Antonello Riva facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | February 28, 1962 Rovagnate, Italy |
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| Nationality | Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1977–2004, 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1989 | Cantù | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1994 | Olimpia Milano | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | V.L. Pesaro | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Nuova Pallacanestro Gorizia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2002 | Cantù | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | NSB Rieti | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Leopandrillo Cantù | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Antonello Riva (born February 28, 1962) is a famous Italian former professional basketball player. He was 1.96 meters (6 feet 5 inches) tall. He played as a shooting guard and small forward. During his career, people called him "Nembo Kid." This is the Italian name for Superman!
Riva is known as one of the greatest basketball players in Europe. In 1991, he was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players. He holds the record for the most points ever scored in Italy's top two basketball leagues. He also scored the most points for the senior men's Italian national team. In 2007, he was part of the FIBA All-Time EuroStars Team. In 2008, he was named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Antonello Riva started his professional basketball career in the 1977–78 season. He played most of his career with a team called Cantù. He was with them from 1977 to 1989 and again from 1998 to 2002.
Big Wins with Cantù
With Cantù, Riva won the EuroLeague (which used to be called the FIBA European Champions Cup) two times! This is like winning the Champions League in soccer, but for basketball. He won it in the 1981–82 and 1982–83 seasons. He also helped Cantù win the Italian League championship in 1981.
Other Teams and Achievements
Riva also played for other important teams:
- Olimpia Milano (1989–1994): With this team, he won the FIBA Korać Cup in the 1992–93 season.
- Victoria Libertas Pesaro (1994–1996)
- Dinamica Gorizia (1996–1998): This team was in the Italian 2nd Division.
- Sebastiani Rieti (2004): Also in the Italian 2nd Division.
Scoring Records
Antonello Riva scored a lot of points during his career. He scored a total of 14,397 points in 797 games in Italian league competitions. This makes him the all-time leading scorer in Italy! On average, he scored 18.1 points per game. In the EuroLeague, he scored 2,066 points in 97 games, averaging 21.3 points per game.
Playing for Italy
Riva was a very important player for the senior Italian national team. He is the all-time leading scorer for Italy! He scored 3,785 points in 213 games, averaging 17.8 points per game.
Major Tournaments
He played for Italy in many big international basketball tournaments, including:
- The 1983 EuroBasket
- The 1984 Summer Olympics
- The 1986 FIBA World Championship
- The 1987 EuroBasket
- The 1989 EuroBasket
- The 1990 FIBA World Championship
- The 1991 EuroBasket
Medals Won
With the Italian national team, Antonello Riva won:
- A gold medal at the 1983 EuroBasket.
- A silver medal at the 1991 EuroBasket.
After Playing Basketball
In 2002, Antonello Riva started a new basketball team. In 2004, he received a special award. This award was for being the best scorer of all-time in Italy's top two basketball leagues. He had scored 14,397 points in total!
See also
In Spanish: Antonello Riva para niños
