Today, Manu Ginobili floats in a local parade. In three weeks, he sails through his native country.

In San Antonio, Manu is a fan favorite. In Argentina, he is a national obsession.

On Sunday, after Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Manu felt that obsession 5,253 miles from home.

In the champagne-soaked Spurs locker room, members of the Argentine media hugged him, kissed him, slapped him on the back.

Reporters pounced on Manu the way thousands back in Bahia Blanca could only dream of pouncing.

Back home, editors have elevated Manu, a Spurs' reserve, to Jordan-like status. Stripped across the front page of Monday's La Nueva Provincia, the paper in Bahia Blanca, was this headline: "Manu, champion of the world."

Splashed across the front of La Nacion, the New York Times of Argentina, was this: "Ginobili made history."

And this: "Unforgettable: A champion for all time."