Manu Ginobili Gains Play of the Year Nomination By Dribbling Between DeMar DeRozan's Legs (Video)

Manu Ginobili Gains Play of the Year Nomination By Dribbling Between DeMar DeRozan’s Legs (Video)

by Jimmy Kelley on Mon, Nov 26, 2012 at 2:21PM

Manu Ginobili has always brought an international flavor to the NBA. The Argentine guard took that to another level on Sunday night, borrowing a move from countryman Lionel Messi to get himself a fast-break opportunity.

With 3:26 to play in the third quarter of the Spurs-Raptors game, Ginobili stole a sloppy pass from Kyle Lowry and turned his attention up the floor. Stuck between the sideline and the Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan, Ginobili pulled out what soccer fans refer to as a “nutmeg” and put the ball through DeRozan’s legs and picked it up on the other side, finishing the play with a miraculous layup and drawing a foul.

While the play may not necessarily adhere to the rule book — Ginobili went out of bounds to get around DeRozan — if there is one thing that has become clear about the NBA, it’s that the rules are secondary when something cool happens.

Check out the video below to see Ginobili channel his inner Messi.