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.
 Manolo Raga in 1971. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | March 14, 1944 Aldama, Tamaulipas, Mexico | |||||||||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||
| FIBA Hall of Fame | ||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Club career
editRaga 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.
National team career
editRaga 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]
Awards and accomplishments
editClub career
edit- Italian League Champion (3): 1969, 1970, 1971
- Italian Cup Winner (3): 1969, 1970, 1971
- FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) Champion (3): 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73
- FIBA Intercontinental Cup Champion (2): 1970, 1973
- Swiss League Champion (3): 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77
- Swiss Cup Winner: 1974–75
- Best Mexican Player of the 20th Century[6]
- 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors: 2008
- FIBA Hall of Fame: 2016
References
editExternal links
edit- Euroleague.net 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors
- FIBA Hall of Fame Profile
- FIBA Profile
- Manuel Raga international stats at Basketball-Reference.com
- The Flying Mexican
- Manuel Raga at InterBasket