Marco Belinelli Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Marco Belinelli
Personal information
Belinelli with Virtus Bologna in 2025
Born	(1986-03-25) 25 March 1986 (age 39) San Giovanni in Persiceto, Italy
Listed height	1.96 m (6 ft 5.17 in)
Listed weight	100 kg (220 lb)
Career information
NBA Draft	2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Pro career	2002–2025
Career history
2002–2003	Virtus Bologna
2003–2007	Fortitudo Bologna
2007–2009	Golden State Warriors
2009–2010	Toronto Raptors
2010–2012	New Orleans Hornets
2012–2013	Chicago Bulls
2013–2015	San Antonio Spurs
2015–2016	Sacramento Kings
2016–2017	Charlotte Hornets
2017–2018	Atlanta Hawks
2018	Philadelphia 76ers
2018–2020	San Antonio Spurs
2020–2025	Virtus Bologna

Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2014) NBA Three-Point Contest champion (2014) EuroCup champion (2022) 3× Lega Serie A champion (2005, 2021, 2025) Italian Cup winner (2002) 4x Italian Supercup winner (2005, 2021, 2022, 2023) Italian Supercup MVP (2005) Lega Serie A MVP (2024) 2× All-Lega Serie A Team (2023, 2024) 2× Lega Serie A Sixth Man of the Year (2022, 2023) Lega Serie A Domestic Player of the Year (2023)

Marco Stefano Belinelli (born March 25, 1986) is a famous Italian former professional basketball player. He was chosen as the 18th player in the 2007 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. In 2014, he made history by winning the NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs. He was the first Italian player ever to achieve this! He also won the Three-Point Contest during the 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend. Marco played for the Italian national team in many big tournaments, including the FIBA EuroBasket and FIBA World Championship. His career ended in 2025.

Marco's Basketball Journey
Playing for Italy's National Team
Images for kids
See also

Marco's Basketball Journey

Early Career in Italy (2002–2007)

Marco Belinelli started his professional basketball career in Italy. He played for two teams in Bologna: Virtus Bologna and Fortitudo Bologna.

In 2004, his team, Fortitudo, reached the EuroLeague Finals but lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The next year, in 2005, he helped Fortitudo win the Serie A title, which is Italy's top basketball league.

NBA Adventure (2007–2020)

Joining the Golden State Warriors (2007–2009)

After being picked by the Golden State Warriors in the 2007 NBA Draft, Marco showed off his skills right away.

In his very first NBA Summer League game, he scored an amazing 37 points! This was one of the highest scores ever in the Vegas Summer League.
He averaged 22.8 points per game in the Summer League before joining the Italian national team.
In December 2008, he scored 27 points in a game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Playing for the Toronto Raptors (2009–2010)

In 2009, Marco was traded to the Toronto Raptors. Here, he joined his Italian national team friend, Andrea Bargnani. He even started his first NBA game for the Raptors in February 2010.

Time with the New Orleans Hornets (2010–2012)

Marco moved to the New Orleans Hornets in 2010. He played there for two seasons. In 2011, he signed a new contract to stay with the Hornets for another year.

Becoming a Clutch Player with the Chicago Bulls (2012–2013)

In 2012, Marco signed with the Chicago Bulls. He quickly became known for making important shots when the game was on the line.

He hit a game-winning shot against the Celtics in overtime.
He made a go-ahead layup against the Detroit Pistons.
He also scored a game-winning layup against the Brooklyn Nets.
In the 2013 NBA Playoffs, he scored 24 points in a big Game 7 win against the Brooklyn Nets.

Winning an NBA Championship with the San Antonio Spurs (2013–2015)

Marco joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. This was a very successful time for him.

In January 2014, he scored a career-high 32 points against the New York Knicks.
He won the Three-Point Contest at the 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend. He beat Bradley Beal in a tie-breaker round.
He had his best shooting percentages in his first season with the Spurs.
Most importantly, he helped the Spurs win the 2014 NBA Finals! This made him the first Italian player to win an NBA championship.

Moving Around the NBA (2015–2018)

After his time with the Spurs, Marco played for several other NBA teams:

He signed with the Sacramento Kings in 2015. He scored a season-high 28 points against the Philadelphia 76ers.
In 2016, he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets.
In 2017, he moved to the Atlanta Hawks.
He then signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in February 2018.
While with the 76ers, he made a key shot to send a playoff game against the Boston Celtics into overtime.

Belinelli playing for the 76ers in 2018

Second Time with the San Antonio Spurs (2018–2020)

Marco returned to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018 for a second time. He played with them until 2020.

Return to Virtus Bologna (2020–2025)

Belinelli and teammates celebrating the EuroCup victory in 2022

In November 2020, Marco left the NBA and went back to Italy. He signed a contract with his first team, Virtus Bologna.

In 2021, Virtus Bologna won its 16th national title, the Serie A championship. This was their first title in 20 years!
In September 2021, the team won the Supercup.
In May 2022, Virtus Bologna won the EuroCup, which allowed them to play in the EuroLeague again after 14 years.
In September 2022, Virtus won their third Supercup in a row.
Marco renewed his contract with Virtus in July 2023, playing until 2025.
In September 2023, Virtus won their fourth Supercup, making it three in a row!
In the 2024-2025 season, Virtus Bologna won the Italian championship for the 17th time. This was Marco's third Italian championship title. His career ended in 2025.

Playing for Italy's National Team

Marco Belinelli with Italy's national team

Marco Belinelli first played for the Italian national team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship.

In that tournament, he scored 25 points against the United States national team. He even had a cool dunk over Carmelo Anthony!
He was the top scorer for his team in that tournament, averaging 13.5 points per game.
He continued to be a key player for Italy in many FIBA EuroBasket tournaments, scoring lots of points in each one.