Dino Meneghin

Dino Meneghin (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdiːno meneˈɡin], Venetian: [meneˈɡiŋ]; born January 18, 1950) is an Italian former professional basketball player. He is widely considered to be the best Italian player ever, as well as one of Europe's all-time greats. A 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) tall center, Meneghin was born in Alano di Piave, Veneto (northeast Italy). On November 20, 1966, when he was 16 years old, he played in his first game in the Italian League, with Ignis Varese. He played the last game of his career at the age of 45. In 2003, Meneghin became a Basketball Hall of Fame player and in 2010, he became a FIBA Hall of Fame player.[1]

Dino Meneghin
Meneghin, in 2010.
Personal information
Born18 January 1950
Alano di Piave, Italy
NationalityItalian
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight243 lb (110 kg)
Career information
NBA draft1970 / Round: 11 / Pick: 182nd overall
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career1966–1994
PositionCenter
Career history
1966–1980Pallacanestro Varese
1980–1990Olimpia Milano
1990–1993Pallacanestro Trieste
1993–1994Olimpia Milano
Career highlights and awards
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals
Representing  Italy
Men's Basketball
Summer Olympic Games
1980 Moscow
FIBA EuroBasket
1971 West Germany
1975 Yugoslavia
1983 France
European U-18 Championship
1966 ItalyUnder-18
1968 SpainUnder-18

Professional career

In total, Meneghin played in 836 games and scored 8,560 points in the Italian League championship. Meneghin became the second player from a European league to be drafted by an NBA team, when the Atlanta Hawks manager Marty Blake selected him with a late-round pick in the 1970 NBA draft. He never played in the USA, however.

In 1980 and 1983, he was elected European Player of the Year: Mr. Europa, and he also won the Euroscar European Player of the Year award in 1983. In 1991, he was named the greatest European basketball player of all time by the Italian basketball magazine Giganti del Basket.[2]

One of the greatest records of his career is his number of Finals appearances in the FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague). He played in 10 consecutive finals with Pallacanestro Varese, winning 5; and later in 2 more consecutive finals with Olimpia Milano, winning both. Finally, before his playing career ended, Meneghin played in the Italian League against his son, Andrea, who was also a great international player.

On 28th of October 2019, 25 years after he last played professionally, Olimpia Milano retired the number 11 in honor of Meneghin. The number 11 matched the number of seasons that he had played with the Italian club.[3][4]

National team career

With the senior Italian national basketball team, Meneghin played in 271 games, and totaled 2,847 points scored. With Italy, he won the bronze medal at both the 1971 EuroBasket and the 1975 EuroBasket. He also won the silver medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics, and the gold medal at the 1983 EuroBasket.

Post-playing career

On September 5, 2003, Meneghin became the second Italian player to enter into the Basketball Hall of Fame, after Cesare Rubini, who served Olimpia Milano, both as player and coach between the 1940s and the 1970s. After his playing career ended, Meneghin has since worked for the Italian Basketball Federation and for Olimpia Milano.

Personal life

Dino Meneghin is the father of Andrea Meneghin, who also played professional basketball. Andrea played against his father, during the latter's last season as a pro.

Honours and awards

Clubs

Italian senior national team

Individual

References
  1. "FIBA announces 2010 Hall of Fame Class". FIBA. 2010-08-20. Archived from the original on 2010-10-19.
  2. Interbasket.net InterBasket > profiles > Meneghin.
  3. "Eleven Forever: Dino Meneghin's number 11 will be retired by Olimpia". olimpiamilano.com. 28 October 2019.
  4. Dino Meneghin jersey retired and the legend lives on.
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