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

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for Baltur Cento of the Italian

Serie A2 Basket Serie A2, known for sponsorship reasons as Serie A2 Old Wild West, is a men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Italy. It constitutes the second-tier of the Italian basketball league system, Italian league pyramid, below the firs ...

. Standing at , he plays at the

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

and

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

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, Argentina, Santa Fe, the capital city of the Santa Fe Province, in Argentina. The club was founded on 15 April 1907. Unión is mostly known for its asso ...

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 Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

and the other two seasons with Skipper Bologna. In his first season in Italy, he played for

. 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, 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

of the

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

, who made him the 25th pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft, making him the first Argentine player ever to be selected in the first round of the

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

. 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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

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 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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

for 2nd-round draft picks in both the 2009 NBA draft and the 2011 NBA draft. The 2007–08 season was his most productive in the

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

, 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 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

along with Roko Ukić in exchange for Amir Johnson and

Sonny Weems Clarence "Sonny" Weems (born July 8, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Shenzhen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the University of Arkansas and the University of Ar ...

. 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 The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

. 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 starting lineup, starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in, and the first to be used against the other team's subst ...

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 1, 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

107 - 100 with Delfino playing for 10 minutes and the only stat he recorded was 1 assist. He missed the entire second half due to discomfort in his right foot, which was later found to have a fracture that caused him to miss the rest of the playoffs.

Injury-riddled seasons (2013-2016)

Delfino spent the next three years off the court due to various complications to the injury suffered while playing for Houston, which required nine surgical interventions. 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 his broken foot. On August 26, 2014, Delfino was traded, along with Miroslav Raduljica and a 2015 second-round draft pick, to the

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

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

Comeback (2016-2017)

Delfino made his return to the courts in 2016 when he joined Argentina's senior basketball team at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

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

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...

. There, he joined his brother Lucio, who was also recovering from injury. On September 27, 2017, Delfino signed with Spanish club Baskonia. On October 26, 2017, Delfino finished his stint with Baskonia.

Return to Italy (2018–2023)

On July 3, 2018, Delfino came back to Italy after 14 years and signed a deal with Italian club Auxilium Torino. On February 27, 2019, Delfino returned to Bologna and signed on the Lavoropiù Bologna. 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 organizat ...

that was held in Saitama,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Delfino was also a part of the senior Argentine national basketball team that won the gold at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

. He also played with Argentina's senior national team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

, where he helped Argentina to win the bronze medal. In 2011, he won the gold medal in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship, held in

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...

. After years of absence following injury, he played with Argentina's senior basketball team at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. In 2022, Delfino won the gold medal in the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup held in

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. He was the Argentina's starting

in the tournament

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 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" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 1 , , 16.7 , , .415 , , .333 , , .787 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .1 , , 5.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 0 , , 23.5 , , .397 , , .382 , , .744 , , 4.4 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .1 , , 9.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 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 List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 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

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2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

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

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

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

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

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

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

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

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

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, 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 ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, 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)

Injury-riddled seasons (2013-2016)

Comeback (2016-2017)

Return to Italy (2018–2023)

National team career

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

EuroLeague

References

External links