Matteo Spagnolo

Matteo Spagnolo (born 10 January 2003) is an Italian professional basketball player for Alba Berlin of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague.

Matteo Spagnolo
Spagnolo with Italy in February 2020
No. 3 – Alba Berlin
PositionShooting guard / Point guard
LeagueBBL
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (2003-01-10) 10 January 2003
Brindisi, Italy
Listed height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Listed weight89 kg (196 lb)
Career information
NBA draft2022: 2nd round, 50th overall pick
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2018Stella Azzurra Roma
2018–2023Real Madrid
2019–2021→ Real Madrid B
2021–2022→ Vanoli Cremona
2022–2023→ Aquila Basket Trento
2023–presentAlba Berlin
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Italy
FIBA U16 European Championship
Bronze medal – third place2019 ItalyTeam

Early life and career

Spagnolo started playing basketball at the age of four and began his youth career with Aurora Brindisi. At age 12, he scored 78 points and 77 points in the semifinal and final of the regional under-14 championship, respectively.

At Adidas Next Generation Tournament Munich in January 2020, Spagnolo averaged 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, helping Real Madrid's under-18 team win the title.[1]

Professional career

Stella Azzurra (2017–2018)

At 13 years of age, Spagnolo moved to Rome to join Stella Azzurra.[2] He made his Serie B debut at age 14, becoming the youngest Italian to play at the senior level.[3]

Real Madrid (2018–2023)

On 2 May 2018, Spagnolo moved to Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, where he became the first Italian to join the club's youth academy.[4]

On 8 March 2020, Spagnolo made his senior debut for Real Madrid, playing 36 seconds in a Liga ACB loss to Zaragoza.[5]

Spagnolo mainly spent the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 campaigns with the club's reserve team.

Vanoli Cremona (2021–2022)

For the 2021–22 season Spagnolo was transferred on loan to Vanoli Cremona of the Italian Serie A.[6]

Aquila Basket Trento (2022–2023)

On 28 July 2022, Spagnolo was sent on loan to Italian club Aquila Basket Trento.[7] In 13 EuroCup matches, he averaged 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 26 minutes per contest.

Alba Berlin (2023–present)

On 9 August 2023, Spagnolo signed a three-year contract with German club Alba Berlin.[8]

NBA draft rights

Spagnolo was drafted with the 50th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2023, he appeared in the NBA Summer League with the Timberwolves, averaging 12.5 points and 3 assists per game.

Career statistics

Domestic leagues
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  PPG  Points per game
 2P%  Two-point field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  BPG  Blocks per game
 SPG  Steals per game  TOPG  Turnovers per game  Bold  Career high
Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG PPG 2P% 3P% FT% RPG APG BPG SPG TOPG
2017–18 Roma 1406.92.5.430.310.8401.6.4.2.0.6
2019–20 Madrid B 171728.816.0.552.357.8554.73.0.9.21.5
2020–21 Madrid B 101027.214.3.455.375.7005.42.61.1.12.1
2021–22 Cremona 161625.712.1.514.450.7893.42.6.6.02.3

National team career

Spagnolo averaged 16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, three steals and 2.6 assists per game for Italy at the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Udine. He was named to the All-Star Five after helping his team earn the bronze medal.[9] On 20 February 2020, at age 17, Spagnolo made his senior debut for Italy, scoring three points in a win over Russia at the EuroBasket qualification stage. He became the third-youngest player to play for Italy's senior team.[10]

References
  1. "Matteo Spagnolo, de brillar con el filial del Real Madrid a la Selección de Italia". Marca (in Spanish). 29 January 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  2. Tundo, Andrea (4 February 2020). "Matteo Spagnolo, dal campetto del quartiere alla Nazionale a 17 anni: storia della promessa del basket che studia da 'big' nel Real Madrid". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  3. Nigro, Giuseppe (4 May 2018). "Basket, baby Spagnolo futuro galactico, al Real a 14 anni: "È tutto fantastico"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  4. "Lo stellino Matteo Spagnolo al Real Madrid: primo italiano della storia ad entrare nella Cantera dei "blancos"" (in Italian). Stella Azzurra. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. "Spagnolo becomes the 14th academy graduate to make his debut under Laso". Real Madrid. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  6. "Matteo Spagnolo è un giocatore della Vanoli Basket" (in Italian). vanolibasket.com. 24 July 2021.
  7. Carchia, Emiliano (28 July 2022). "Aquila Basket Trento announces signing of Timberwolves draftee Matteo Spagnolo". Sportando. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  8. Milanti, Cesare (August 9, 2023). "Matteo Spagnolo signs with ALBA Berlin for three years". Eurohoops. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  9. "MVP Dominguez headlines All-Star Five in Udine". FIBA. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  10. "Basket: il brindisini Matteo Spagnolo debutta in nazionale "Matteo Spagnolo il "fenomeno": debutto in azzurro a soli 17 anni" (in Italian). BrindisiReport. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
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