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Dino Meneghin

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Dino Meneghin
Meneghin in 2010
Personal information
Born (1950-01-18) 18 January 1950 (age 74)
Alano di Piave, Italy
NationalityItalian
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight243 lb (110 kg)
Career information
NBA draft1970: 11th round, 182nd overall pick
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career1966–1994
PositionCenter
Career history
1966–1980Pallacanestro Varese
1980–1990Olimpia Milano
1990–1993Pallacanestro Trieste
1993–1994Olimpia Milano
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Italy
Summer Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1980 Moscow
FIBA EuroBasket
Bronze medal – third place 1971 West Germany
Bronze medal – third place 1975 Yugoslavia
Gold medal – first place 1983 France
European U-18 Championship
Bronze medal – third place 1966 Italy Under-18
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Spain Under-18

Dino Meneghin (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdiːno meneˈɡin], Venetian: [meneˈɡiŋ]; born 18 January 1950) is an Italian former professional basketball player. He is widely considered to be the best Italian player ever, as well as one of Europe's all-time greats. A 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) tall center, Meneghin was born in Alano di Piave, Veneto (northeast Italy). On 20 November 1966, when he was 16 years old, he played in his first game in the Italian League, with Ignis Varese. He played the last game of his career at the age of 45.

He holds the record for the most EuroLeague championships won by a player, with seven, when counting all formats of the competition's history, dating back to the inaugural 1958 season. In 2003, Meneghin became a Basketball Hall of Fame player. In 2006, he became a member of the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2010, he became a FIBA Hall of Fame player.[1]

Professional career

In total, Meneghin played in 836 games and scored 8,560 points in the Italian League championship. Meneghin became the second player from a European league to be drafted by an NBA team, when the Atlanta Hawks manager Marty Blake selected him with a late-round pick in the 1970 NBA draft. He never played in the USA, however.

In 1980 and 1983, he was elected European Player of the Year: Mr. Europa, and he also won the Euroscar European Player of the Year award in 1983. In 1991, he was named the greatest FIBA European Champions' Cup (EuroLeague) basketball player of all time, by the Italian basketball magazine Giganti del Basket.[2]

One of the greatest records of his career is his number of Finals appearances in the FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague). He played in 10 consecutive finals with Pallacanestro Varese, winning 5; and later in 2 more consecutive finals with Olimpia Milano, winning both. Finally, before his playing career ended, Meneghin played in the Italian League against his son, Andrea, who was also a great international player.

On 28 October 2019, 25 years after he last played professionally, Olimpia Milano retired the number 11 in honor of Meneghin. The number 11 matched the number of seasons that he had played with the Italian club.[3][4]

National team career

With the senior Italian national basketball team, Meneghin played in 271 games, and totaled 2,847 points scored. With Italy, he won the bronze medal at both the 1971 EuroBasket and the 1975 EuroBasket. He also won the silver medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics, and the gold medal at the 1983 EuroBasket.

Post-playing career

On 5 September 2003 Meneghin became the second Italian player to enter into the Basketball Hall of Fame, after Cesare Rubini, who served Olimpia Milano, both as player and coach between the 1940s and the 1970s. After his playing career ended, Meneghin has since worked for the Italian Basketball Federation and for Olimpia Milano.

Personal life

Dino Meneghin is the father of Andrea Meneghin, who also played professional basketball. Andrea played against his father, during the latter's last season as a pro.

Honours and awards

Clubs

Italian senior national team

Individual

References

  1. ^ "FIBA announces 2010 Hall of Fame Class". FIBA. 20 August 2010. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
  2. ^ Interbasket.net InterBasket > profiles > Meneghin.
  3. ^ "Eleven Forever: Dino Meneghin's number 11 will be retired by Olimpia". olimpiamilano.com. 28 October 2019.
  4. ^ Dino Meneghin jersey retired and the legend lives on.
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