Argentines are known in the whole world as great sportsmen. The country Argentina is very famous in any kind of sport because they make sure that all their delegates will do their best just to excel in their chosen fields.
As well as Argentina becomes popular in the Sports scene, Argentinean Basketball players are also making their own names in the NBA or the National Basketball Association arena.
1. Fabricio Raul Jesus Oberto
• Birth date- 21st of March, 1975
• Birthplace- Las Varillas, Cordoba , Argentina
• Height- 6 feet 10 inches
• Weight- 245 pounds
• Position- Center
Currently, Fabricio Raul Jesus Oberto is a retired Professional Argentine basketball player. His professional basketball career started when he had attended his trial game at Atenas de Cordoba, one of the important clubs in Argentina Basketball.
He was selected and granted to start after that year as a professional player. After he was chosen as the MVP or the Most Valuable Player in the final of the Argentine League in the year 1998, he moved to the club Olympiacos in the Greek League.
This was the start of his experience in the Europe League, which took him to attend Spanish league with team TAU Ceramica after a year. In the year 2002, after two consecutive seasons of playing with TAU, he then transferred to Pamesa Valencia.
After his contract with Pamesa Valencia in the year 2005, Oberto had signed his three-year 7.5 million US dollar contract with the San Antonio Spurs, a team in the NBA. He joined there his fellow Argentinean Manu Ginobili, who at the same time is also making his name in the NBA scene. He wears his Jersey no. 7, which is the same jersey number he was wearing with his Argentine National Team. He was the eldest rookie to join in the San Antonio Spurs at the age of 31 years old.
During his first years in the NBA scene, Oberto was not the key player like he have used to when he was still playing in Europe. He was only playing less than 9 minutes in every game as his average. However, on his second season in the NBA, he became as one of the features of San Antonio Spurs.
He started showing off what he has got on the first games and on the 22nd of November, he scored an amazing 22 points which is 11/11 goals and he have pulled down spectacular 10 rebounds. From that time on he became one of the essential players for the team in the 2006-2007 finals of the Western Conference.
He was soon traded to the team Detroit Pistons last June 23, 2009 and on the same year 11th of August, he officially signed his contract to play with the Wizards.
2. Luis Alberto Scola Balvoa
• Birth date- 30th of April, 1980
• Birthplace- Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Height- 6 feet 9 inches
• Weight- 245 pounds
• Position- Forward- Center
Another Professional Argentine basketball player who plays for the Argentina National Team is Luis Scola. At the age of 30, he currently plays for the Houston Rockets wearing the Jersey No. 4. He is also a former Euro league idol as he played for the Team Saski Baskonia for the ACB’s.
He was drafted in the NBA in the 2002 and has been selected by the San Antonio Spurs. His career as a professional basketball player started in the year 1996 to 1998 as he played for the Ferro Caril Oeste in Argentina. Later one, he played for the Spain with the team of Gijon Baloncesto in the year 1998 to 2000. And after a while he moved to play for the other Spanish Team called Saski Baskonia from 2000 to 2007.
His Career in the NBA started when San Antonio Spurs tried to bargain with Scola’s former Spanish basketball team Baskonia to buy his existing contact with them in the year 2005. The negotiation went through very tough talk as they have raised the offer of Spurs of US$1.5 million to US$3 million. Because of that, instead of having Scola on the side of Spurs, his fellow Argentine and friend Fabricio Oberto was the one who was acquired to play for the team.
After years later, Spurs had traded his Rights to the Houston rockets where is currently playing. He signed with the said Team a 3-year contract with a salary of $9.5 million. He landed on the 3rd place in the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award in the year 2007 to 2008. Last March, 13, 2010 he have scored an amazing 44 points against the teams of New Jersey Nets.