![]() Manolo Raga in 1971. | |||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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Born | Aldama, Tamaulipas, Mexico | March 14, 1944||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Mexican | ||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1970: 10th round, 167th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |||||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1963–1979 | ||||||||||||||||
Position | Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||
Number | 15 | ||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||
1963–1968 | Villa Aldama | ||||||||||||||||
1968–1974 | Ignis Varese | ||||||||||||||||
1974–1979 | Federale Lugano | ||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||||
FIBA Hall of Fame as player | |||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Manuel "Manolo" Raga Navarro (born March 14, 1944) is a Mexican former professional basketball player. During his playing career, he was nicknamed, "The Flying Mexican", [1] due to his nationality and his one of a kind 43 inch standing (no step) vertical leap. [2] In 2008, he was named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors. In 2016, he became a FIBA Hall of Fame player.
Raga played professionally for Varese in the Italian League, from 1968 to 1974, and with them, he won three EuroLeague championships. In 1970, he became the first player from an international league to be selected in the NBA draft, [3] when Atlanta Hawks general manager, Marty Blake, took him with the 167th overall pick. However, Raga never played in the NBA.
Raga was a part of the senior national team of Mexico. He won a gold medal at the 1965 CentroBasket, and a silver medal at the 1967 Pan American Games. [4] He also played with Mexico in three different Summer Olympic Games, at the 1964 Summer Olympics, the 1968 Summer Olympics, and the 1976 Summer Olympics. He also played in 3 different FIBA World Cups, at Brazil 1963, at Uruguay 1967, and at Puerto Rico 1974. [5]
Toni Kukoč is a Croatian former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful period in European basketball, he was one of the first established European stars to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Waiter", Kukoč played for four NBA teams between 1993 and 2006, winning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1996. He is a three-time NBA champion, having won championships with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in 1996, 1997, and 1998.
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