Walter Magnifico (born June 18, 1961 in
San Severo, Italy) is a former Italian 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 and coach. At a height of 2.09 m (6'10 ") tall, he played at the
power forward and
center positions. He is considered to be one of the best Italian basketball players ever, and he was among the 105 player nominees for the
50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors
The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural sea ...
list.
Professional career
After playing with the junior teams of Cestistica San Severo, Magnifico spent most of his pro career with
VL Pesaro
Victoria Libertas (also known as "VL" or in Italian ''Vuelle''), full name Unione Sportiva Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro, is a professional basketball team that is based in Pesaro, Italy. The club competes in the top level Italian professiona ...
, thus becoming one of the club's emblems. While in
Pesaro
Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, ...
, he led his team to a
Saporta Cup
The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA E ...
title in 1983, two
Italian League
The Italic League or Most Holy League was an international agreement concluded in Venice on 30 August 1454, between the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Kingdom of Naples, following the Tr ...
championships, in 1988 and 1990, and to two
Italian Cup
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
titles, in 1985 and 1992. He also won a third Italian Cup, after his transfer to
Virtus Bologna, in 1997.
National team career
Magnifico was a regular member of the senior
Italian national team
The Italy national football team ( it, Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing bo ...
. He helped Italy win the bronze medal at the
1985 EuroBasket
The 1985 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1985, was the 24th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It took place from 5 to 16 June 1985 in West Germany. The Soviet Union defeated Cze ...
, and the silver medal at the
1991 EuroBasket
The 1991 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1991, was the 27th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It was held in Italy between 24 and 29 June 1991. Eight national teams entered the eve ...
.
References
External links
Fibaeurope.com profileEuroleague.net 50 greatest contributors - nominees
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnifico, Walter
1961 births
Living people
Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Centers (basketball)
Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna players
Italian basketball coaches
Italian men's basketball players
Nuova AMG Sebastiani Basket Rieti players
Olympic basketball players of Italy
Pallacanestro Virtus Roma players
People from San Severo
Power forwards (basketball)
Victoria Libertas Pesaro players
Virtus Bologna players
1986 FIBA World Championship players
Sportspeople from the Province of Foggia