Sergio Llull Melià (; born 15 November 1987) is a Spanish 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 and the

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He is a tall point guard and shooting guard. Llull is a two−time

All-EuroLeague Team The All-EuroLeague Team is an award for 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 season. During the FIBA era of the EuroLeague, players were honor ...

selection, and was the

EuroLeague MVP The EuroLeague MVP, or EuroLeague Full Season MVP, is the award bestowed to the player that is deemed to be the "Most Valuable Player" during the full season of the EuroLeague. The EuroLeague is the top-tier level European-wide men's prof ...

of the 2016–17 season. As a regular member of the senior Spain national team, he has won a FIBA World Cup title, three EuroBasket gold medals, as well as a bronze. He also won two Summer Olympics medals, a silver in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, and a bronze in

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 of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

Professional career

Early years

Llull began his career playing for the La Salle Maò and CB i Unió Manresana junior clubs as a youth. He made his professional debut with the Spanish ACB League club Manresa during the 2005–06 season. He also played with the Spanish 4th Division club Finques Olesa that season, on loan. He returned to Manresa, and played in the Spanish 2nd Division in the next season.

Real Madrid

Llull joined the Spanish EuroLeague club Real Madrid in 2007. In 2009, Real Madrid exercised a club option to extend his contract for another 2 years. In 2010, Llull extended his contract with Real Madrid through the year 2014. He was named the

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 ...

of the final of the mid-season three game

Spanish King's Cup tournament. Later that year, Llull extended his contract with Real Madrid once again, this time through the 2017–18 season. In the 2014–15 season, Real Madrid won the EuroLeague championship, after defeating Olympiacos by a score of 78–59 in the 2015 EuroLeague Final. Real Madrid eventually finished the season by also winning the Spanish League championship, after a 3–0 series sweep in the Spanish League Finals series against

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. By winning the Spanish League championship, Real Madrid won the

triple crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

. Llull was named the Spanish League Finals MVP of 2015. In the Summer of 2015, Llull once again extended his contract with Real Madrid, this time through the 2020–21 season. The 6-year contract extension was at a per season salary of €2.7 million euros net income per season, and his contract included a record buyout option of €25 million euros (USD$28.64 million as of 3 February 2019 exchange rate), the highest buyout amount ever in European club basketball history. Llull was named the

of the 2016–17 season. In May 2018, Real Madrid won the 2017–18 EuroLeague season championship, after defeating Fenerbahçe Doğuş in the final game, by a score of 85–80. Llull missed most of the season due to a torn ACL injury, only to come back into the team's rotation at the Final Four, where he helped his team to grab their second EuroLeague title in four seasons.

NBA draft rights

Llull was chosen by the Denver Nuggets with the 34th pick in the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other e ...

. The Houston Rockets then bought his draft rights from the Nuggets for approximately $2.25 million, which at the time made him the most expensive player ever to be purchased during the draft's second round. On 27 November 2020 Llull's draft rights were traded to the New York Knicks.

National team career

As a member of the junior Spain national basketball teams, Llull won the gold medal at the

2004 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The 2004 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was an international basketball competition held in Spain in 2004. Final ranking 1. Spain 2. Turkey 3. France 4. Italy 5. 6. Russia 7. Greece 8. Israel 9. Lithuania 10. Bulgaria 11. ...

, and he won the silver medal at the

2007 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship The 2007 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was the tenth edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The cities of Nova Gorica, in Slovenia, and Gorizia, in Italy, hosted the tournament. Serbia won their first title with that name

. He has also played with the senior men's

Spain national basketball team The Spain men's national basketball team ( es, Selección Española de Baloncesto) represents Spain in international basketball competitions. They are managed by the Spanish Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Spain. Spa ...

. Llull won the gold medal at the

2019 FIBA World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, becoming the first since 1967 FIBA World Ch ...

, three gold medals at the EuroBasket, in 2009, 2011, and 2015. He also won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, the bronze medal at the

EuroBasket 2013 EuroBasket 2013 was the 38th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It took place from 4 September until 22 September 2013 in Slovenia. The number of participating teams was 24. France defeated Lithuania in th ...

, and the bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He also played at 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 ...

, and at the

2014 FIBA World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

Player profile

Early in his career, Llull was known for his straight line speed, jumping ability, and open court fast break dunks. Later in his career, he has been known for his long-distance 3 point shooting, and clutch shots. Llull averaged a PIR of 16.8 in the EuroLeague, during the 2016–17 season. He can play at either the point guard or shooting guard position. He spent the early part of his

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

EuroLeague career playing as a shooting guard, and then switched to the point guard position later in his club career. In the senior men's Spain national team, he has mainly played at the shooting guard position.

Career statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 15 , , 8.1 , , .370 , , .000 , , .789 , , .4 , , .9 , , .2 , , .1 , , 2.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 19 , , 19.0 , , .468 , , .380 , , .926 , , 1.1 , , 2.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 18 , , 21.1 , , .521 , , .418 , , .724 , , 1.2 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 9.5 , - , 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. ...

, style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 23 , , 28.0 , , .401 , , .343 , , .841 , , 2.3 , , 3.0 , , .8 , , .1 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 16 , , 22.2 , , .427 , , .295 , , .719 , , 1.5 , , 3.2 , , .6 , , .0 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 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;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 27 , , 27.0 , , .396 , , .339 , , .781 , , 2.3 , , 3.2 , , .6 , , .1 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 31 , , 29.1 , , .466 , , .338 , , .796 , , 1.8 , , 4.1 , , .6 , , .0 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , Liga ACB , 42 , , 24.7 , , .457 , , .363 , , .864 , , 1.8 , , 3.3 , , .8 , , .1 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 30 , , 27.5 , , .439 , , .379 , , .821 , , 1.7 , , 5.8 , , .8 , , .1 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 24 , , 27.8 , , .378 , , .350 , , .807 , , 1.8 , , 4.6 , , .7 , , .2 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , Liga ACB , 39 , , 25.6 , , .434 , , .344 , , .793 , , 1.5 , , 5.4 , , .5 , , .0 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 33 , , 27.8 , , .416 , , .330 , , .847 , , 1.8 , , 5.9 , , .7 , , .1 , , 16.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 4 , , 18.0 , , .361 , , .375 , , .500 , , .5 , , 4.5 , , .5 , , .0 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 27 , , 21.4 , , .358 , , .321 , , .958 , , 2.0 , , 4.0 , , .4 , , .0 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 16 , , 18.6 , , .287 , , .288 , , .893 , , 1.2 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , .1 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , Liga ACB , 28 , , 16.0 , , .371 , , .328 , , .784 , , 1.6 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , .0 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , style="text-align:left;", Real Madrid , EuroLeague , 25 , , 17.6 , , .372 , , .336 , , .863 , , 1.6 , , 3.0 , , .4 , , .0 , , 8.8 , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2 , Career , All Leagues , 417 , , 23.4 , , .414 , , .343 , , .824 , , 1.7 , , 3.8 , , .6 , , .1 , , 11.0

Awards and accomplishments

Pro career

* Liga ACB (Spanish League) champion (7×): : 2007,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, 2015,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

(Spanish Cup) winner (6×): :

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, 2015,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

* Supercopa de España (Spanish Supercup) winner (7×): :

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

* EuroLeague champion (2×): : 2015,

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

winner: :2015 *

FIBA Intercontinental Cup The FIBA Intercontinental Cup, also commonly referred to as the FIBA World Cup for Champion Clubs, or the FIBA Club World Cup, is a professional basketball clubs competition that is endorsed by FIBA and the NBA. Historically, its purpose has b ...

champion: : 2015

Spanish junior national team

: * 2007

FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship The FIBA U20 European Championship, previously known as the European Championship for Men '22 and Under', is a men's youth basketball competition that was inaugurated with the 1992 edition. Through the 2004 edition, it was held biennially, but ...

Spanish senior national team

EuroBasket 2009 The 2009 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2009, was the 36th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September and concluded with the ...

: *

EuroBasket 2011 EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted the 1939 cha ...

: * 2012 Summer Olympics: Silver medal

Silver *

: *

EuroBasket 2015 EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 S ...

: * 2016 Summer Olympics: Bronze medal

Bronze * 2019 FIBA World Championship:

Individual awards

*8×

: ** All-EuroLeague Second Team: 2011 **

All-EuroLeague First Team The All-EuroLeague Team is an award for 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 season. During the FIBA era of the EuroLeague, players were honor ...

* 1× All-Decade Euroleague team member * 2× Spanish ACB League MVP of the Month: February 2012, February 2016 * 2× Spanish King's Cup

* 3× All-Spanish ACB League Team:

, 2015,

* 2×

EuroLeague MVP of the Month The EuroLeague MVP of the Month is the award of Europe's premier level basketball league, the EuroLeague, for the most valuable player of each month of the season. The award began in the 2004–05 season, after the EuroLeague eliminated the Eur ...

: April 2013, November 2016 * 3× Spanish Supercup MVP:

* 2× Spanish ACB League Finals MVP: 2015,

* FIBA Intercontinental Cup MVP: 2015 * Spanish League MVP:

: 2017

Professional career

Early years

Real Madrid

NBA draft rights

National team career

Player profile

Career statistics

Awards and accomplishments

Pro career

Spanish junior national team

Spanish senior national team

Individual awards

References

External links