Manu Ginobili was the man of the night in San Antonio on Thursday.

The Spurs honoured the future Hall of Famer with a video tribute following the team's 116-110 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and retired his number 20 jersey to the rafters at AT&T Center.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich praised the Argentine standout, saying "there were no championships" without Ginobili.

Before Popovich spoke, former team-mate Tony Parker roasted Ginobili in front of the roaring crowd.

Ginobili, 41, was selected by the Spurs in the second round of the 1999 draft but left to play basketball in Europe, where he won two Italian League MVP awards, before coming back for his rookie season in 2002.

He spent his entire 16-year NBA career in San Antonio, helping the team win four NBA titles and earning two All-Star selections.

In internationals, Ginobili was an Olympic gold medallist for Argentina in 2004 and bronze medallist in 2008.