Válter Apolinário da Silva (31 January 1977), commonly known as Valtinho da Silva, or simply Valtinho, is a Brazilian former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. Born in Rio Claro, he played at the point guard position, and he is considered one of the last classical point guards of Brazilian basketball. Recognized for being a player who had responsibility in defining moments, he knew how to control the dynamics of the game, always controlling the pace of his team on the court.

Professional career

Valtinho was the conductor of Uberlândia, and beside the head coach Helio Rubens Garcia, and his son, Helio Rubens Filho, won the 2004 Brazilian national league title, beating

Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football ...

in the finals series 3–0. After the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic C ...

, Valtinho moved to Vasco da Gama, to compete for the state championship in Rio de Janeiro, where he was defeated by his greatest team rival, Flamengo. His short spell at ''Gigante da Colina'' ended, when the point guard signed with the then Brazilian League champions, Brasilia. In three seasons with Brasilia, Valtinho became one of the greatest club idols of the fans of Brasilia. Along with Alex Garcia and Arthur Belchior, da Silva was defeated in two consecutive finals of the Brazilian national league championship by Flamengo, which initiated the largest Brazilian basketball rivalry of recent times. But the following season, Brasilia hit back at the team led by

Marcelinho Machado Marcelo "Marcelinho" Magalhães Machado (born 12 April 1975) is a former Brazilian professional basketball player. At a height of 2.01 m (6'7") tall, and a weight of 95 kg (210 lbs.), he played at the shooting guard and small forward ...

winning the

FIBA South American League The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...

and the Brazilian national championship, in 2010. After the

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 ...

, Valtinho returned to the city where he was an idol, Uberlândia. In his first two seasons with Uberlândia in the NBB, the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals – by Brasília in 2011, and by Flamengo in 2012. But the team's third appearance in the NBB in 2013, included the return of two of the club's idols, Helio Rubens Garcia and his son. The return of the two, added to Valtinho and Americans Robert Day and

Robby Collum Robbie or Robby is a surname. It is usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob or Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. People Given name Robbie *Robbie Amell (born ...

, led to an Uberlândia final against Flamengo, repeating the Brazilian League final from nine years earlier. But the ending was different. With the help of their fanatical fans, Flamengo annulled Robert Day, and led by the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

Caio Torres, won their third Brazilian national league title.

National team career

A great season with Uberlândia, led to Valtinho being selected by head coach

Lula Ferreira Aluísio ("Lula") Elias Ferreira Xavier, commonly known as Lula Ferreira (born January 2, 1951 in São Paulo), is a Brazilian professional basketball coach. Coaching career Clubs During his professional club head coaching career, Ferreira coache ...

, to compete at the

, in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

. It was Valtinho's return to the Brazilian national team, after four years. The team, which had players like

Leandro Barbosa Leandro Mateus Barbosa (; born November 28, 1982), also known as Leandrinho Barbosa, is a Brazilian former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also rep ...

Marquinhos Marcos Aoás Corrêa (born 14 May 1994), known as Marquinhos, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain, which he captains, and the Brazil national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can ...

, and

Marcelinho Huertas Marcelo "Marcelinho" Tieppo Huertas (born 25 May 1983) is a Brazilian professional basketball player for Iberostar Tenerife of the Spanish Liga ACB. He is also a member of the senior men's Brazilian national basketball team, and holds Italia ...

, received unconditional support of Brazilian fans, and won the title, after winning the final against

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. Valtinho was called by head coach Rubén Magnano to play with Brazil at the

, but he was eventually cut from the team, before the tournament began.

References

External links

FIBA ProfileLatinbasket.com ProfileNBB Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Valter da 1977 births Living people Associação Bauru Basketball players Basketball players at the 2003 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Club Athletico Paulistano basketball players CR Vasco da Gama basketball players Franca Basquetebol Clube players Novo Basquete Brasil players Pan American Games gold medalists for Brazil Pan American Games medalists in basketball Point guards São José Basketball players UniCEUB/BRB players Unitri/Uberlândia basketball players Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games Sportspeople from São Paulo (state) People from Rio Claro, São Paulo