Manu Ginobili was nowhere to be found when bats invaded the Spurs game Thursday

The San Antonio Spurs missed an old friend even more than usual Thursday. During the team’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, bats invaded the court, delaying the contest.

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Sadly, the team’s previous bat handler, Manu Ginobili, was nowhere to be found. After 16 seasons with the team, Ginobili retired in August.

That left bat-wrangling duties to a large group of Spurs employees.

Ginobili, you may remember, played a key role in removing a bat from the court during a 2009 game.

Ginobili grew tired of the bat causing a delay and decided to slap it out of the sky. He then picked up the bat and carried it off the court.

While teammate Tony Parker was impressed with Ginobili’s reflexes, Ginobili admitted after the game swatting the bat was a stupid move.

Ginobili may not have been around to stop Thursday’s incident, but he wasn’t forgotten. Spurs fans started chanting “Manu” during the delay.

After a brief delay, the game got back underway. Even without Ginobili, the Spurs may have been inspired by the bats. San Antonio carried a 52-51 lead over the Nets at halftime.

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