.jpg) Epi in 2007 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1959-06-12)12 June 1959 (age 66) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 1981:undrafted |
| Playing career | 1977–1995 |
| Position | Shooting guard /small forward |
| Number | 15 |
| Career history | |
| 1977–1995 | FC Barcelona |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| FIBA Hall of Fame | |
Juan Antonio San Epifanio Ruiz (born 12 June 1959), most commonly known as"Epi",[1][2] is a Spanish retired professionalbasketball player. He spent all of hisclub career playing withFC Barcelona. He was named theMister Europa European Player of the Year in 1984, by the Italian basketball magazineSuperbasket, and the Best European Player of the 1980s decade, by the French sports newspaperL'Équipe. He was named one ofFIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991.
At theOpening Ceremony of the1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games, he was honoured with being the last athlete to carry theOlympic torch, before handing it to the archer,Antonio Rebollo, who lit the fire in the cauldron, with an arrow. He was named one of the50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008. He became aFIBA Hall of Fame player in 2016. He is considered to be one of the greatestswingmen to have ever played in Europe.
San Epifanio, known by almost everyone as simply, "Epi", grew up inZaragoza, and began to play the sport of basketball in his native city. In 1973, Epi made hisclub debut with CN Helios, in the Spanish third division. However, his local club eventually rejected him. In 1974,FC Barcelona signed his older brother, Herminio, to a contract. Herminio then insisted that Epi would also join him at the club, and so the two moved toBarcelona. FC Barcelona's senior men's team head coach,Ranko Žeravica, gave Epi the opportunity to play with the club's youth teams.
In 1977, Epi joined the senior men's team ofFC Barcelona. He quickly became the team's lead player. He would eventually go on to lead FC Barcelona to break the long-lived dominance ofReal Madrid in Spain. During his career with the club, his teammates includedNacho Solozábal,Chicho Sibilio,Audie Norris,Juan de la Cruz,Andrés Jiménez, and other well-known players.
In a total of eighteen seasons with FC Barcelona (1977–78 to 1994–95), he won the top-level Spanish League title seven times, as he won theLEB Primera División (1981, 1983), and theLiga ACB (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1995). He also won theSpanish King's Cup ten times (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1991, and 1994), theFIBA Saporta Cup twice (1985 and1986), theFIBA Korać Cup once (1987), and theFIBA Club World Cup once (1985). Although he reached theFIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague)Finals 3 times (1984,1990,1991), he never lifted the most important trophy in European-wideclub basketball.
He wasnamed the MVP of theFIBA Club World Cup's 1987 edition. His 54 points scored in a game againstJoventut Badalona, in1984, counts among his most memorable performances. It is the second best single-game scoring total ever in the history of thetop-tier level Spanish league (since 1957), and thehighest ever single-game scoring mark in the history of the SpanishLiga ACB (since 1983).
In 1979, Epi made his first appearance with the seniorSpanish national team. With Spain's senior national team, he appeared in a total of 239games, over a 15-year long period (1979–1994). He is in second place all-time in senior national team appearances for Spain (behindJ. C. Navarro). He was also the first Spanish national team player that took part in fourSummer Olympic Games, from the (1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, to the1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics).
He was a silver Olympic medalist at the1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, and a silver medalist at theEuroBasket 1983. He also won a bronze medal at theEuroBasket 1991.
San Epifanio concluded his professional basketball playing career on 25 May 1995, asF.C. Barcelona won anotherSpanish League title. Since 2007, he has been a basketballcolor commentator withCanal+ Spain.
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