Matteo Spagnolo

Matteo Spagnolo

Spagnolo with Alba Berlin in December 2023
Saski Baskonia
Position	Shooting guard / point guard
League	Liga ACB EuroLeague
Personal information
Born	(2003-01-10) 10 January 2003 (age 22) Brindisi, Italy
Listed height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Listed weight	89 kg (196 lb)
Career information
NBA draft	2022: 2nd round, 50th overall pick
Drafted by	Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career	2017–present
Career history
2017–2018	Stella Azzurra
2018–2023	Real Madrid
2019–2021	→Real Madrid B
2021–2022	→Vanoli Cremona
2022–2023	→Aquila Basket Trento
2023–2025	Alba Berlin
2025–present	Saski Baskonia
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Men's basketball Representing   Italy FIBA U16 European Championship 2019 Italy Team

Matteo Spagnolo (born 10 January 2003) is an Italian professional basketball player for Saski Baskonia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.

Early life and career

Spagnolo started playing basketball at the age of four and began his youth career with Aurora Brindisi. At age 12, he scored 78 points and 77 points in the semifinal and final of the regional under-14 championship, respectively.

At Adidas Next Generation Tournament Munich in January 2020, Spagnolo averaged 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, helping Real Madrid's under-18 team win the title. ^[1]

Professional career

Stella Azzurra (2017–2018)

At 13 years of age, Spagnolo moved to Rome to join Stella Azzurra. ^[2] He made his Serie B debut at age 14, becoming the youngest Italian to play at the senior level. ^[3]

Real Madrid (2018–2023)

On 2 May 2018, Spagnolo moved to Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, where he became the first Italian to join the club's youth academy. ^[4]

On 8 March 2020, Spagnolo made his senior debut for Real Madrid, playing 36 seconds in a Liga ACB loss to Zaragoza. ^[5]

Spagnolo mainly spent the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 campaigns with the club's reserve team.

Vanoli Cremona (2021–2022)

For the 2021–22 season Spagnolo was transferred on loan to Vanoli Cremona of the Italian Serie A. ^[6]

Aquila Basket Trento (2022–2023)

On 28 July 2022, Spagnolo was sent on loan to Italian club Aquila Basket Trento. ^[7] In 13 EuroCup matches, he averaged 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 26 minutes per contest.

Alba Berlin (2023–present)

On 9 August 2023, Spagnolo signed a three-year contract with German club Alba Berlin. ^[8]

NBA draft rights

Spagnolo was drafted with the 50th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2023, he appeared in the NBA Summer League with the Timberwolves, averaging 12.5 points and 3 assists per game.

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	PIR	Performance index rating
Bold	Career high

EuroLeague

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR
2023–24	Alba Berlin	25	17	20.5	.390	.222	.878	2.2	3.4	.3	—	7.3	6.1
Career		25	17	20.5	.390	.222	.878	2.2	3.4	.3	—	7.3	6.1

EuroCup

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR
2022–23	Aquila Trento	13	7	26.4	.410	.278	.829	3.6	4.3	.9	.1	11.8	12.3
Career		13	7	26.4	.410	.278	.829	3.6	4.3	.9	.1	11.8	12.3

Domestic leagues

Year	Team	League	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2019–20	Real Madrid	ACB	1	0.6	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.0
2021–22	Vanoli Cremona	LBA	25	27.0	.440	.441	.861	2.9	3.5	2.6	.8	12.2
2022–23	Aquila Trento	LBA	28	24.1	.433	.295	.776	3.8	3.0	.9	.1	12.5
2023–24	Alba Berlin	BBL	16	20.6	.439	.333	.762	2.6	3.7	.7	—	8.7

National team career

Spagnolo averaged 16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, three steals and 2.6 assists per game for Italy at the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Udine. He was named to the All-Star Five after helping his team earn the bronze medal. ^[9] On 20 February 2020, at age 17, Spagnolo made his senior debut for Italy, scoring three points in a win over Russia at the EuroBasket qualification stage. He became the third-youngest player to play for Italy's senior team. ^[10]

References

1. "Matteo Spagnolo, de brillar con el filial del Real Madrid a la Selección de Italia". Marca (in Spanish). 29 January 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
2. Tundo, Andrea (4 February 2020). "Matteo Spagnolo, dal campetto del quartiere alla Nazionale a 17 anni: storia della promessa del basket che studia da 'big' nel Real Madrid". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 5 June 2020.
3. Nigro, Giuseppe (4 May 2018). "Basket, baby Spagnolo futuro galactico, al Real a 14 anni: "È tutto fantastico"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 5 June 2020.
4. "Lo stellino Matteo Spagnolo al Real Madrid: primo italiano della storia ad entrare nella Cantera dei "blancos"" (in Italian). Stella Azzurra. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
5. "Spagnolo becomes the 14th academy graduate to make his debut under Laso". Real Madrid. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
6. "Matteo Spagnolo è un giocatore della Vanoli Basket" (in Italian). vanolibasket.com. 24 July 2021.
7. Carchia, Emiliano (28 July 2022). "Aquila Basket Trento announces signing of Timberwolves draftee Matteo Spagnolo". Sportando. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
8. Milanti, Cesare (August 9, 2023). "Matteo Spagnolo signs with ALBA Berlin for three years". Eurohoops. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
9. "MVP Dominguez headlines All-Star Five in Udine". FIBA. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
10. "Basket: il brindisini Matteo Spagnolo debutta in nazionale "Matteo Spagnolo il "fenomeno": debutto in azzurro a soli 17 anni" (in Italian). BrindisiReport. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.

External links

• Matteo Spagnolo international stats at Basketball-Reference.com