Dino Meneghin
Encyclopedia
Dino Meneghin (born January 18, 1950) is an Italian
former professional basketball
player. He is widely considered as 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 November 20, 1966, when he was 16 years old, he played his first match in the Italian League
with Ignis Varese. He played the last match of his career at the age of 45. Today, he works for the Italian Basketball Federation
and for the club Olimpia Milano
. On August 20, 2010, Meneghin was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame
in recognition of his play in international competition.
. With the Italian national basketball team
, he played in 271 matches and totaled 2,847 points scored. 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 Mister Europa European Player of the Year
, and also won the Euroscar European Player of the Year award in 1983. In 1991, he was named the greatest European basketball player of all time by Giganti del Basket. On September 5, 2003, he 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.
One of the greatest records of his career is his number of Finals appearances in the European Champions Cup
. He played in 10 consecutive finals with Ignis Varese, winning 5, and later in 2 more consecutive finals with Olimpia Milano
, which he both won. Finally, before his playing career ended, Dino Meneghin played in the Italian League against his son Andrea
, who was also a great international player.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
former professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. He is widely considered as 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
Alano di Piave
Alano di Piave is a comune in the Province of Belluno in the Italian region Veneto, located about 60 km northwest of Venice and about 35 km southwest of Belluno...
, Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
(northeast Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
). On November 20, 1966, when he was 16 years old, he played his first match in the Italian League
Serie A (basketball)
Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
with Ignis Varese. He played the last match of his career at the age of 45. Today, he works for the Italian Basketball Federation
Italian Basketball Federation
The Italian Basketball Federation is the governing body of basketball in Italy.It is a member of the International Basketball Federation ....
and for the club Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano is a Lega Basket Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy, founded in 1936 by Milan businessman Adolfo Bogoncelli. Its colors are red and white, and the team is sometimes referred as "Scarpette Rosse" because team officials imported from the United States red...
. On August 20, 2010, Meneghin was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame
FIBA Hall of Fame
FIBA Hall of Fame honors basketball players, coaches and administrators who have contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA in 1991. It includes the "Samaranch Library", the biggest basketball library in the world that, as of 2007, has over 10,000 basketball...
in recognition of his play in international competition.
Playing career
In total, he played in 836 matches and scored 8,560 points in the Italian ChampionshipSerie A (basketball)
Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
. With the Italian national basketball team
Italy national basketball team
The Italian national basketball team is the national basketball team representing Italy. It is administrated by the Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro ....
, he played in 271 matches and totaled 2,847 points scored. Meneghin became the second player from a European league to be drafted by an NBA team when the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
manager Marty Blake
Marty Blake
Marty Blake is the Director of Scouting Services for the National Basketball Association and founder of Marty Blake and Associates, a basketball scouting firm. He previously served as general manager of the Atlanta Hawks franchise.-Early career:...
selected him with a late-round pick in the 1970 NBA Draft
1970 NBA Draft
The 1970 NBA Draft was the 24th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on March 23, 1970 before the 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
. He never played in the USA, however.
In 1980 and 1983, he was elected Mister Europa European Player of the Year
European Basketball Player of the Year Awards
The European Basketball Player of the Year Awards are the three awards given out on a yearly basis to the best male European basketball player of the year. More specifically, those are the Mr. Europa award, which began in 1976, the Euroscar, established in 1979, and the FIBA Europe Player of the...
, and also won the Euroscar European Player of the Year award in 1983. In 1991, he was named the greatest European basketball player of all time by Giganti del Basket. On September 5, 2003, he became the second Italian player to enter into the Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
after Cesare Rubini
Cesare Rubini
Cesare Rubini was an Italian basketball player and coach, and water polo player. One of the greatest European coaches of all time, Rubini was inducted intto the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994, the first and to this day one of the few Italian basketball figures to receive such an honour, together...
, who served Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano is a Lega Basket Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy, founded in 1936 by Milan businessman Adolfo Bogoncelli. Its colors are red and white, and the team is sometimes referred as "Scarpette Rosse" because team officials imported from the United States red...
both as player and coach between the 1940s and the 1970s.
One of the greatest records of his career is his number of Finals appearances in the European Champions Cup
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
. He played in 10 consecutive finals with Ignis Varese, winning 5, and later in 2 more consecutive finals with Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano is a Lega Basket Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy, founded in 1936 by Milan businessman Adolfo Bogoncelli. Its colors are red and white, and the team is sometimes referred as "Scarpette Rosse" because team officials imported from the United States red...
, which he both won. Finally, before his playing career ended, Dino Meneghin played in the Italian League against his son Andrea
Andrea Meneghin
Andrea Meneghin is an Italian retired professional basketball player and active coach. Son of Dino Meneghin, one of the greatest Italian players in history, Andrea played against his father during the latter's last season as a pro.Standing at 2.00 m, Meneghin was an offense oriented shooting guard...
, who was also a great international player.
Pro clubs
- Pallacanestro VaresePallacanestro Varese-Notable players:-Notable coaches: Aleksandar Nikolić Nico Messina Sandro Gamba Edoardo Rusconi Joe Isaac Carlo Recalcati Valerio Bianchini Ruben Magnano-Sponsorship names:Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:...
(1966–1980) - Olimpia MilanoOlimpia MilanoOlimpia Milano is a Lega Basket Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy, founded in 1936 by Milan businessman Adolfo Bogoncelli. Its colors are red and white, and the team is sometimes referred as "Scarpette Rosse" because team officials imported from the United States red...
(1980–1990) - Pallacanestro TriestePallacanestro TriestePallacanestro Trieste 2004, also known for sponsorship reasons as Acegas A.P.S. Trieste is an Italian professional basketball team from the town of Trieste....
(1990–1993) - Olimpia MilanoOlimpia MilanoOlimpia Milano is a Lega Basket Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy, founded in 1936 by Milan businessman Adolfo Bogoncelli. Its colors are red and white, and the team is sometimes referred as "Scarpette Rosse" because team officials imported from the United States red...
(1993–1994)
Clubs
- 4 World Cup for ClubsIntercontinental Cup (basketball)The World Cup for Champion Clubs, commonly referred to as the Intercontinental Cup, was a basketball competition endorsed by FIBA to gather the best clubs from the federations affiliated to FIBA and to officially decide the best club of the world, contended mainly by the continents of higher...
(1967, 1970, 1973, 1987) - 2 European Cup Winners CupSaporta CupSaporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, where the National Cup winners from all over Europe played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA Europe...
(1967, 1980) - 12 Italian ChampionshipsSerie A (basketball)Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
(1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989). He was also on the runner up team 9 times. - 6 Italian CupsCoppa Italia di pallacanestro maschileThe Italian Basketball Cup , or Coppa Italia, is an annual professional basketball competition between pro clubs from the Italian League.-History and format:...
(1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1986, 1987) - 7 European Champions CupEuroleagueEuroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
s (1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1987, 1988) - 1 Korać CupKorac CupThe Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971-72 and 2001-02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the European Champions' Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup...
(1985)
Italian national team
- Bronze Medal at the 1975 European ChampionshipEuroBasket 1975-Group A - Split:-Group B - Karlovac:-Group C - Rijeka:-Places 7 - 12:-Places 1 - 6 in Belgrade:-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # # # # # -Team rosters:...
- Silver Medal at the 1980 Olympics Basketball TournamentBasketball at the 1980 Summer OlympicsBasketball at the 1980 Summer Olympics was held from July 20 to July 30 at the Olympiiski Indoor Stadium and at the CSKA Sports Palace, both located in Moscow. Finals of both men's and women's events were held 30 July at the Olympiiski Indoor Stadium....
- Gold Medal at the 1983 European ChampionshipEuroBasket 1983-Venues:-Group A - Limoges :-Group B - Cannes :-Places 9 - 12:-Places 5 - 8:-Places 1 - 4:-Finals:-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # # # # # -Team rosters:...
Individual
- European Player of the YearEuropean Basketball Player of the Year AwardsThe European Basketball Player of the Year Awards are the three awards given out on a yearly basis to the best male European basketball player of the year. More specifically, those are the Mr. Europa award, which began in 1976, the Euroscar, established in 1979, and the FIBA Europe Player of the...
:- Mister Europa European Player of the Year 1980, 1983
- Euroscar European Player of the YearEuroscar AwardThe Euroscar European Player of the Year Award known as European basketball's Oscar award, is an annual basketball award that started in 1979. The award names each year's best European basketball player, regardless of where he plays in the world, including NBA players. The award is judged on the...
1983