Andrés Marcelo Nocioni (born 30 November 1979) is an Argentine former professionalbasketball player. He was a two-timeAll-EuroLeague selection before spending eight seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA), from 2004 to 2012. Nocioni won aEuroLeague title in2015, earning theEuroLeague Final Four MVP Award in the process.
Nocioni was a member ofArgentina's gold medal-winning team at the2004 Summer Olympics inAthens,[3] as well as the Argentina squads that won the bronze medal at the2008 Summer Olympics[4] and the silver medal at the2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis. In 2010 he won theKonex Award as one of the five best Basketball Players from the last decade in Argentina.[5] His jersey number 13 was retired by the Argentinian Basketball Confederation.[2]
Andrés was the second son of Pedro José "Pilo" Nocioni and Ángela Palmira Roux, both siblings born in Santa Fe although the family lived inGálvez, 80 km south of Santa Fe, where Andrés attended school.[6] Andrés and his wife, fellow Argentine Paula Raquel Aimonetto, have two sons, Laureano[7] and Benicio. Nocioni is known as "Chapu" after the children's TV seriesEl Chapulín Colorado, which was very popular in Argentina.[8] He holds Argentine and Italian citizenships.[9]
Nocioni's professional career began in theArgentine basketball league (LNB) in the 1995–96 season inRacing Club de Avellaneda, and in 1998–99 he was already namedBest Sixth Man. In 2001, Nocioni went toVitoria-Gasteiz, where he spent three seasons as arefuerzo (reinforcement player) with Spain'sTAU Cerámica of the top-tier levelACB Spanish professional league. He was the league's 2004Most Valuable Player, and his stellar play earned him anAll-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2003 and 2004.
After winning the gold medal at the2004 Olympics, Nocioni was signed as anundrafted rookie free-agent by theChicago Bulls. Two of his countrymen,Manu Ginóbili andCarlos Delfino, were also in theNBA at the time.
He played in 81 games during his rookie season and posted averages of 8.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.5 apg and 23.4 mpg.[10] Nocioni's physical style of defense created controversy around the league, and he was suspended for one game after a hard foul toDetroit Pistons'Tayshaun Prince.[11] Nocioni had previously committed a hard foul on theMiami Heat'sDwyane Wade and then was shoved past photographers and into the first row of spectators byUdonis Haslem. A spectator tossed a drink at Nocioni, which was similar to the incident that triggeredPacers–Pistons brawl atThe Palace of Auburn Hills. The fan was ejected by security. For the incident, Nocioni received a flagrant-one foul (which is a foul involving excessive or unjustified contact) and atechnical. Haslem received a technical and anejection.[12]
While giving ateleconference interview with NBA.com, Nocioni spoke about the hard fouls and his suspension, "First, the one with Wade was completely my fault. It was a bad reaction on my part. If I had received any penalties because of it, it would be a fair sanction, but it was not given. However, the sanction set after the game against the Pistons is totally unfair. I see it as a totally real play taken out of context in the game — absolutely nothing happened. It was an accidental blow. Without purposely trying to, I hit him. I apologized on the court. I also asked Carlos Delfino to give my apologies to him, so I don't understand why there is a sanction for something totally normal in a game."[13] In Nocioni's first NBA playoff game, he scored 25 points and grabbed 18 rebounds while playing all 48 minutes. Due to his outstanding play, the sold-out United Center crowd in Chicago chanted his name. This game solidified Nocioni's status as a Chicago favorite.[14]
In Nocioni's second season with the Chicago Bulls, he averaged 13.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and 1.4 apg, while playing in all 82 games, 43 of them starts. Nocioni was named the Chicago Bulls' Player of the Year for the2005–06 season.[15] Inthe playoffs Nocioni averaged 22.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists including twodouble-doubles. In game two against theMiami Heat he scored 30 points shooting 13–15 overall from the field (83.3%), including 3–3 in from the three-point line and 1–1 in free throws, with 6 rebounds and one steal in almost 40 minutes played. Nocioni scored 30 points again on November 19, during the 82–72 defeat against theL.A. Lakers.[16] He also scored a career high 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the December 1st 111–108 road victory against theHornets.[17] Nocioni missed a third of the2006–07 NBA season due toplantar fasciitis. He returned to action late in the season on April 8, 2007, againstToronto.[18]
Nocioni became a restricted free-agent following the 2006–07 season. On July 6, 2007, he agreed a 5-year deal with the Chicago Bulls worth a reported $38 million. Teams that were interested in Nocioni included theMemphis Grizzlies. The deal became official on July 18, 2007.[19] In preparation for the2008–09 NBA season, Nocioni admitted theknee tendinitis which had hampered his performance during the2008 Olympics was still affecting him and specifically he had hardly done anything in between winning the bronze medal and reporting for training camp.[20]
On February 18, 2009, Nocioni was traded to theSacramento Kings along withDrew Gooden andCedric Simmons forJohn Salmons andBrad Miller.[21] Nocioni started for the Kings the last 23 games of the 2008–09 season, averaging 13.7 points a game. Sacramento was in a rebuilding process however, and Nocioni requested a trade following a decrease in playing time.[22]
After the season ended, on June 17, 2010, Nocioni was traded to thePhiladelphia 76ers along withSpencer Hawes forSamuel Dalembert.[23] On December 29, 2010, he scored a season-high 22 points to go along with 12 rebounds, in a 123–110 win over thePhoenix Suns.
During the2011 NBA lockout, Nocioni trained withPeñarol de Mar del Plata while waiting for the situation to resolve itself. With the announcement of theNBPA to dissolve the Union and start litigation against the NBA, he agreed to join the team for theSúper 8 tournament in November 2011.[24] On November 26, as the NBA announced that a tentative agreement on a newcollective bargaining agreement was reached, Nocioni helped Peñarol to its third Súper 8 tournament.[25]
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With the end of the lockout, Nocioni returned to the Philadelphia 76ers for the2011–12 NBA season, but was waived in March 2012, after playing 11 games that season.[26]
Nocioni's final NBA game was played on March 12, 2012, in a 103–71 win over theBoston Celtics where he recorded 1 point and no other stats in 3 and half minutes of playing time.
He then signed with his former team,Caja Laboral (formerly known as TAU Cerámica for sponsorship reasons), for the remainder of the season.[27] He chose to wear number 55, as number 5, was already taken by hisArgentina national basketball team teammatePablo Prigioni. He re-signed with Caja Laboral in July 2012.[28]
On July 20, 2014, he parted ways with Baskonia,[29] and he signed a two-year contract withReal Madrid, five days later.[30] In May 2015, Real Madrid won theEuroLeague, after defeatingOlympiacos, by a score of 78–59 inthe final game.[31] Nocioni was named theFinal Four MVP.[32] Real Madrid eventually finished the season winning theSpanish League championship, after a 3–0 series sweep in theSpanish League finals series againstBarcelona. With that trophy, Real Madrid won thetriple crown.[33]
On July 21, 2016, Nocioni re-signed with Real Madrid.[34] On April 3, 2017, he announced his intentions to retire after the 2016–17 season.[35][36]
Nocioni was called up to defendArgentina and won the silver medal at the 1999South American Championship.[37] In 2001, Nocioni defended Argentina and won the gold medal at the South American Championship.[37] and at the2001 FIBA Americas Championship. In 2002, Nocioni defended Argentina with distinction and making basketball history. Argentina would beat theUnited States team, the first team to do so afterNBA players were allowed to compete at the2002 FIBA World Championship, inIndianapolis,U.S. The championship would go in the finals toYugoslavia, Argentina brought home a silver medal.
In 2004, Nocioni was a key factor when Argentina became the firstLatin American team (and the fourth team ever, after theUSA,Yugoslavia, and theUSSR) inOlympic basketball history, to win theOlympic gold medal.
In 2006, Nocioni started for Argentina at the2006 FIBA World Championship. In a game againstVenezuela, he landed on an opponent's foot, and it looked he injured his ankle, though he was cleared to play in Argentina's next game againstNigeria.[38] In Argentina's game against Nigeria, Nocioni led the team in scoring, with 23 points, playing 18 minutes, while not missing a single shot. Nocioni was 9–9 from the field, including 5–5 from the 3-point line. "I don't think I've ever played a game where I didn't miss a shot - at least not for the national team."[39] Argentina won group A of the tournament, going a perfect 5–0 in the first round of play.[40]
Argentina lost toSpain in the 2006 FIBA World Championship semifinal, with a final score of 75–74. Nocioni had a chance to win the game for Argentina, but histhree-pointer at the end of the game missed, giving Spain the win, and the chance to win the championship.[41] Nocioni's Argentine team next played theUS team in the bronze medal game, which Argentina lost 96–81. Nocioni scored 18 points in this game, in which he played againstNBA teammateKirk Hinrich.[42]
In 2008, Nocioni was selected to play with Argentina in theBeijing Summer Olympics. Argentina advanced to the quarter-final with four wins, placing behindLithuania in the group stage, after defeatingRussia. In the game against Russia, Nocioni hit 4 three-pointers, finishing with 19 points.[43] After defeatingGreece in the quarterfinals, the Argentine team lost their Olympic semifinals rematch from 4 years earlier against theUS team. Due toknee tendinitis,[44] Nocioni only played 18 minutes, scoring 10 points, and securing 4 rebounds.[45] Argentina next playedLithuania, in the bronze medal match, which Argentina won 87–75.[46] Nocioni scored 14 points in that game.[45]
In 2011, he was a part of the team that won the gold medal in the2011 FIBA Americas Championship, that was played in Mar del Plata. He also played at the2012 Summer Olympics, the2014 FIBA World Cup, and the2015 FIBA Americas Championship, where he won a silver medal, and was named to theAll-Tournament Team. He finished his national team career by playing at the2016 Summer Olympics.[47]
On February 26, 2018, theArgentine Basketball Confederation retired the #13 jersey worn by Nocioni during his career with the national team. The ceremony was held in the Parque Carlos Guerrero stadium ofOlavarría during the Argentina v.Paraguay match for the2019 World Cup qualification.[2]
Nocioni was also appointed as collaborator of the Argentina coaching staff.[48]
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Chicago | 81 | 38 | 23.4 | .401 | .258 | .766 | 4.8 | 1.5 | .5 | .4 | 8.4 |
| 2005–06 | Chicago | 82* | 43 | 27.3 | .461 | .391 | .843 | 6.1 | 1.4 | .5 | .6 | 13.0 |
| 2006–07 | Chicago | 53 | 31 | 26.5 | .467 | .383 | .848 | 5.7 | 1.1 | .5 | .5 | 14.1 |
| 2007–08 | Chicago | 82* | 27 | 24.6 | .432 | .364 | .807 | 4.2 | 1.2 | .3 | .5 | 13.2 |
| 2008–09 | Chicago | 53 | 2 | 24.1 | .414 | .378 | .806 | 4.2 | 1.1 | .5 | .3 | 10.4 |
| Sacramento | 23 | 16 | 31.0 | .448 | .441 | .763 | 6.0 | 1.8 | .6 | .7 | 13.7 | |
| 2009–10 | Sacramento | 78 | 28 | 19.7 | .399 | .386 | .717 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .4 | .3 | 8.5 |
| 2010–11 | Philadelphia | 54 | 17 | 17.2 | .426 | .356 | .803 | 3.1 | .8 | .3 | .3 | 6.1 |
| 2011–12 | Philadelphia | 11 | 1 | 5.1 | .250 | .167 | .545 | 1.3 | .1 | .1 | .1 | 1.5 |
| Career | 514 | 203 | 23.4 | .431 | .373 | .799 | 4.5 | 1.2 | .4 | .4 | 10.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Chicago | 6 | 6 | 33.7 | .403 | .353 | .739 | 8.2 | 2.3 | .2 | 1.0 | 12.8 |
| 2006 | Chicago | 6 | 6 | 38.3 | .560 | .476 | .857 | 8.8 | 1.5 | .8 | .3 | 22.3 |
| 2007 | Chicago | 10 | 0 | 19.7 | .360 | .333 | .722 | 3.5 | .8 | .2 | .5 | 8.8 |
| 2011 | Philadelphia | 1 | 0 | 10.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 23 | 12 | 27.7 | .438 | .367 | .789 | 6.0 | 1.3 | .3 | .6 | 13.0 | |
| † | Denotes seasons in which Nocioni won theEuroLeague |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Baskonia | 20 | 9 | 20.5 | .508 | .421 | .778 | 3.8 | .9 | 1.3 | .6 | 9.1 | 9.7 |
| 2002–03 | 19 | 11 | 29.0 | .520 | .437 | .697 | 7.6 | 1.3 | .8 | 1.0 | 16.8 | 18.0 | |
| 2003–04 | 16 | 13 | 25.8 | .479 | .377 | .759 | 5.8 | 1.5 | .9 | .9 | 13.8 | 14.6 | |
| 2012–13 | 28 | 21 | 23.5 | .436 | .337 | .767 | 4.0 | .8 | .5 | .6 | 10.9 | 9.9 | |
| 2013–14 | 21 | 15 | 26.3 | .454 | .349 | .789 | 6.6 | 1.7 | .8 | 1.2 | 13.6 | 16.2 | |
| 2014–15† | Real Madrid | 29 | 8 | 17.7 | .461 | .374 | .796 | 3.9 | .5 | .2 | .3 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| 2015–16 | 24 | 1 | 13.9 | .383 | .374 | .771 | 2.8 | .2 | .1 | .5 | 5.8 | 5.0 | |
| 2016–17 | 15 | 0 | 6.4 | .375 | .269 | .600 | .8 | .3 | .1 | .0 | 2.4 | .3 | |
| Career | 172 | 78 | 20.5 | .461 | .366 | .760 | 4.4 | .8 | .6 | .6 | 10.1 | 10.1 | |
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