Luis Scola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Luis Scola

Scola with the Olimpia Milano in 2019
No. 4, 14, 40
Chief executive officer
Personal information
Born	(1980-04-30) 30 April 1980 (age 45) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nationality	Argentine / Spanish
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	2002 / Round: 2 / Pick: 56th overall
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Pro career	1995–2021
League	Lega Basket Serie A EuroLeague
Career history
1995–1998	Ferro Carril Oeste
1998–2007	Tau Ceramica
1998–2000	→Gijón
2007–2012	Houston Rockets
2012–2013	Phoenix Suns
2013–2015	Indiana Pacers
2015–2016	Toronto Raptors
2016–2017	Brooklyn Nets
2017–2018	Shanxi Brave Dragons
2018–2019	Shanghai Sharks
2019–2020	Olimpia Milano
2020–2021	Varese
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2008) 2× All-EuroLeague First Team (2006, 2007) All-EuroLeague Second Team (2005) Liga ACB champion (2002) 3× Spanish Cup winner (2002, 2004, 2006) 3× Spanish Supercup winner (2005–2007) 2× Liga ACB MVP (2005, 2007) Liga ACB Rookie of the Year (2000) 4× All-Liga ACB Team (2004–2007) Spanish Supercup MVP (2005) 4× FIBA AmeriCup MVP (2007, 2009, 2011, 2015) FIBA Americas Under-20 Championship MVP (2000) No. 4 retired by Baskonia
Career Lega Basket Serie A EuroLeague statistics
Points	8,882 (12.0 ppg)
Rebounds	4,941 (6.7 rpg)
Assists	1,194 (1.6 apg)
Medals Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 1 FIBA World Cup 0 2 0 FIBA Diamond Ball 1 0 1 FIBA AmeriCup 2 4 3 Pan American Games 1 0 0 Men's basketball Representing  Argentina Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Bronze 2008 Beijing World Cup Silver 2002 Indianapolis Silver 2019 China FIBA Diamond Ball Bronze 2004 Belgrade Gold 2008 Nanjing FIBA AmeriCup Gold 2001 Neuquén Gold 2011 Mar del Plata Silver 2003 San Juan Silver 2007 Las Vegas Silver 2015 Mexico City Silver 2017 Argentina Bronze 1999 San Juan Bronze 2009 San Juan Bronze 2013 Caracas Pan American Games Gold 2019 Lima

Luis Alberto Scola Balvoa (born April 30, 1980) is a famous Argentine former professional basketball player. He is now the chief executive officer (CEO) for an Italian basketball team called Pallacanestro Varese.

Scola was a talented Power forward on the court. He played for many teams, including the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, and Brooklyn Nets in the NBA. He was even named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2008!

He was also a very important player for the Argentina national basketball team since 1999. With his national team, he won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games and a bronze medal in 2008. In 2016, he had the honor of being the flag bearer for Argentina at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting in Argentina (1995–1998)

Luis Scola began his basketball journey with youth teams in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He made his professional debut at just 15 years old in the Argentine league during the 1995–96 season. He played for Ferro Carril Oeste.

Moving to Spain (1998–2007)

After playing in Argentina, Scola moved to Spain in 1998 and joined Saski Baskonia. He was first loaned to Gijón Baloncesto, where he helped them get promoted to Spain's top league, the Liga ACB.

He then played seven seasons for Baskonia. During this time, he helped his team reach the EuroLeague finals in 2001 and the EuroLeague Final Four three times in a row (2005-2007). He was recognized as one of the best players in Europe, being chosen for the All-EuroLeague First Team twice.

Even though he didn't win the EuroLeague title with Baskonia, he won many Spanish titles. These included a Spanish ACB League championship in 2002, three Spanish King's Cups, and three Spanish Supercups.

NBA Journey (2007–2017)

Houston Rockets (2007–2012)

The San Antonio Spurs drafted Scola in 2002, but it was hard for him to join them because of rules about buying out his contract from Baskonia. In 2007, the Spurs traded his rights to the Houston Rockets. Scola then signed a three-year contract with the Rockets.

In his first year, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. On March 13, 2010, he scored a career-high 44 points in a game against the New Jersey Nets. In 2012, the Rockets decided to let Scola go to make space for other players, even though he was playing well.

Phoenix Suns (2012–2013)

Scola with the Suns in December 2012

After leaving the Rockets, Scola joined the Phoenix Suns in July 2012. He became a leader for the team. On November 21, 2012, he played off the bench for the first time in his NBA career. However, he quickly returned to a starting role. He scored a season-high 33 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves in December.

Indiana Pacers (2013–2015)

In 2013, Scola was traded to the Indiana Pacers. For two seasons, he played as a backup power forward. He helped the Pacers reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2014.

Toronto Raptors (2015–2016)

Scola signed with the Toronto Raptors in 2015. He helped the Raptors make it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016, which was a first for the team!

Brooklyn Nets (2016–2017)

In 2016, Scola joined the Brooklyn Nets. His last NBA game was on February 13, 2017. He was waived by the Nets later that month.

Playing in China and Italy (2017–2021)

After his NBA career, Scola played in China for the Shanxi Brave Dragons (2017–2018) and the Shanghai Sharks (2018–2019).

In 2019, he moved to Italy to play for Olimpia Milano. He then played his final professional season with Pallacanestro Varese in 2020–2021.

Retirement

Luis Scola officially retired from playing basketball in 2021. On November 3, 2023, his jersey number 4 was retired by his former Spanish team, Saski Baskonia, a great honor!

Life After Playing

On September 20, 2021, Luis Scola returned to Pallacanestro Varese, the last team he played for. This time, he joined them as their Chief executive officer (CEO), showing he's still a big part of the basketball world!

National Team Achievements

Junior Teams

Scola (left) with the Argentine national team, 2010

Scola played for Argentina's junior national teams and won several gold medals:

• 1995 South American Cadet Championship
• 1996 South American Junior Championship
• 2000 FIBA Americas Under-20 Championship (where he was also named MVP!)

Senior National Team

Luis Scola was a key player for the senior Argentina national team for many years. He won many medals with them:

• Gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• Bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics
• Silver medals at the 2002 FIBA World Championship and 2019 FIBA World Cup
• Gold medals at the 2001 and 2011 FIBA Americas Championships
• Gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games

Scola also broke two records for Argentina at the FIBA World Cup in 2010. He became Argentina's all-time top scorer at the World Cup and scored the most points in a single game for Argentina (37 points against Brazil).

At the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship, Scola became the all-time leading scorer in FIBA AmeriCup history and won his fourth tournament MVP award. By the 2019 World Cup, he was second only to Oscar Schmidt in total points scored in the tournament's history.

In his final game at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the game was paused so players and fans could give Scola a standing ovation as he left the court. It was a special moment to honor his amazing career.

Awards and Honors

Luis Scola received many awards throughout his career:

Club Awards

• Spanish League Rookie of the Year (2000)
• Spanish Supercup MVP (2005)
• 2× Spanish League MVP (2005, 2007)
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2008)
• His number 4 jersey was retired by Saski Baskonia

National Team Awards

• 2000 FIBA Americas Under-20 Championship MVP
• 4× FIBA AmeriCup MVP (2007, 2009, 2011, 2015)
• FIBA World Cup All-Tournament Team (2010, 2019)

Career Stats

Luis Scola had an impressive career. Here are some of his statistics from the NBA and EuroLeague:

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

EuroLeague

Personal Life

Luis Scola is married to Pamela, and they have four children. He also has a Spanish passport. In 2017, he was chosen as an ambassador for the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics held in his hometown of Buenos Aires.

See also

In Spanish: Luis Scola para niños

• List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games
• List of Olympic medalists in basketball