend the series in Game 4, giving himself and Tony Parker the achievement of most playoff wins of any teammate duo in NBA history, Ginobili's 10 points and seven assists along with LaMarcus Aldridge's 30 points were not enough as speculation now builds as to whether this was the Argentinian's last playoff game.

Ginobili has been with the Texas organization since 2002 and is one of the legends of the game, having helped the Spurs win four NBA titles. But with speculation already building pre-game about his future in the sport, Kerr gave Ginobili some words of advice at the end of Game 5.

"I hope you keep playing. I really do," Kerr was recorded saying after the game. "If you love it, keep going. Keep going okay? Why not?"

"You know what? We met Roger Federer this year in China. I said 'Why do you keep playing?', he said 'I love it.' If you love it keep going, what the hell? You remind me of him by the way!"

Federer is notably still winning trophies at 36 years of age, having won a total of nine titles and three Grand Slams since the start of last year, his first Grand Slams since 2012.

Ginobili and the Spurs have not won a title since 2014 but unlike Federer, the 40-year-old has contemplated retirement for a long time but is not ready to make a decision just yet.

"I've been contemplating retirement forever so nothing changed, I just don't know," Ginobili told reporters backstage. "I'll let a month, two months go by and then see how I feel."

"I'm not the type of guy who makes decisions on the fly and when you're upset, hurt or whatever. I'll just let it sink in and see how it feels."

Ginobili still has a year left on his contract after signing a two-year $5 million deal last year. He finished the postseason with nine points, three rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.