 Sato, in 2013. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1981-03-02)March 2, 1981 (age 44) Bimbo,Central African Republic |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Dayton Christian (Dayton, Ohio) |
| College | Xavier (2000–2004) |
| NBA draft | 2004: 2nd round, 52nd overall pick |
| Selected by theSan Antonio Spurs | |
| Playing career | 2004–2021 |
| Position | Shooting guard /small forward |
| Career history | |
| 2004–2006 | Aurora Jesi |
| 2006 | Barcelona |
| 2006–2010 | Mens Sana Siena |
| 2010–2012 | Panathinaikos |
| 2012–2013 | Fenerbahçe |
| 2013–2017 | Valencia |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Romain Guessagba-Sato-Lebel (French pronunciation:[ʁɔmɛ̃ɡesaɡbasatoləbɛl]; born March 2, 1981), generally known asRomain Sato, is a former Central African professionalbasketball player. Standing at a height of 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in), he played as aswingman.
Sato won fourLBA championships withMens Sana Siena in Italy, and was named theleague's MVP in 2010. Sato won theEuroLeague title withPanathinaikos in 2011. In his four years withValencia of theLiga ACB, he was named to the All-ACB First Team in 2014. Sato was enshrined in theFIBA Hall of Fame in 2024.[1]
He represented theCentral African Republic national team in international play, leading them atAfroBasket 2009.
Sato attendedDayton Christian High School, while living inMoraine, Ohio, in theUnited States. While there, he played basketball, and in 2000 Sato was selected as Mr. Basketball for the state of Ohio. In 2019 he was elected to the Dayton Christian High School Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 2021 the school retired his #23 jersey.
Sato graduated fromXavier University in 2004, having majored inFrench, after playingcollege basketball with theXavier Musketeers. During his time at Xavier, he helped lead the Musketeers to 4 consecutive NCAA tournaments from 2000 to 2004, including Xavier's first Elite Eight appearance in March 2004 (where they lost to Duke), and two Round of 32 appearances.
Sato was selected by theSan Antonio Spurs in the2004 NBA draft, and was subsequently waived on February 24, 2005. After being drafted by the Spurs, Sato played in theItalian Second Division[2] withSicc Cucine Jesi. He was the league's second-leading scorer in the 2005–06 season, averaging 25.5 points per game, and also adding 7.5 rebounds per game.
In Romain's three playoff games that season, he averaged 35 points and 14.6 rebounds. From there, he went toFC Barcelona to play in the 2006Spanish ACB League playoffs.[3] Sato then returned to Italy to play in the topItalian League withMontepaschi Siena for the 2006–07 season. In his first season with Siena, he helped Montepaschi to win theScudetto (Italian Championship),[4] and he then went on to win three moreScudetti with Siena. He was named theItalian League MVP in 2010.[5]
In July 2010, he signed a three-year contract withPanathinaikos. In the summer of 2012, he signed a two-year contract withFenerbahçe Ülker.[6] He left them after one season. In August 2012, he signed a one-year deal with the Spanish teamValencia Basket.[7] On July 1, 2014, he re-signed with Valencia Basket for two more years.[8]
Sato played with the senior men'sCentral African Republic national basketball team at the2009 FIBA Africa Championship. He averaged 21.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game at the tournament, and was named tothe All-Tournament First Team.
| 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 |
| † | Denotes season in which Sato won theEuroLeague |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Mens Sana | 23 | 22 | 28.0 | .442 | .347 | .731 | 4.9 | 1.0 | 1.8 | .1 | 11.6 | 12.7 |
| 2008–09 | 20 | 19 | 25.8 | .462 | .400 | .814 | 3.9 | .7 | 1.8 | .1 | 10.1 | 10.8 | |
| 2009–10 | 16 | 16 | 28.0 | .490 | .396 | .855 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | — | 13.6 | 16.3 | |
| 2010–11† | Panathinaikos | 21 | 16 | 26.2 | .413 | .388 | .813 | 3.9 | 1.1 | .7 | .1 | 9.0 | 10.1 |
| 2011–12 | 23* | 20 | 26.0 | .410 | .347 | .712 | 4.7 | 1.0 | .7 | .4 | 7.1 | 8.6 | |
| 2012–13 | Fenerbahçe | 23 | 23 | 27.0 | .408 | .341 | .810 | 4.2 | 1.3 | .7 | .1 | 7.3 | 8.2 |
| 2014–15 | Valencia | 9 | 6 | 27.2 | .362 | .292 | .800 | 4.8 | 1.1 | .9 | .6 | 6.3 | 6.7 |
| Career | 135 | 122 | 26.8 | .433 | .363 | .789 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 1.1 | .2 | 9.4 | 10.6 | |
