Derek Raivio
Derek Raivio | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 9, 1984 United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 2007–2016 |
| Known for | Playing for Benfica in the Portuguese Basketball League; collegiate career at Gonzaga University |
Derek Raivio (born November 9, 1984) is a retired American professional basketball athlete who most recently competed for Benfica in the Portuguese Basketball League.
College career
Raivio spent four years playing collegiate basketball at Gonzaga University from 2003 to 2007 under the guidance of coach Mark Few, following his graduation from Mountain View High School in Vancouver. During his tenure at Gonzaga, he established new records for both single-season and career scoring totals, accumulating 1,568 points.
In his final collegiate season, Raivio earned the title of co-West Coast Conference Player of the Year, an accolade he shared with Sean Denison from Santa Clara. He concluded his NCAA Division I career ranked second all-time for free throw accuracy (.927) and stood twelfth on Gonzaga’s overall scoring list. Furthermore, he secured second place in steals, fourth in assists, and was also fourth in three-point field goals made at Gonzaga.
Professional career
Raivio began his professional journey in 2007 by signing with TBB Trier in Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga. In 2010, he played in the NBA D-League for the Erie Bayhawks and split that season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. The following season, 2011–12, saw him compete in Japan with the newly formed Shinshu Brave Warriors. In 2012, he moved to Belgium to join Okapi Aalstar of the Ethias League, where he led the league in scoring (18.7 points per game) and topped the Performance Index Rating charts (20.7 per game). Raivio was instrumental in guiding the fifth-seeded team to the Finals, where they narrowly lost 3–2 to Telenet Oostende.
On June 25, 2014, Raivio signed with Czech club ČEZ Nymburk, participating in the Eurocup. He then transferred to French side SLUC Nancy Basket on July 11, 2015. Continuing his international career trajectory, Raivio signed with Portuguese outfit Benfica on August 16, 2016.