All summer long, NBA Game Time's celebrating the global reach of the game we love. Over the course of 90 days - leading up to the 2014 Global Games in October - get to know more about the international faces of the NBA. Day 8 brings us…
Andrea Bargnani (C/F, New York Knicks) Italy
Height: 2.13m, 7 feet | Weight: 113.4 kg, 250 pounds | Born: 26 October, 1985
There are 82 games in an NBA season. Over the past two years, Andrea Bargnani's been healthy for a combined 77 of them.
Injuries have been a familiar foe to the former No. 1 pick over his seven-year career, and this season proved no different. On 22 January, Bargnani attempted a dramatic dunk over two 76ers' defenders but fell short and landed on his left arm, tearing a ligament in his elbow and ending his season.
When healthy, Bargnani has shown that he has the potential to live up to high expectations. He's scored 30-plus points in a game 18 times in his career and helped lead the Toronto Raptors to Playoff appearances during his first two seasons.
With one more year left on his contract with the Knicks, fans will be eager to see if he can turn things around.
Key Stats
2013-14 Season- PTS: 13.3 | REB: 5.3 | AST: 1.1 | BLK: 1.2
Season Highlight: Bargnani shot 82.4% from the free-throw line.
Awards:
*NBA All-Rookie First Team (2007)
*NBA Rookie of the Month: January (2007), February (2007)
5 Things to Know:
1. Selected #1 overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors
2. Finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2006-07 (won by Portland's Brandon Roy)
3. While with the Raptors, he scored a career high 41 points in a loss to the Knicks at MSG on 8 December 2010.
4. Ranks 3rd on the all-time scoring list for the Toronto Raptors with 6,581 points.
5. Nickname is "Il Mago" which translates to "the magician"
Check out Bargnani's photos and video in the LEAGUE section of NBA Game Time
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