Spurs' Ginobili 'didn't care about playing' after groin injury

San Antonio Spurs veteran Manu Ginobili will soon be back on the court, but said playing was the furthest thing from his mind after suffering a nasty groin injury.

The Spurs guard told a news conference on Wednesday he has been cleared to return to the team after recovering from a testicular surgery.

He expects to return to the line-up next week.

"For a week I didn't care about playing," Ginobili said before the team's game against the Detroit Pistons, via MySanAntonio.com.

"I was struggling, I was in pain and I didn't care. But you know how the human mind works and after two weeks or three weeks I started to run and feel good, and feeling more confident."

The veteran guard has been out nearly a month with the injury after being kneed in the groin by New Orleans forward Ryan Anderson on February 3.

It required immediate surgery and Ginobili said his doctors never had an athlete with his condition before.

Ginobili has averaged 10 points per game while shooting 45 per cent this season.