Mario Boni facts for kids

Mario Boni (born on June 30, 1963, in Codogno, Italy) is a famous Italian former professional basketball player. He played for many years in Italian leagues and also for teams in other countries.

Mario Boni was known for his scoring ability. He played as a shooting guard or small forward. In the 1993–1994 season, he was the top scorer in Italy's highest basketball league, Serie A. He also won the 1996–97 FIBA Korać Cup with the Greek team Aris.

Mario Boni's Basketball Journey

Starting His Career

Mario Boni began his basketball journey playing for a youth team in his hometown, Fulgor Codogno. In 1982, he joined Unione Cestistica Piacentina, a team in Italy's fifth division, Serie C2.

The next year, he moved to American Eagle Vigevano, which was in the second division, Serie A2. After one year, his team moved down to the Serie B league.

Time with Montecatini

In 1985, Mario Boni joined Montecatini S.C., a Serie B club. He stayed with this team for nine years. During this time, he became a key player alongside Andrea Niccolai. They were even nicknamed "i gemelli," which means "the twins," because they played so well together.

Mario and Andrea helped Montecatini move up through the leagues. First, they reached Serie A2 after the 1986–87 season. Then, in 1989, they made history by getting promoted to the top league, Serie A, for the first time.

Even though they moved back down after one season, Mario helped the team get promoted to Serie A again in 1990–91. In the 1992–93 season, he scored 765 points, which was one of the best scores in the league.

In 1994, Mario Boni faced a suspension from the Italian basketball federation for a rule violation. Despite not playing for the rest of the 1993–94 season, he still finished as the league's top scorer, averaging 30.5 points per game.

Playing Abroad

After his suspension was shortened, Mario Boni moved to the United States. In June 1994, he joined the United States Basketball League team Memphis Fire. He played with them for a short time.

Then, he played for the Yakima Sun Kings in the Continental Basketball Association. He scored 9 points per game for Memphis and 11.7 points per game for Yakima. Mario later said this time was challenging for him.

In 1995, Mario rejoined Montecatini, which was back in Serie A2. After that season, he decided to move to Greece.

In 1996, he signed with Greek Basket League team Aris B.C.. At first, it was hard for him to get used to the Greek style of play. But when coach Slobodan Subotić arrived, Mario became a starter. He played a big part in Aris winning the 1996–97 FIBA Korać Cup in 1997. He scored 20 points in the second game of the final. In February 1998, he also helped Aris win the Greek Basketball Cup.

After leaving Aris, Mario signed with the Serie A team Calze Pompeia Roma in February 1998. He played a few games there. He stayed with Rome for another year before moving to Spain in 1999 to play for Liga ACB team Cantabria Lobos. He found it difficult to adjust to the Spanish league and left before the season ended.

Later Career in Italy

Mario Boni returned to Italy for good in 2000. He finished the season with Roseto Basket, helping them get promoted to Serie A. He played for Roseto for two seasons in the top league.

The next year, he joined Teramo Basket in Serie A2 and helped them also get promoted to the first division. In the 2003-04 Serie A season, even at 40 years old, he was the league's second-best scorer.

In 2004, Mario joined Sicc Cucine Jesi in Serie A, where he reunited with coach Subotić. In March 2005, he moved to Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna. He finished the season with Virtus in the second division and helped them win the playoff final, which was his fifth career promotion.

In 2005, he returned to Montecatini in the second division. There, he played his final season alongside his old teammate, Andrea Niccolai.

Mario Boni then moved to Unione Cestistica Casalpusterlengo in Serie B1 in 2006. He played there for two years but did not achieve another promotion.

Amateur Basketball

After his professional career, Mario Boni continued to play basketball at an amateur level. He returned to Piacentina, a team in the fourth division Serie C Dilettanti, from 2008 to 2010. He helped them win a league cup and get promoted to Serie B Dilettanti.

He also played for Arese in 2010 and Monza in 2010–11. In 2012, he joined Roveleto and reached the Serie C Dilettanti playoff final. He announced his retirement in June 2012.

However, he returned to play for Meridien Monsummano in September 2013, helping them get promoted to Serie B that same year. He later left the team before the 2014 season began, as it was hard to balance training with his other activities, including his role as vice president of GIBA (the Italian players' union).

In June 2015, he joined Augies Montecatini, playing in a local amateur league.

Playing for Italy

Even though Mario Boni was often one of the top scorers in the Italian league, he only played one game for the Italian national team. This was a friendly game against Czechoslovakia on February 11, 1992, where he scored 9 points.

In July 2013, Mario Boni won the FIMBA Over 50 basketball World Cup with the Italian team. He scored 45 points in their 79–73 victory, which happened in Thessaloniki.

About Mario Boni

Mario Boni is known by his nicknames "Super Mario" or "Mitraglia," which means "machine gun." He earned the "machine gun" nickname because of his amazing and accurate shooting skills.

See also

In Spanish: Mario Boni para niños