 | |
| No. 6 – Virtus Bologna | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | LBA EuroLeague |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1999-11-09)9 November 1999 (age 25) Ancona, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Listed height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Listed weight | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2021:undrafted |
| Playing career | 2015–present |
| Career history | |
| 2015–present | Virtus Bologna |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Alessandro Pajola (born 9 November 1999) is an Italian professionalbasketball player forVirtus Bologna of the ItalianLega Basket Serie A (LBA) and theEuroLeague. He is also a member of the seniorItalian national team. Standing at 1.94 m (6 ft4+1⁄2 in), he plays at thepoint guard position. Pajola is widely known for his defensive ability.[1]
Pajola joinedVirtus Bologna in 2015, becoming an important supporting cast player in 2016–17, when the club was inSerie A2. On 19 June 2017, the Black V won the playoffs, beatingTrieste by 3–0, thus returning to the top series after only one year.
Pajola's importance in the team grown up season after season, becoming one of Virtus' most prominent player in 2020–21 season. In June 2021, after having knocked out 3–0 bothBasket Treviso in the quarterfinals andNew Basket Brindisi in the semifinals, on Virtusdefeated 4–0 its historic rivalOlimpia Milano in the national finals, winning its 16th national title and the first one after twenty years.[2]
On 21 September 2021, the team won its secondSupercup, defeating once again Olimpia Milano 90–84.[3] After an outstanding game in the final, Pajola was named MVP of the tournament.[4] Moreover, after having oustedLietkabelis,Ulm andValencia in the first three rounds of theplayoffs, on 11 May 2022, Virtus defeatedFrutti Extra Bursaspor by 80–67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its firstEuroCup and qualifying for theEuroLeague after 14 years.[5] However, despite having ended the regular season at the first place and having ousted 3–0 bothPesaro andTortona in the first two rounds of playoffs, Virtus was defeated 4–2 in the national finals by Olimpia Milan.[6]
On 29 September 2022, after having ousted Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won itsthird Supercup, defeating 72–69Banco di Sardegna Sassari and achieving a back-to-back, following the 2021 trophy.[7] However, despite good premises Virtus ended theEuroLeague season at the 14th place, thus it did not qualify for the playoffs.[8] Moreover, the team was defeated in theItalian Basketball Cup final byBrescia. In June, after having ousted 3–0 both Brindisi and Tortona, Virtus was defeated 4–3 by Olimpia Milan in the national finals, following a series which was widely regarded among the best in the latest years of Italian basketball.[9][10] At the end of the regular season, on 10 May 2023, Pajola renewed his contract with Virtus through 2026.
On 24 September 2023, after having ousted Olimpia Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won itsfourth Supercup, and the third in a row, defeating 97–60Germani Brescia.[11]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Bologna | 29 | 0 | 16.7 | .418 | .324 | .733 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 1.2 | — | 3.1 | 4.9 |
| 2023–24 | 34 | 8 | 17.0 | .387 | .352 | .727 | 1.8 | 3.0 | .8 | .1 | 3.9 | 4.9 | |
| Career | 63 | 8 | 16.9 | .400 | .343 | .729 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 1.0 | .1 | 3.5 | 4.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Virtus Bologna | 2 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 2016–17 | Virtus Bologna | 24 | 0 | 9.9 | .413 | .364 | .500 | 1.2 | .6 | .5 | .0 | 2.3 | 1.5 |
| 2017–18 | Virtus Bologna | 17 | 2 | 11.9 | .450 | .250 | .600 | 1.1 | .8 | .6 | .0 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| 2018–19 | Virtus Bologna | 27 | 0 | 11.7 | .282 | .286 | .571 | 1.1 | 1.0 | .7 | .1 | 1.3 | .7 |
| 2019–20 | Virtus Bologna | 20 | 1 | 12.2 | .465 | .313 | .722 | 1.6 | 1.5 | .8 | .1 | 3.1 | 4.6 |
