Alberto Díaz

Alberto Díaz Ortiz (born April 23, 1994) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Unicaja of the Liga ACB. At a height of 1.91 m (6'3") in shoes,[1] and a weight of 86 kg (190 lbs.),[2] he plays at the point guard position.

Alberto Díaz
No. 9 – Unicaja
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueLiga ACB
Personal information
Born (1994-04-23) April 23, 1994
Málaga, Spain
NationalitySpanish
Listed height1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Listed weight86 kg (190 lb)
Career information
NBA draft2016: undrafted
Playing career2011–present
Career history
2011–2014Clínicas Rincón
2012–presentUnicaja
2014→Bilbao Basket
2014–2015→Baloncesto Fuenlabrada
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing Spain Spain
EuroBasket
Gold medal – first place2022 Germany
FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
Silver medal – second place2014 GreeceUnder-20 team
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Díaz and the second or maternal family name is Ortiz.

Professional career

Díaz started his professional career at Clínicas Rincón, an affiliated team of Unicaja. He played simultaneously with both teams until March 2014, when he was loaned to Bilbao Basket, until the end of the 2013–14 season.

Díaz was loaned again for the next season, this time to Baloncesto Fuenlabrada, a team that finished in the last position of the 2014–15 ACB season.

Finally, in the summer of 2015, he came back to Unicaja, and definitively took a role in the team in the 2015–16 season. In the 2016–17 season, Díaz won the European-wide 2nd-tier level EuroCup, with Unicaja, after beating Valencia Basket in the Finals.[3] Along with winning the EuroCup trophy, Díaz was also named the EuroCup Finals MVP,[4] after he averaged 7.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 steals, in 21.8 minutes per game, over the three game series.[5]

Diaz signed a four-year contract extension on August 7, 2020.[6]

International career

Díaz took part of the Spain national under-18 basketball team that won the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in 2012.[7]

In July 2014, he won the silver medal at the Under-20 championship played in Greece.[8]

After being cut from the final roster of the Spanish NT for EuroBasket 2022, he rejoined the team at the eleventh hour in the wake of Sergio Llull's injury, eventually being an integral part of the Spanish gold medal run, particularly in terms of providing defensive balance to the team, with averages of 5.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists.[9][10] He was praised for his defence on Dennis Schröder in the 4th quarter of the semifinals.[10]

Player profile

According to Fotis Katsikaris, Díaz "has an incredible mentality as an athlete. He always plays at 110% and does not know how to practice at a slower pace. I think he's one of the best, if not the best, perimeter defenders in Europe".[10]

Achievements
With Unicaja
With Spain

Individual awards

References
  1. ALBERTO DIAZ HEIGHT W/O SHOES 6'2.0" HEIGHT W/ SHOES 6'3.0".
  2. Alberto Diaz Ht: 6-3 Wt: 190.
  3. "7DAYS EuroCup Finals, Game 3: Unicaja Malaga is the champion!". Eurocupbasketball.com. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  4. "Alberto Diaz chosen MVP of EuroCup Finals". Eurocupbasketball.com. 5 April 2017. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  5. DIAZ, ALBERTO EuroCup 2016-17 STATISTICS.
  6. "Malaga, Alberto Diaz pen contract extension". Sportando. August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  7. "Mannheim 2012: España deslumbra al mundo (76-65), ¡CAMPEONES!" (in Spanish). Solobasket. 14 April 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  8. "La Sub-20 también es de plata" (in Spanish). As. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  9. "Alberto Díaz, el líder silencioso de la campeona del Eurobasket". mundodeportivo.com (in Spanish). 2022-09-19. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  10. Kyriakidis, Giorgos (21 September 2022). "'Europe's best perimeter defender': How Alberto Diaz became a nightmare for EuroBasket stars". basketnews.
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