 Meneghin in 2010 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1950-01-18)18 January 1950 (age 75) Alano di Piave, Italy |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 243 lb (110 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 1970: 11th round, 182nd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Atlanta Hawks |
| Playing career | 1966–1994 |
| Position | Center |
| Career history | |
| 1966–1981 | Pallacanestro Varese |
| 1981–1990 | Olimpia Milano |
| 1990–1993 | Pallacanestro Trieste |
| 1993–1994 | Olimpia Milano |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| FIBA Hall of Fame | |
Dino Meneghin (Italian pronunciation:[ˈdiːnomeneˈɡin],Venetian:[meneˈɡiŋ]; born 18 January 1950) is an Italian former professionalbasketball player. He is widely considered to be the best Italian player ever, as well as one of Europe's all-time greats. A 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) tallcenter, Meneghin was born inAlano di Piave,Veneto (northeastItaly). On 20 November 1966, when he was 16 years old, he played in his first game in theItalian League, withIgnis Varese. He played the last game of his career at the age of 45.
He holds the record for themost EuroLeague championships won by a player, with seven, when counting all formats of the competition's history, dating back to the inaugural1958 season. In December 1991, the Spanish basketball magazineGigantes del Basket, voted Meneghin the Best European Player of All-Time.[1][2] In 2003, Meneghin became aBasketball Hall of Fame player. In 2006, he became a member of theItalian Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2010, he became aFIBA Hall of Fame player.[3] Meneghin was inducted into theWalk of Fame of Italian sport in May of 2015.[4]
In total, Meneghin played in 836 games and scored 8,560 points in theItalian League championship. Meneghin became the second player from a European league to be drafted by anNBA team, when theAtlanta Hawks managerMarty Blake selected him with a late-round pick in the1970 NBA draft. He never played in the US, however.
In 1980 and 1983, he was elected European Player of the Year:Mr. Europa, and he also won theEuroscar European Player of the Year award in 1983. In December 1991, he was named the greatest European basketball player in history byGigante del Basket, which is a Spanish basketballmagazine.[5]
One of the greatest records of his career is his number ofFinals appearances in theFIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague). He played in 10 consecutive finals withPallacanestro Varese, winning 5; and later in 2 more consecutive finals withOlimpia Milano, winning both. Finally, before his playing career ended, Meneghin played in the Italian League against his son,Andrea, who was also a great international player.
On 5 September 2003, Meneghin became the second Italian player to enter into theBasketball Hall of Fame, afterCesare Rubini, who servedOlimpia Milano, both as player andcoach between the 1940s and the 1970s.
On 28 October 2019, 25 years after he last played professionally,Olimpia Milano retired the number 11 in honor of Meneghin. The number 11 matched the number of seasons that he had played with the Italian club.[6][7]
With the seniorItalian national basketball team, Meneghin played in 271games, and totaled 2,847 points scored. With Italy, he won the bronze medal at both the1971 FIBA EuroBasket and the1975 FIBA EuroBasket. He also won the silver medal at the1980 Summer Olympics, and the gold medal at the1983 FIBA EuroBasket.
After he finishded his professional basketball club playing career, Meneghin became a basketball executive. He worked for theItalian Basketball Federation (FIP), and also for theItalian League basketball clubOlimpia Milano.
Dino Meneghin is the father ofAndrea Meneghin, who also played professional basketball. Andrea played against his father, during the latter's last season as a pro.
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