Pablo Prigioni (born May 17, 1977) is an Argentine-Italian former 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, currently serving as an assistant coach for the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. He played the

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

position, and was a member of the senior

Argentina 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 ...

that won the bronze medal at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

. Prigioni is the oldest rookie in NBA history, making his debut with the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

in 2012 at age 35, prior to which he was a two-time

All-EuroLeague The All-EuroLeague Team is an EuroLeague awards, award for European professional club basketball system, Europe's premier level league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the league's top ten basketball players for each season, since the 2000–01 se ...

selection playing in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, most notably

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. He played four seasons in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

for the New York Knicks,

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

, and the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

, before starting coaching in 2017.

Professional career

Ramallo (1995–1996)

Prigioni began his professional career with Ramallo of the Argentine LNB League during the 1995–96 season.

Belgrano San Nicolás (1996–1998)

Prigioni moved to Belgrano San Nicolás in 1996, playing with them until 1998.

Obras Sanitarias (1998–1999)

Prigioni transferred to

Obras Sanitarias Club Atlético Obras Sanitarias de la Nación (mostly known simply as Obras Sanitarias or Obras) is an Argentina, Argentine professional sports club that is located in the district of Núñez, Buenos Aires. Although originally conceived as a rugb ...

in 1998 and played with the club until 1999.

Fuenlabrada (1999–2001)

In 1999, Prigioni moved to the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

club

Fuenlabrada Fuenlabrada () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 193,586, making it the region's fourth most populated municipality. Placename The etymology of ''Fuenlabrada'' comes from the contra ...

, where he stayed until 2001.

Lucentum Alicante (2001–2003)

In 2001, Prigioni joined the Spanish club Lucentum Alicante, and he played there until 2003.

Baskonia (2003–2009)

In 2003, Prigioni joined the EuroLeague team Baskonia. With Baskonia he won several titles, including: 3 Spanish King's Cups in the years 2004, 2006, 2009; 4 Spanish Supercups in the years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; and the Spanish League championship in 2008.

Real Madrid (2009–2011)

In 2009, Prigioni joined

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

Return to Baskonia (2011–2012)

In August 2011, Prigioni returned to Baskonia, signing a one-year deal.

New York Knicks (2012–2015)

On July 24, 2012, Prigioni signed a one-year contract with the

for the rookie minimum. At age 35, Prigioni became the oldest rookie in

history, when he made his debut on November 2, 2012. He became the team's starting

for the last two months of the 2012–13 season, as well as for the playoffs. In game 6 of the Knicks' first-round playoff series against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, Prigioni made 3 three-pointers in the first quarter. The Knicks won 88–80, to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. On July 10, 2013, Prigioni re-signed with the Knicks.

Houston Rockets (2015)

On February 19, 2015, Prigioni was traded to the

, in exchange for

Alexey Shved Alexey Viktorovich Shved (Russian language, Russian: Алексей Викторович Швед; born December 16, 1988) is a Russian professional basketball player for PBC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. Standing at , he pl ...

, and two second-round draft picks.

Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2016)

On July 20, 2015, the Rockets traded Prigioni,

Joey Dorsey Richard Elmer "Joey" Dorsey (born December 16, 1983) is an American professional basketball player for APOP Paphos B.C. of the Cyprus Basketball Division A. He played college basketball for the University of Memphis. College career During both h ...

, Nick Johnson,

Kostas Papanikolaou Konstantinos "Kostas" Papanikolaou ( gr, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Παπανικολάου; born 31 July 1990) is a Greek professional basketball player and the team captain for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLe ...

, a 2016 first-round draft pick, and cash considerations, to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

, in exchange for Ty Lawson and a 2017 second-round draft pick. Prigioni was immediately waived by Denver, upon being acquired. On August 3, 2015, Prigioni signed with the

. On January 13, 2016, he had a career-high eight steals against the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

, which was one shy of the franchise record, held by his head coach,

Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing for Marquette Universit ...

. On April 8, 2016, he recorded a season-high 13 points, a career-high seven rebounds, and a season-high seven assists, in a 102–99 overtime win over the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. On July 29, 2016, Prigioni signed with the Houston Rockets, returning to the franchise for a second stint. However, he was waived by the Rockets on October 24, 2016, after appearing in five preseason games with them.

Third stint with Baskonia (2016–2017)

On December 5, 2016, Prigioni returned to Baskonia, signing with them for the rest of the season. He officially retired from his professional basketball playing career on January 9, 2017. During his professional career, Prigioni played in 10 EuroLeague seasons, in which he had career averages of 6.1 points, 4.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, and in four NBA seasons, in which he had career regular season averages of 3.5 points, 2.8 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game.

Coaching career

Baskonia (2017)

On 16 June 2017, Prigioni began his coaching career, when he signed a two-year deal with Baskonia, to become their new

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

. However, on October 26, Prigioni stepped down as Baskonia head coach, after having a 0–3 start in the EuroLeague and a 2–3 start in the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

Brooklyn Nets (2018–2019)

On 24 April 2018, Prigioni joined the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

as an assistant coach. During the

2018–19 NBA season The 2018–19 NBA season was the 73rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 16, 2018, and ended on April 10, 2019. The 2019 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 17, 2019, at the Spectrum Cen ...

, the Nets returned to the NBA playoffs for the first time since

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Minnesota Timberwolves (2019–present)

On 7 June 2019, Prigioni was hired by the

as an assistant coach. He coached the Wolves in the 2019 Las Vegas Summer League and was put in charge of the team's offense for the following season.

Argentina (2022–present)

On 1 September 2022, Prigioni became the head coach of the

Argentina men's 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 ...

National team career

As a member of the Argentine senior men's national basketball team, Prigioni played at the

2006 FIBA World Championship The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised by ...

. He won silver medals at the 2003 FIBA Americas Championship and

2007 FIBA Americas Championship The 2007 FIBA Americas Championships later known as the FIBA AmeriCup (or The Tournament of the Americas), was a basketball tournament held at Thomas & Mack Center, in Las Vegas, from August 22, to September 2. It was the thirteenth staging of the ...

. Prigioni was also a member of the Argentina national team that competed at the

and won the bronze medal. He also won the bronze medal at the

2009 FIBA Americas Championship The 2009 FIBA Americas Championship, later known as the FIBA AmeriCup, was the continental championship held by FIBA Americas, for North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. This FIBA AmeriCup championship served as a qualifying tourname ...

, and the gold medal at the

2011 FIBA Americas Championship The 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Men, later known as the FIBA AmeriCup, was the qualifying tournament for FIBA Americas, at the 2012 Summer Olympics men's basketball tournament, in London. This FIBA AmeriCup tournament was held in Mar del ...

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , 20 , , 10 , , 22.7 , , .452 , , .409 , , .810 , , 2.1 , , 4.0 , , 1.9 , , .2 , , 6.0 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , 21 , , 7 , , 19.5 , , .394 , , .313 , , .893 , , 2.0 , , 3.0 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , 4.4 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , 25 , , 22 , , 27.1 , , .462 , , .368 , , .837 , , 2.1 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 6.2 , , 2.2 , , .0 , , 5.8 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , 23 , , 13 , , 25.3 , , .442 , , .352 , , .913 , , 2.8 , , 4.7 , , 2.5 , , .0 , , 6.6 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , 25 , , 2 , , 23.7 , , .375 , , .327 , , .902 , , 2.7 , , 4.1 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 7.0 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , 21 , , 19 , , 26.6 , , .433 , , .427 , , .545 , , 2.5 , , 4.3 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 6.4 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , 19 , , 27.6 , , .422 , , .328 , , .861 , , 2.5 , , 4.3 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 7.0 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 18 , , 13 , , 25.5 , , .370 , , .344 , , .762 , , 2.6 , , 3.4 , , 1.4 , , .0 , , 5.4 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , 10 , , 6 , , 28.6 , , .439 , , .308 , , .846 , , 3.2 , , 4.6 , , 2.2 , , .0 , , 7.3 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , 3 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.7 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 0.0 , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 , Career , 186 , , 111 , , 24.7 , , .419 , , .351 , , .831 , , 2.5 , , 4.3 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , 6.1 , , 9.6

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 78 , , 18 , , 16.2 , , .455 , , .396 , , .880 , , 1.8 , , 3.0 , , .9 , , .0 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 27 , , 19.4 , , .461 , , .464 , , .917 , , 2.0 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 43 , , 3 , , 18.5 , , .422 , , .374 , , .846 , , 1.9 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, 24 , , 0 , , 17.7 , , .343 , , .275 , , .867 , , 1.6 , , 2.8 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 59 , , 3 , , 13.9 , , .374 , , .295 , , .875 , , 1.9 , , 2.2 , , .9 , , .0 , , 3.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 270 , , 51 , , 16.9 , , .425 , , .379 , , .872 , , 1.9 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 3.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 10 , , 20.9 , , .395 , , .433 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , 3.2 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 4.5 , -' , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 0 , , 17.2 , , .333 , , .293 , , .750 , , 1.1 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .0 , , 3.1 , -' , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 5 , , 0 , , 5.2 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 0.6 , , 1.4 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 33 , , 10 , , 16.6 , , .343 , , .342 , , .625, , 1.2 , , 2.5 , , .9 , , .0 , , 3.1

Awards and accomplishments

Pro career

* Spanish Prince's Cup (Spanish 2nd Cup) Winner: (2002) * Led the Spanish League in steals: (2003) * 3× Spanish King's Cup Winner: (2004, 2006, 2009) * 4×

Spanish Supercup Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Winner: (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) * Spanish King's Cup

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

: (2006) * 2×

2nd Team: (

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

) * Led the EuroLeague in assists: (2006) * 3×

All-ACB Team The All-Liga ACB Team ( es, Quinteto Ideal de la ACB) is an award for the top-tier professional basketball league in Spain, the Spanish ACB League. It is the yearly selection of the league's top 10 basketball players by position. The award began w ...

: (2006, 2007, 2009) * Spanish League Champion: (2008) * Spanish Supercup

: (2008)

Argentina national team

* 2003 FIBA Americas Championship: * 2003

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 ...

: * 2004 South American Championship: *

: * 2008 FIBA Diamond Ball Tournament: *

: *

: * 2011 FIBA Americas Cham *

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

Professional career

Ramallo (1995–1996)

Belgrano San Nicolás (1996–1998)

Obras Sanitarias (1998–1999)

Fuenlabrada (1999–2001)

Lucentum Alicante (2001–2003)

Baskonia (2003–2009)

Real Madrid (2009–2011)

Return to Baskonia (2011–2012)

New York Knicks (2012–2015)

Houston Rockets (2015)

Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2016)

Third stint with Baskonia (2016–2017)

Coaching career

Baskonia (2017)

Brooklyn Nets (2018–2019)

Minnesota Timberwolves (2019–present)

Argentina (2022–present)

National team career

Career statistics

EuroLeague

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

Awards and accomplishments

Pro career

Argentina national team

See also

References

External links