Marcos Daniel Mata (born August 1, 1986) is an Argentine professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He is a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

, but he can also play at the

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

position. He plays professionally for

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...

, and has also been a member of the senior men's

Argentine national basketball team The Argentina men's national basketball team (Spanish: ''Selección de baloncesto de Argentina'') represents Argentina in men's international basketball officially nicknamed ''The Argentine Soul'' (Spanish: ''El Alma Argentina''), and it is co ...

Professional career

Mata began his pro career playing in the Argentine League with

Peñarol Mar del Plata Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neig ...

. In the 2009–10 season, he helped the team win its first ever Argentine League title, while also winning the

FIBA Americas League The FIBA Americas League (Portuguese: ''FIBA Liga das Américas'', Spanish: ''FIBA Liga de las Américas''), officially abbreviated as the LDA, was the premier intercontinental basketball club competition played annually by clubs of the entire Am ...

2009–10 season. He moved to the Spanish League club

CB Sevilla Real Betis Baloncesto S.A.D., simply known as Real Betis, is a professional basketball team based in Seville, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. It plays its home games at San Pablo. History Club Deportivo de Baloncesto Sevilla was foun ...

before the 2013–14 season. On July 27, 2020, Mata signed with

Saga Ballooners The Saga Ballooners is a professional basketball team that competes in the second division of the Japanese B.League. Coaches * Aljosa Bjekovic * Luis Guil Torres * Yuta Miyanaga Roster Notable players * Aljosa Bjekovic * Trey G ...

of the Japanese

B. League The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that ...

National team career

Mata is also a member of the senior men's

. He made his debut with the senior Argentina national team at the 2008

South American Championship A South American Championship is a top level international sports competition between South American athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships * ATP Buenos Aires, a tennis ...

, helping the team to a gold medal. He later won a silver medal with the team at the 2010 South American Championship. In 2010, Mata was named to Argentina's

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

squad – his first major international tournament – when long-time Argentina national team player,

Andrés Nocioni Andrés Marcelo Nocioni (born November 30, 1979) is an Argentine retired professional basketball player. He was a two-time All-EuroLeague selection before spending eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), from 2004 to 2012. No ...

, withdrew from the tournament.Marcos Mata replaces Nocioni on Argentina National Team
at jet7basket.com He also played with Argentina at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, and at the

2013 FIBA Americas Championship The 2013 FIBA Americas Championship for Men, later known as the FIBA AmeriCup, was the qualifying tournament for FIBA Americas, for the 2014 FIBA World Cup, in Spain. This FIBA AmeriCup tournament was held in Caracas, Venezuela, from August 30, to ...

, where he won a bronze medal.

References

External links

FIBA ProfileEurobasket.com ProfileSpanish League Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mata, Marcos 1986 births Living people 2010 FIBA World Championship players 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Argentine expatriate basketball people in Spain Argentine men's basketball players Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Franca Basquetebol Clube players Italian men's basketball players Liga ACB players Novo Basquete Brasil players Olympic basketball players for Argentina Pan American Games competitors for Argentina Peñarol de Mar del Plata basketball players Real Betis Baloncesto players Saga Ballooners players San Lorenzo de Almagro (basketball) players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Mar del Plata