Marco_Belinelli

Marco Belinelli

Marco Belinelli

Italian basketball player (born 1986)

Marco Stefano Belinelli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmarko beliˈnɛlli]; born 25 March 1986) is an Italian professional basketball player and the team captain for Virtus Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He was selected 18th overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. In 2014, he won the NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs, becoming the first Italian player to do so. He won the Three-Point Contest during the 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend. He played in the 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017 editions of the FIBA EuroBasket and the 2006 and 2019 editions of the FIBA World Championship with the Italian national basketball team.

Quick Facts No. 3 – Virtus Bologna, Position ...

Professional career

Virtus and Fortitudo Bologna (2002–2007)

Belinelli played in the Italian Serie A and the EuroLeague for Virtus Bologna and Fortitudo Bologna. In 2004, he lost the EuroLeague Finals against Maccabi Tel Aviv, and in 2005, he won the Serie A title with Fortitudo.

NBA (2007–2020)

Golden State Warriors (2007–2009)

After being selected #18 in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, Belinelli scored 37 points in his first NBA Summer League game against the New Orleans Hornets, going 14-on-2 from the field, including 5-on-7 from behind the arc,[1] adding 5 boards, 2 assists and 1 steal to help the Warriors earn a 110–102 win. His performance is tied for second for the highest scoring game ever in Vegas summer league history, behind Keith Bogans' 38 scored as a member of the Orlando Magic in 2004. Belinelli finished his Summer League scoring an average of 22.8 points per game in 4 games with the Warriors, before returning to Italy to be part of the Italian national team for EuroBasket 2007. On 19 December 2008, he scored 27 points, in a game the Warriors lost to Atlanta Hawks.

Toronto Raptors (2009–2010)

On 30 July 2009, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors for Devean George,[2] joining Italian national squad teammate Andrea Bargnani. He played his first NBA game as a starter for Toronto on 2 February 2010 against the Indiana Pacers.

New Orleans Hornets (2010–2012)

On 11 August 2010, he was traded to the New Orleans Hornets for Julian Wright.[3] After the 2010–11 season, he became a restricted free agent. On 13 December 2011, he signed the $3.4 million qualifying offer to stay with the Hornets for one more year.[4]

Chicago Bulls (2012-2013)

On 24 July 2012, Belinelli signed with the Chicago Bulls.[5] Since joining the Bulls, Belinelli developed a reputation of being a clutch player, hitting shots that include a game winning shot against the Celtics in overtime while falling down, a go-ahead layup against the Detroit Pistons after Joakim Noah saved the ball from going out of bounds, a game-winning lay-up with 20 seconds remaining against the Brooklyn Nets, and a 3 pointer to give the Bulls a 1-point lead with 5 seconds remaining in a game vs. the Utah Jazz. Belinelli and Joakim Noah each scored 24 points in a game 7 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs.[6]

San Antonio Spurs (2013–2015)

On 11 July 2013, Belinelli signed with the San Antonio Spurs.[7]

On 2 January 2014, Belinelli scored a career-high 32 points in a 101-105 loss to the New York Knicks.[8]

Belinelli also won the Three-Point Contest at the 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, beating Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards at the second attempt in the final after Beal equaled Belinelli's score in the initial final round. In the tiebreaker, Belinelli made six straight shots at a single point, sweeping his fourth rack.[9]

In his first season with the Spurs, Belinelli posted career-highs percentage-wise on field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free-throw percentage.

In Game 3 of the 2014 NBA Finals against the two-time defending champion Miami Heat, Belinelli hit a crucial 3 pointer in the third quarter that increased San Antonio's lead back to double digits. The Heat had rallied, cutting the Spurs' half-time lead of 21 points to just seven, before Belinelli's three-pointer. Upon winning the 2014 Finals, he became the first Italian player to win an NBA championship.

Kings, Hornets, Hawks and 76ers (2015–2018)

On 13 July 2015, Belinelli signed with the Sacramento Kings.[10] On 30 December 2015, he scored a season-high 28 points in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.[11]

On 7 July 2016, Belinelli was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the draft rights to Malachi Richardson.[12] On 20 June 2017, Belinelli was traded, along with Miles Plumlee and the 41st pick which became Tyler Dorsey in the 2017 NBA draft, to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Dwight Howard and the 31st overall pick (Frank Jackson) in the 2017 NBA draft.[13][14] On 9 February 2018, he was waived by the Hawks.[15]

Belinelli playing for the 76ers in 2018

On 12 February 2018, Belinelli signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.[16] In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Boston Celtics, Marco made a two-point corner shot to send the game to overtime, 89-89. However, the 76ers would lose to the Celtics, 98-101.[17]

Second stint with the Spurs (2018–2020)

On 20 July 2018, Belinelli signed with the San Antonio Spurs, returning to the franchise for a second stint.[18]

Virtus Bologna (2020–present)

Belinelli and teammates celebrating the EuroCup victory in 2022

On 26 November 2020, Belinelli left the NBA and returned to Italy signing a three-year deal, until June 2023 with Virtus Bologna.[19] In April 2021, despite a winning record of 19–2, Virtus was defeated in the EuroCup's semifinals by UNICS Kazan.[20] However, the season ended with a great success. In fact, after having knocked out 3–0 both Basket Treviso in the quarterfinals and New Basket Brindisi in the semifinals, on 11 June Virtus defeated 4–0 its historic rival Olimpia Milano in the national finals, winning its 16th national title and the first one after twenty years.[21]

On 21 September 2021, the team won its second Supercup, defeating Olimpia Milano 90–84.[22] Moreover, after having ousted Lietkabelis, Ulm and Valencia in the first three rounds of the playoffs, on 11 May 2022, Virtus defeated Frutti Extra Bursaspor by 80–67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its first EuroCup and qualifying for the EuroLeague after 14 years.[23] However, despite having ended the regular season at the first place and having ousted 3–0 both Pesaro and Tortona in the first two rounds of playoffs, Virtus was defeated 4–2 in the national finals by Olimpia Milan.[24]

On 29 September 2022, after having ousted Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its third Supercup, defeating 72–69 Banco di Sardegna Sassari and achieving a back-to-back, following the 2021 trophy.[25] However, despite good premises Virtus ended the EuroLeague season at the 14th place, thus it did not qualify for the playoffs.[26] Moreover, the team was defeated in the Italian Basketball Cup final by Brescia. In June, after having ousted 3–0 both Brindisi and Tortona, Virtus was defeated 4–3 by Olimpia Milan in the national finals, following a series which was widely regarded among the best in the latest years of Italian basketball.[27][28]

On 7 July 2023, Belinelli renewed his contract with Virtus through 2025. On 24 September, after having ousted Olimpia Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its fourth Supercup, and the third in a row, defeating 97–60 Germani Brescia.[29]

National team career

Marco Belinelli with Italy's national team

Belinelli made his debut with the Italian national team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. In that tournament, he scored 25 points against the United States national team, including a dunk on Carmelo Anthony. In that tournament, he averaged 13.5 points per game, being the best scorer of his team.

He averaged 15.5 points per game at the 2007 EuroBasket, 12.0 points per game at the 2011 EuroBasket, 13.6 points per game at the 2013 EuroBasket, 16.3 points per game at the 2015 EuroBasket and 17.9 points per game at the 2017 EuroBasket.

Career statistics

NBA

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship *  Led the league

Regular season

More information Year, Team ...

Playoffs

More information Year, Team ...

EuroLeague

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high
More information Year, Team ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    NBA.com : Summer League 2007 Archived 2007-07-12 at the Wayback Machine
  2. [2]
    "Raptors Acquire Belinelli From Golden State". NBA.com. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
  3. [3]
    "HORNETS ACQUIRE BELINELLI". NBA.com. 11 August 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  4. [4]
    "MARCO BELINELLI SIGNS QUALIFYING OFFER". NBA.com. 13 December 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  5. [5]
    "Bulls sign guard Belinelli, formerly of Hornets". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. 24 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  6. [6]
    Bulls at Nets, 4 May 2013
  7. [7]
    Spurs Sign Marco Belinelli
  8. [8]
    Carmelo Anthony, Knicks stun Spurs in San Antonio
  9. [9]
    "Belinelli bests Beal to claim NBA 3-point title". ESPN.com. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  10. [10]
    "Kings Sign Rondo, Belinelli, Koufos". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  11. [11]
    "Sixers surprise Kings for 2nd win in 3 games". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. 30 December 2015. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  12. [12]
    Hornets Acquire Marco Belinelli from Sacramento
  13. [13]
    "Hornets Acquire Howard and Draft Pick from Hawks". NBA.com. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  14. [14]
    "Hawks Acquire Plumlee, Belinelli In Dwight Howard Trade". NBA.com. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  15. [15]
    "Hawks Waive Marco Belinelli". NBA.com. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  16. [16]
    "Philadelphia 76ers Sign Marco Belinelli". NBA.com. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  17. [17]
    "Watch: 76ers' Marco Belinelli Nails Buzzer Beater to Take Game 3 to Overtime Before Loss". Sports Illustrated. 5 May 2018.
  18. [18]
    "SPURS SIGN MARCO BELINELLI". NBA.com. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  19. [19]
    "Marco Belinelli e' un nuovo giocatore di Virtus Segafredo Bologna". virtus.it (in Italian). 26 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  20. [20]
    Virtus, la notte più nera. In Eurolega vanno i russi, la Repubblica
  21. [21]
    Virtus, sei magnifica! Bologna, scudetto dopo 20 anni, Milano schiacciata 4-0, Gazzetta dello Sport
  22. [22]
    Basket, la Virtus Bologna vince la Supercoppa: Milano ancora ko, la Repubblica
  23. [23]
    "Game Night: Virtus is the 7DAYS EuroCup champion and headed back to the EuroLeague!". euroleaguebasketball.net. 11 May 2022.
  24. [24]
    "Olimpia Milano campione d'Italia, Virtus Bologna ko 81-64 in gara-6". Sky Sport. 18 June 2022.
  25. [25]
    "Supercoppa, trionfa la Virtus Bologna! Canestro decisivo di Mickey, Sassari cede 72-69". Gazzetta dello Sport. 29 September 2022.
  26. [26]
    Virtus, il punto a fine EuroLega. BolognaBasket
  27. [27]
    Basket, Milano batte Bologna nella decisiva gara 7 e vince il suo 30esimo scudetto. Gli highlights. la Repubblica
  28. [28]
    Basket, Milano batte Bologna 67-55 nella finalissima e si conferma campione per la trentesima volta. Rai News
  29. [29]
    Una Virtus esagerata stravince la Supercoppa. la Repubblica
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