Carlos Francisco Delfino (born August 29, 1982) is an Argentine-Italian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for

Victoria Libertas Pesaro Victoria Libertas (also known as "VL" or in Italian ''Vuelle''), full name Unione Sportiva Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro, is a professional basketball team that is based in Pesaro, Italy. The club competes in the top level Italian professiona ...

of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tier ...

(LBA). He holds dual citizenship in both Italy and Argentina. Standing at , he plays at the

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

and shooting guard positions. He is also noted for his defense and three point shooting skills.

Professional career

Early years

The son of Carlos and Cristina Delfino, he began his professional career playing in the Argentine Basketball League for Olimpia de Venado Tuerto in the 1998–99 season, and he then transferred to

Unión de Santa Fe Club Atlético Unión (; mostly known as Unión de Santa Fe ) is a sports club from Santa Fe, the capital city of the Santa Fe Province, in Argentina. The club was founded on April 15, 1907 and plays in the Argentine Primera División. Althou ...

in 1999–2000.

Italian clubs

Delfino moved to Italy in 2000 and played four seasons in the Italian A League, the first two with Reggio Calabria and the other two seasons with Skipper Bologna. In his first season in Italy, he played for Reggio Calabria. In just under 21 minutes per game he averaged 8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He scored a season-high 25 points in his second game against

Scavolini Pesaro Victoria Libertas (also known as "VL" or in Italian ''Vuelle''), full name Unione Sportiva Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro, is a professional basketball team that is based in Pesaro, Italy. The club competes in the top level Italian professiona ...

, making five of eight three-point attempts. He scored 15 points in just 20 minutes against Cordivari Roseto and tallied 14 points apiece against Paf Bologna, Muller Verona and Kinder Bologna. He hit at least one three-pointer in 19 of 24 games. In his first season with Skipper Bologna, he moved into the starting lineup in the third game of the season and averaged about 26 minutes. He scored 18 points, including shooting 3-of-5 from three-point range, versus Euro Roseto and posted double-doubles against Benetton Treviso (13 points, 13 rebounds), Oregon Scientific Cantù (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Pippo Milano (14 points, 11 rebounds). He suffered torn ligaments in his ankle late in the season, but returned in late May.

Detroit Pistons (2004–2007)

Beginning in 2004, Delfino signed to play for the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

, who made him the 25th pick in the first round of the

2003 NBA draft The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 41 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early-entry candidates ...

, making him the first Argentine player ever to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft. In November 2004, he suffered a knee injury that kept him on the injured list for over three months. He had an operation in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and then another in Argentina, where he recovered. However, Delfino did not immediately return to form after his rehabilitation, and was left off the Pistons' 2005 playoff roster. After he recovered from the knee injury, Delfino averaged 15.3 minutes, 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game in 30 games under coach Larry Brown. Many regarded Brown as having limited space for Delfino's offensive creativity. It was perceived that under the Pistons upcoming new coach

Flip Saunders Philip Daniel "Flip" Saunders (February 23, 1955 – October 25, 2015) was an American basketball player and coach. During his career, he coached the La Crosse Catbirds, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards. High schoo ...

, that Delfino would thrive. In his second season on the Pistons' active roster, Carlos averaged 10.7 minutes, 3.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game. Delfino played off the bench substituting for either

Tayshaun Prince Tayshaun Durell Prince (born February 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. The small forward graduated from Dominguez High School before playing college basketball for the University of Kentucky. He was ...

or Richard Hamilton. He had three straight games where he scored in double digits before being sidelined for the next 4 with the flu. Delfino became an important change-of-pace player in Flip Saunders' offensive scheme.

Toronto Raptors

On June 15, 2007, the Detroit Pistons traded Delfino to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

for 2nd-round draft picks in both the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other e ...

and the 2011 NBA draft. The 2007–08 season was his most productive in the NBA, as he averaged 9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game during the regular season. On June 16, 2009, the

extended a qualifying offer to Delfino.

Khimki

In the summer of 2008, Delfino signed a 3-year contract with the

Russian Super League Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries * Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and pe ...

club Khimki Moscow Region. Delfino was one of the highest-paid basketball players in Europe, earning about US$10 million per season, plus a house, a car and a driver, and savings on taxes. He averaged 13.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in Europe's secondary level competition, the EuroCup, during the 2008–09 season.

Milwaukee Bucks (2009–2012)

On August 18, 2009, the Raptors signed and traded Delfino to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

along with Roko Ukić in exchange for

Amir Johnson Amir Jalla Johnson (born May 1, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League. He has previously played for the Detroit Pistons, the team that selected Johnson in the second rou ...

and Sonny Weems. Delfino had a breakout season with the Bucks, as he posted career highs in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game, steals per game and blocks per game, while playing 30 minutes per game. He also played a major role in the playoffs, shooting a career-high .405 from behind the 3-point line.

Houston Rockets (2012–2013)

On August 20, 2012, Delfino signed with the Houston Rockets. After being a starter for three years in Milwaukee, Delfino became the

sixth man The sixth man in basketball is a player who is not a starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in. The sixth man often plays minutes equal to or exceeding some of the sta ...

for the Rockets in 2012–13. On June 30, 2013, Delfino was waived by the Rockets. Delfino's final NBA game ever was during Game 5 of the 2013 Western Conference First Round on May 1st, 2013. In that game, Houston would defeat the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

107 - 100 with Delfino playing for 10 minutes and the only stat he recorded was 1 assist.

Second Milwaukee Bucks stint (2013–2014)

On July 17, 2013, Delfino signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. However, he never appeared in a game for the Bucks during the 2013–14 season due to a broken foot. On August 26, 2014, Delfino was traded, along with

Miroslav Raduljica Miroslav Raduljica ( sr-cyr, Мирослав Радуљица, born January 5, 1988) is a Serbian professional basketball player for KK Crvena zvezda, Crvena zvezda of the ABA League, Adriatic League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Ser ...

and a 2015 second-round draft pick, to the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

in exchange for Jared Dudley and a 2017 conditional first-round draft pick. Three days later, he was waived by the Clippers.

Boca Juniors (2017)

On March 6, 2017, Delfino signed with the Argentine team Boca Juniors.

Baskonia (2017)

On September 27, 2017, Delfino signed with Spanish club Baskonia. On October 26, 2017, Delfino finished his stint with Baskonia.

Fiat Torino (2018–2019)

On July 3, 2018, Delfino came back to Italy after 14 years and signed a deal with Italian club Auxilium Torino.

Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna 103 (2019)

On February 27, 2019, Delfino returned to Bologna and signed on the Lavoropiù Bologna.

Victoria Libertas Pesaro (2020-present)

After one year where Delfino didn't play anywhere, Jasmin Repeša, new coach of VL Pesaro, wanted him in his new team and he was the first hire for the season 2020-21 for Pesaro.

National team career

Delfino was a member of Argentina's junior national team that won the bronze medal at the 2001

FIBA Under-21 World Championship The FIBA Under-21 World Championship was a men's under-21-only basketball competition organized by the International Basketball Federation The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organization ...

that was held in Saitama, Japan. Delfino was also a part of the senior

Argentine national basketball team The Argentina men's national basketball team (Spanish: ''Selección de baloncesto de Argentina'') represents Argentina in men's international basketball officially nicknamed ''The Argentine Soul'' (Spanish: ''El Alma Argentina''), and it is co ...

that won the gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He also played with Argentina's senior national team at the

2006 FIBA World Championship The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised by ...

and at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he helped Argentina to win the bronze medal. In 2011, he won the gold medal in the

2011 FIBA Americas Championship The 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Men, later known as the FIBA AmeriCup, was the qualifying tournament for FIBA Americas, at the 2012 Summer Olympics men's basketball tournament, in London. This FIBA AmeriCup tournament was held in Mar del ...

, held in Mar del Plata. After years of absence following injury, he played with Argentina's senior basketball team at the 2016 Summer Olympics. In 2022, Delfino won the gold medal in the

2022 FIBA AmeriCup The 2022 FIBA AmeriCup was the 19th edition of the FIBA AmeriCup, the main tournament for senior men's basketball national teams of the FIBA Americas. The tournament was played in Recife, Brazil, as Brasília was dropped as a second host city mont ...

held in

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. He was the Argentina´s starting

in the tournament

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 30 , , 4 , , 15.3 , , .359 , , .257 , , .575 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , 3.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 68 , , 1 , , 10.7 , , .403 , , .333 , , .672 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , .3 , , .2 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 1 , , 16.7 , , .415 , , .333 , , .787 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .1 , , 5.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, 82 , , 0 , , 23.5 , , .397 , , .382 , , .744 , , 4.4 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .1 , , 9.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

, 75 , , 66 , , 30.4 , , .408 , , .367 , , .782 , , 5.3 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 49 , , 40 , , 32.4 , , .390 , , .370 , , .800 , , 4.1 , , 2.3 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 11.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 54 , , 53 , , 28.5 , , .402 , , .360 , , .792 , , 3.9 , , 2.3 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 9.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, 67 , , 5 , , 25.2 , , .405 , , .375 , , .857 , , 3.3 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 10.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 507 , , 170 , , 22.8 , , .401 , , .365 , , .758 , , 3.6 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .2 , , 8.1

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2006 , align="left" ,

, 8 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , .167 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , .5 , , .3 , , .1 , , .0 , , .6 , - , align="left" , 2007 , align="left" ,

, 16 , , 0 , , 8.4 , , .405 , , .188 , , .667 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .3 , , .1 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 24.2 , , .405 , , .267 , , .900 , , 4.8 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .0 , , 8.6 , - , align="left" , 2010 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , 7 , , 32.3 , , .356 , , .405 , , .750 , , 4.0 , , 2.6 , , .7 , , .3 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 24.0 , , .375 , , .355 , , 1.000 , , 2.4 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , .2 , , 9.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 41 , , 7 , , 15.5 , , .373 , , .337 , , .846 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.9

EuroLeague

, - , align="left" , 2002–03 , align="left" ,

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

, 16 , , 15 , , 31.8 , , .393 , , .291 , , .673 , , 7.1 , , 1.7 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , 12.0 , , 13.4 , - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" ,

, 21 , , 16 , , 30.9 , , .414 , , .338 , , .778 , , 6.0 , , 2.2 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , 12.4 , , 13.7 , - , align="left" , 2017–18 , align="left" , Baskonia , 2 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 39 , , 31 , , 31.3 , , .405 , , .314 , , .732 , , 6.5 , , 2.0 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , 12.2 , , 13.6

Professional career

Early years

Italian clubs

Detroit Pistons (2004–2007)

Toronto Raptors

Khimki

Milwaukee Bucks (2009–2012)

Houston Rockets (2012–2013)

Second Milwaukee Bucks stint (2013–2014)

Boca Juniors (2017)

Baskonia (2017)

Fiat Torino (2018–2019)

Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna 103 (2019)

Victoria Libertas Pesaro (2020-present)

National team career

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

EuroLeague

References

External links