The San Antonio Spurs, at their peak, were one of the more impressive dynasties that the NBA has ever seen.

On Thursday evening, one of the most important pieces of those teams got his moment in the sun. Former Spurs guard Manu Ginobili had his No. 20 jersey retired by the organization in a heartfelt ceremony that was attended by several former teammates.

"I'm telling you, I'm one of the lucky ones," Ginobili said during a speech delivered partially in English and partially in Spanish. "I've been dealt amazing cards. I just had to play them OK. That was all I had to do."

Ginobili's No. 20 rose to the rafters of the AT&T Center as he joined the likes of Tim Duncan, David Robinson, and George Gervin among others.

Head coach Gregg Popovich had significant praise for his former guard and truly was in awe of what Ginobili could accomplish on the basketball court. Ginobili played a pivotal role in the success of several San Antonio teams and affected the game in a variety of different ways.

"He showed the folly of me trying to coach him too much, for sure," Popovich said. "In the beginning, he was like a mustang out in the field someplace. That's how he lived his life on the court. He was fearless, wild and did things that won games. So when I step back and look at, 'Manu, I think that pass could have been a little bit better.' That's a pretty inane comment when he just did seven other things to help us win the game. So I basically learned to zip it as his career progressed. He's someone that his constant activity would try your patience at times. But over time, you realize that he was gonna get a lot more done by just playing and didn't really need a whole lot of instruction from me."

Ginobili had a spectacular career in which he put together averages of 13.3 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. Over the course of his 16 NBA seasons, the native of Argentina helped Popovich and the Spurs win four NBA titles.

"It's a special day, a heartfelt day for a lot of people in the San Antonio community and far, far beyond," Patty Mills said. "He's left a legacy that goes beyond what happens on the court. It's been his passion, his energy, his competitiveness for the game that has really affected teammates, coaches and fans across the world. I'm very honored to be in a situation of being his teammate and being a close friend of his for many years."

The Spurs have always been an organization that was fundamentally sound and played the game the right way under Popovich's watch. Ginobili was a sensational asset and clearly will live in San Antonio folklore forever.