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Luis Scola

Scola playing for the Suns during the 2012–13 season.
No. 4, 14, 40
Position: Power Forward
Personal information
Full name: Luis Alberto Scola Balvoa
Born: April 30, 1980 (1980-04-30) (age 45)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nationality: Argentine
Physical stats
Listed height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight: 245 lbs (111 kg)
National Basketball Association career
Debut: 2007 for the Houston Rockets
Final season: 2017 for the Brooklyn Nets
Career information
NBA Draft: 2002 / Round: 2 / Pick: 56th
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Playing career: 1995–2021 (26 years)
Career history
1995–1998 Ferro Carril Oeste (Argentina)
1998–2007 Tau Ceramica (Spain)
1998–1999 →Gijón Baloncesto (Spain 2nd)
1999–2000 →Gijón Baloncesto (Spain)
20072012 Houston Rockets
2012–2013 Phoenix Suns
20132015 Indiana Pacers
2015–2016 Toronto Raptors
2016–2017 Brooklyn Nets
2017–2018 Shanxi Brave Dragons
2018–2019 Shanghai Sharks
2019–2020 Olimpia Milano
2020–2021 Varese
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team (2008)
  • 2× All-EuroLeague First Team (2006, 2007)
  • All-EuroLeague Second Team (2005)
  • Liga ACB champion (2002)
  • 3× Spanish Cup winner (2002, 2004, 2006)
  • 3× Spanish Supercup winner (2005–2007)
  • 2× Liga ACB MVP (2005, 2007)
  • Liga ACB Rookie of the Year (2000)
  • 4× All-Liga ACB Team (2004–2007)
  • Spanish Supercup MVP (2005)
  • 4× FIBA AmeriCup MVP (2007, 2009, 2011, 2015)
  • FIBA Americas Under-20 Championship MVP (2000)
  • 2010 FIBA World Championship All-Tournament Team
  • No. 4 retired by Baskonia
Career statistics
Points: 8,882 (12.0 PPG)
Rebounds: 4,941 (6.7 RPG)
Assists: 1,194 (1.6 APG)
Steals: 474 (0.6 SPG)
Blocks: 224 (0.3 BPG)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball–Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold 2004 Athens
Bronze 2008 Beijing
World Cup
Silver 2002 Indianapolis
Silver 2019 China
FIBA Diamond Ball
Bronze 2004 Belgrade
Gold 2008 Nanjing
FIBA AmeriCup
Gold 2001 Neuquén
Gold 2011 Mar del Plata
Silver 2003 San Juan
Silver 2007 Las Vegas
Silver 2015 Mexico City
Silver 2017 Argentina
Bronze 1999 San Juan
Bronze 2009 San Juan
Bronze 2013 Caracas
Pan American Games
Gold 2019 Lima

Luis Alberto Scola Balvoa (April 30, 1980) is a retired Argentine professional basketball player and the chief executive officer for the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) team Pallacanestro Varese.

Professional career[]

Argentina[]

Scola started his career with the Buenos Aires youth teams of Ferro Carril Oeste. He made his professional debut with the same club's pro team in the Argentine league during the 1995-96 season.

Euroleague[]

Cabitel Gijón[]

After the 1997-98 basketball season in the Argentine League, Scola moved to Spain where he helped the then Spanish League Second Division club Cabitel Gijón achieve promotion to the Spanish League First Division. He then signed with Saski Baskonia, but was loaned back to Gijón through the 1999-2000 season before arriving at Baskonia, where he played for seven seasons.

Saski Baskonia[]

With Saski Baskonia, Scola reached the Euroleague final in the 2000-01 season and three consecutive Euroleague Final Fours between 2005 and 2007. His outstanding performances earned him an All-Euroleague Second Team selection in 2005, as well as two All-Euroleague First Team selections in 2006 and 2007.

Although Scola did not manage to win the Euroleague championship with Baskonia, he did win with them every major Spanish League title, winning a Spanish ACB League championship in 2002, 3 Spanish Cups in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 3 Spanish Supercups in 2005, 2006, 2007.

NBA career[]

In the summer of 2005, the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (who drafted Scola in 2002) attempted to negotiate with Baskonia to buy out his contract. After initially throwing around numbers as large as $1.5 million, Baskonia eventually settled on a still higher number of over $3 million for the contract. This made it difficult for Scola to join fellow Argentina national team member Manu Ginóbili in San Antonio because of the NBA's rule which limits teams to paying no more than $500,000 of a player's buyout.[1] Scola would have been responsible for paying Baskonia the remaining $2.5 million. When the deal to buy out Scola's contract fell through, the Spurs instead signed an Argentine national team teammate and friend of Scola's Fabricio Oberto.

Houston Rockets[]

On July 12, 2007, the Spurs traded the rights to Scola, along with center-forward Jackie Butler, to the Houston Rockets in return for Vassilis Spanoulis, a future second-round draft pick, and cash considerations. He signed with the Rockets soon after[2] and his sticky buyout situation was resolved a few days later.[3] Scola signed a three-year contract with the Rockets, at a salary of $9.5 million.

Scola placed third in the NBA 2007–08 season Rookie of the Year Award voting[4] and he was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. On March 13, 2010, he scored a career high 44 points against the New Jersey Nets.

Argentine national basketball team[]

With Argentina's junior national teams, Scola won the gold medal at the 1995 South American Cadet Championship, the gold medal at the 1996 South American Junior Championship, the gold medal at the 2000 FIBA Americas Under-20 Championship, and the bronze medal at the 2001 FIBA Under-21 World Championship.

As a member of the senior Argentine national team, Scola has won numerous medals: the silver medal at the 1999 South American Championship, the bronze medal at the 1999 FIBA Americas Championship, the gold medal at the 2001 FIBA Americas Championship, the silver medal at the 2002 FIBA World Championship, the silver medal at the 2003 FIBA Americas Championship, the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Basketball Tournament, the silver medal at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament, and the bronze medal at the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship.

Scola broke two Argentine records at World Championships during the 2010 edition: top overall scorer (beating Ernesto Gehrmann's 331 points)[5] and most points in one game (scoring 37 against Brazil on the round of 16, therefore beating Alberto Desimone's 35 against Mexico in 1963).[6]

Titles and medals[]

Club level[]

  • 1 Spanish Championship (2002)
  • 3 Spanish Cups (2002, 2004, 2006)
  • 3 Spanish Supercups (2005, 2006, 2007)

Argentine national team[]

  • 1995 South American Cadet Championship - Gold Medal
  • 1996 South American Junior Championship - Gold Medal
  • 1999 South American Championship - Silver Medal
  • 1999 FIBA Americas Championship - Bronze Medal
  • 2000 FIBA Americas Under-20 Championship - Gold Medal
  • 2001 FIBA Under-21 World Championship - Bronze Medal
  • 2001 FIBA Americas Championship - Gold Medal
  • 2002 FIBA World Championship - Silver Medal
  • 2003 FIBA Americas Championship - Silver Medal
  • 2004 Olympic Basketball Tournament - Gold Medal
  • 2007 FIBA Americas Championship - Silver Medal
  • 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament - Bronze Medal
  • 2009 FIBA Americas Championship - Bronze Medal

Awards[]

Club level[]

  • Spanish League Rookie of the Year (2000)
  • Spanish Supercup MVP (2005)
  • All-Euroleague Second Team (2005)
  • Spanish League MVP (2005, 2007)
  • 2× All-Euroleague First Team (2006, 2007)
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team (2008)

Argentine national team[]

  • 2000 FIBA Americas Under-20 Championship MVP
  • 2001 FIBA Under-21 World Championship All-Tournament Team
  • 2007 FIBA Americas Championship MVP
  • 2009 FIBA Americas Championship MVP
  • 2010 FIBA World Championship All-Tournament Team

Career statistics[]

NBA[]

* Led the league

Regular season[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007–08 Houston 82* 39 24.7 .515 .000 .668 6.4 1.3 .7 .2 10.3
2008–09 Houston 82* 82* 30.3 .531 .000 .760 8.8 1.5 .8 .1 12.7
2009–10 Houston 82* 82* 32.6 .514 .200 .779 8.6 2.1 .8 .3 16.2
2010–11 Houston 74 74 32.6 .504 .000 .738 8.2 2.5 .6 .6 18.3
2011–12 Houston 66* 66* 31.3 .491 .000 .773 6.5 2.1 .5 .4 15.5
2012–13 Phoenix 82* 67 26.6 .473 .188 .787 6.6 2.2 .8 .4 12.8
2013–14 Indiana 82 2 17.1 .470 .143 .728 4.8 1.0 .3 .2 7.6
2014–15 Indiana 81 16 20.5 .467 .250 .699 6.5 1.3 .6 .2 9.4
2015–16 Toronto 76 76 21.5 .450 .404 .726 4.7 .9 .6 .4 8.7
2016–17 Brooklyn 36 1 12.8 .470 .340 .676 3.9 1.0 .4 .1 5.1
Career 743 505 25.6 .493 .339 .740 6.7 1.6 .6 .3 12.0

Playoffs[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008 Houston 6 6 36.7 .448 .000 .686 9.3 1.3 .7 .2 14.0
2009 Houston 13 13 32.6 .494 .000 .673 8.4 1.8 .5 .2 14.4
2014 Indiana 17 0 13.9 .465 .333 .591 2.5 .5 .4 .2 6.1
2016 Toronto 11 9 12.7 .258 .190 .727 1.6 .6 .3 .0 2.5
Career 48 28 21.4 .454 .200 .667 4.7 1.0 .4 .1 8.5

EuroLeague[]

* Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2000–01 Baskonia 22 5 18.3 .547 .000 .538 4.4 .7 1.0 .1 8.7 7.0
2001–02 20 3 23.7 .689 .333 .670 4.6 1.1 1.3 .3 15.9 16.8
2002–03 16 9 24.7 .546 .677 5.0 1.3 .9 .3 15.1 13.0
2003–04 14 6 28.8 .604 .765 6.1 2.4 1.4 .4 15.2 16.8
2004–05 24 21 24.7 .564 .000 .676 6.5 1.9 1.3 .7 15.1 16.9
2005–06 25 24 28.6 .536 .000 .679 6.7 2.2 1.6 .8 14.8 18.8
2006–07 23 18 26.5 .573 .000 .708 5.9 2.2 .9 .3 15.5 17.9
2019–20 Milano 28* 24 19.2 .454 .353 .655 4.4 1.1 .5 .1 9.2 8.5
Career 172 110 24.5 .560 .316 .670 5.4 1.6 1.1 .4 13.4 14.3

References[]

External links[]