Raül López
Encyclopedia
Raül López i Molist is a Spanish
professional basketball player. He has previously played for the NBA
's Utah Jazz
. López is a native of Vic
, Barcelona
, in the autonomous community of Catalonia
, Spain
. At 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall, he plays the point guard
position. López is featured on the Spanish version of the NBA Live 2004
video game.
, his game has often been described as more similar to that of Steve Nash
and Tony Parker
. He is known for his quickness, court vision, unselfishness, and passing ability. Also, he has the ability to create his own shot, a key skill in the modern NBA and Euroleague
.
in the Spanish ACB League
. In 2000, he was signed by Real Madrid
where he played for two seasons. Later, during the summer of 2005, he signed with the Spanish local team Akasvayu Girona, which finished 7th at the end of the 2005-2006 ACB season.
López returned to Real Madrid after signing a contract in July 2006. In 2009, he moved to the VTB United League
club Khimki Moscow Region. In July 2011 he returned to Spain
by singning a two-year contract with Bizkaia Bilbao Basket.
, 24th overall, by the Utah Jazz
. In September 2002, he signed his NBA rookie contract with the Utah Jazz
and underwent surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament
in his right knee, missing the entire 2002-03 NBA season
. Finally, in the 2003-04 season
, totally recovered from his knee injury, he played in all of the 82 regular season games as the backup to starting point guard Carlos Arroyo
, while averaging 7.0 points, 3.7 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game.
On August 3, 2005, López was traded from the Jazz to the Memphis Grizzlies
as part of the largest trade in NBA history, involving five teams, 13 players, and two draft picks. He was subsequently cut from the Memphis Grizzlies
2005-06
roster.
and the 1999 FIBA Under-19 World Championship
.
, to the senior Spanish national team
that participated at the 2000 Olympics Basketball Tournament
in Sydney
, Australia
. He also won the bronze medal at the EuroBasket 2001
. However, before playing for Spain at the 2002 FIBA World Championship
, he suffered an injury to his right knee, the same one that occurred during the 2001-02 season while playing for Real Madrid
.
He also won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics Basketball Tournament
, and the gold medal at the EuroBasket 2009
.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
professional basketball player. He has previously played for the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. López is a native of Vic
Vic
Vic is the capital of the comarca of Osona, in the Barcelona Province, Catalonia, Spain. Vic's location, only 69 km far from Barcelona and 60 km from Girona, has made it one of the most important towns in central Catalonia.-History:...
, Barcelona
Barcelona (province)
Barcelona is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia.-Overview:It is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Lleida, and Girona, and by the Mediterranean Sea....
, in the autonomous community of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. At 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall, he plays the point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
position. López is featured on the Spanish version of the NBA Live 2004
NBA Live series
The NBA Elite is series of basketball video games, published by EA Sports. There has not been any entry in the series on a home console since 2009. In November 2010, development of the franchise was moved from EA Canada studio to Florida-based Tiburon studio...
video game.
Player profile
Although López has been said to be the Spanish version of John StocktonJohn Stockton
John Houston Stockton is a retired American professional basketball player who spent his entire career as a point guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA from 1984 to 2003. Stockton is regarded as one of the best point guards of all time, holding the NBA records for most career assists and steals by...
, his game has often been described as more similar to that of Steve Nash
Steve Nash
Stephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association . Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara...
and Tony Parker
Tony Parker
William Anthony "Tony" Parker is a French professional basketball player who currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA....
. He is known for his quickness, court vision, unselfishness, and passing ability. Also, he has the ability to create his own shot, a key skill in the modern NBA and Euroleague
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...
.
Europe
In 1998, at 18 years old, López began his professional career with Joventut BadalonaJoventut Badalona
Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, playing in the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto . Known to their fans as La Penya , it is one of only three teams that have never been relegated from the top division of the Spanish League...
in the Spanish ACB League
Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto
The Liga ACB, known as the Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Spain. It was founded in 1956 with the name of Liga Nacional. The league changed its name to the current one in 1983. The league is rated as one of the three "A" level European...
. In 2000, he was signed by Real Madrid
Real Madrid Baloncesto
Real Madrid Baloncesto is a Spanish professional basketball team founded in 1932 as a division of the Real Madrid club. They play in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto ....
where he played for two seasons. Later, during the summer of 2005, he signed with the Spanish local team Akasvayu Girona, which finished 7th at the end of the 2005-2006 ACB season.
López returned to Real Madrid after signing a contract in July 2006. In 2009, he moved to the VTB United League
VTB United League
VTB United League is an international professional basketball league that was founded in 2008. Its goal is to unite the leading basketball clubs of Eastern Europe and Northern Europe together into one league. The league is sponsored by VTB Bank. In its inaugural 2009–10 season, it featured clubs...
club Khimki Moscow Region. In July 2011 he returned to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
by singning a two-year contract with Bizkaia Bilbao Basket.
NBA
In 2001, López was selected in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft2001 NBA Draft
The 2001 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player drafted with the first overall pick...
, 24th overall, by the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. In September 2002, he signed his NBA rookie contract with the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and underwent surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in his right knee, missing the entire 2002-03 NBA season
2002-03 NBA season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
. Finally, in the 2003-04 season
2003-04 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers...
, totally recovered from his knee injury, he played in all of the 82 regular season games as the backup to starting point guard Carlos Arroyo
Carlos Arroyo
Carlos Alberto Arroyo Bermúdez is a Puerto Rican professional basketball point guard who last played for the Boston Celtics. Arroyo is the fifth player from Puerto Rico to play in the NBA...
, while averaging 7.0 points, 3.7 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game.
On August 3, 2005, López was traded from the Jazz to the Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
as part of the largest trade in NBA history, involving five teams, 13 players, and two draft picks. He was subsequently cut from the Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
2005-06
2005-06 NBA season
The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006...
roster.
Junior national team
López was a member of the Spanish junior national teams that won gold medals at the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-18 ChampionshipFIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was inaugurated in 1964 and for the following 40 years it had been held biannually. From 2004 onwards, it is held every year.-Summaries:-Performances by nation:...
and the 1999 FIBA Under-19 World Championship
FIBA Under-19 World Championship
The FIBA Under-19 World Championship is a men's under-19 only basketball competition organized by FIBA. From its inauguration in 1979 until 2007 it was held every four years...
.
Senior national team
López was named, along with Juan Carlos NavarroJuan Carlos Navarro
For the professional basketball player, see Juan Carlos Navarro Juan Carlos Navarro is a Panamanian businessman, environmentalist, and politician and was the Mayor of Panama City, Panama until June 30, 2009....
, to the senior Spanish national team
Spain national basketball team
The Spanish national basketball team is the basketball team representing Spain in international competitions, organized and run by the Spanish Basketball Federation...
that participated at the 2000 Olympics Basketball Tournament
Basketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics
-Group B:-Championship bracket:-Classification matches:-Preliminary round:The four best teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinal round.-Group A:-Group B:-Championship bracket:...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He also won the bronze medal at the EuroBasket 2001
EuroBasket 2001
The EuroBasket 2001 was the 32nd EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Turkey, began on 31 August 2001 and concluded with the final on 9 September 2001. Yugoslavia won the gold medal,...
. However, before playing for Spain at the 2002 FIBA World Championship
2002 FIBA World Championship
The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA from August 29 to September 8, 2002.-Venues:-Squads:...
, he suffered an injury to his right knee, the same one that occurred during the 2001-02 season while playing for Real Madrid
Real Madrid Baloncesto
Real Madrid Baloncesto is a Spanish professional basketball team founded in 1932 as a division of the Real Madrid club. They play in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto ....
.
He also won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics Basketball Tournament
Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Basketball contests at the 2008 Olympic Games were held from August 9, 2008 to August 24, 2008. Competitions were held at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China...
, and the gold medal at the EuroBasket 2009
EuroBasket 2009
The EuroBasket 2009 was the 36th EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September 2009 and concluded with the final on 20 September 2009...
.