Marco Belinelli

Marco Belinelli
Marco Belinelli
Born	March 25, 1986 (age 40); Italy
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	2002–2025
Known for	First Italian to win an NBA title; 2014 NBA Three-Point Contest winner

Marco Stefano Belinelli (; born 25 March 1986) is a retired professional basketball player from Italy. Chosen as the 18th pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, he made history as the first Italian to secure an NBA title when he won with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. That same year, he also claimed victory in the Three-Point Contest during the 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend. Belinelli has been a key figure for Italy’s national team, competing in several international tournaments such as the FIBA EuroBasket events (2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) and the FIBA World Championship (2006, 2019).

Virtus and Fortitudo Bologna (2002–2007)

Belinelli’s early career included playing in Italy’s Serie A and EuroLeague leagues with Virtus Bologna and Fortitudo Bologna. Although he experienced defeat in the 2004 EuroLeague Finals against Maccabi Tel Aviv, he secured the Serie A championship with Fortitudo in 2005.

Golden State Warriors (2007–2009)

After being picked 18th overall in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft by Golden State, Belinelli impressed by scoring 37 points during his debut NBA Summer League game, marking one of the highest single-game totals in Vegas Summer League history. He maintained an average of 22.8 points across four games before leaving to compete for Italy at EuroBasket 2007. On December 19, 2008, he notched 27 points despite a loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Toronto Raptors (2009–2010)

Belinelli was traded to the Toronto Raptors on July 30, 2009, in exchange for Devean George, joining fellow Italian Andrea Bargnani. He made his starting debut for Toronto on February 2, 2010, facing off against the Indiana Pacers.

New Orleans Hornets (2010–2012)

On August 11, 2010, Belinelli was sent to the New Orleans Hornets in return for Julian Wright. Following the conclusion of the 2010–11 season, he became a restricted free agent but re-signed with New Orleans by accepting a $3.4 million qualifying offer in December 2011 to remain for another year.

Chicago Bulls (2012–2013)

Belinelli inked a contract with the Chicago Bulls on July 24, 2012. He gained recognition as a reliable clutch performer, delivering several game-winning shots against teams such as the Celtics, Pistons, Nets, and Jazz. A highlight was his contribution of 24 points alongside Joakim Noah during Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets.

San Antonio Spurs (2013–2015)

Belinelli signed with the San Antonio Spurs on July 11, 2013.

He achieved a personal best by scoring 32 points on January 2, 2014, although the Spurs fell short in a narrow 101–105 defeat to the New York Knicks.

During the NBA All-Star Weekend held in New Orleans in 2014, Belinelli won the Three-Point Contest, edging out Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards after sinking six consecutive shots at one rack in a tiebreaker.

In his inaugural season with San Antonio, he recorded career-best percentages across field goals, three-pointers, and free throws.

In Game 3 of the 2014 NBA Finals versus Miami Heat, Belinelli made a pivotal three-pointer that extended San Antonio’s lead. After securing the championship title that year, he became Italy’s first player to win an NBA Finals ring.

Kings, Hornets, Hawks, and 76ers (2015–2018)

On 13 July 2015, Belinelli agreed to terms with the Sacramento Kings. He recorded a season-best 28 points on 30 December 2015 during a defeat against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Belinelli was traded to the Charlotte Hornets on 7 July 2016 in exchange for the draft rights to Malachi Richardson. Nearly a year later, on 20 June 2017, he was included in a trade package to the Atlanta Hawks alongside Miles Plumlee and a draft pick, receiving Dwight Howard and another draft selection in return. The Hawks waived him on 9 February 2018.

Shortly thereafter, on 12 February 2018, Belinelli signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. During Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the Boston Celtics, he nailed a corner two-pointer that forced overtime; however, the 76ers ultimately fell 98–101.

Second tenure with the Spurs (2018–2020)

Belinelli returned to the San Antonio Spurs on 20 July 2018, marking his second stint with the franchise.

Virtus Bologna (2020–2025)

On 26 November 2020, Belinelli departed from the NBA to ink a three-year deal with Virtus Bologna, extending through June 2023. Despite Virtus boasting an impressive 19–2 record in April 2021, they were eliminated in the EuroCup semifinals by UNICS Kazan. The season ended triumphantly as Virtus swept both Basket Treviso and New Basket Brindisi by 3–0 in playoffs before overpowering rival Olimpia Milano 4–0 in the finals, clinching their 16th national championship and first in twenty years.

Virtus secured its second Supercup on 21 September 2021 by defeating Olimpia Milano again, this time by a score of 90–84. After progressing through the playoffs past Lietkabelis, Ulm, and Valencia, Virtus captured its first-ever EuroCup title on 11 May 2022, earning qualification to the EuroLeague after a fourteen-year absence. Although Virtus finished atop the regular season standings and swept their initial playoff rounds, they were ultimately defeated by Olimpia Milan in the national finals by a series score of 4–2.

On 29 September 2022, Virtus won its third Supercup by edging out Banco di Sardegna Sassari with a final score of 72–69. However, their EuroLeague campaign ended with a disappointing fourteenth-place finish in the EuroLeague season, missing out on playoff contention. Additionally, they lost the Italian Basketball Cup final to Brescia. In the domestic playoffs, after strong performances, Virtus was narrowly defeated by Olimpia Milan in a closely contested final series that extended to seven games.

Belinelli extended his contract with Virtus until 2025 on 7 July 2023. On 24 September, Virtus captured their fourth Supercup and third consecutive title with an emphatic 97–60 win over Germani Brescia. Despite starting well in the EuroLeague regular season and finishing in tenth place, Virtus was eliminated during the play-in round after securing a victory against Anadolu Efes but falling to Saski Baskonia. Domestically, they topped the regular season standings but were defeated by Milan in their third straight final appearance by a series score of 3–1.

In the subsequent season, Virtus concluded their EuroLeague campaign at seventeenth place following an underwhelming performance. On home soil, they once again finished first in the regular season and advanced past Venezia (3–2) and Milan (3–1) to reach their fifth consecutive finals. They then swept Brescia 3–0 to secure their seventeenth Italian championship title. For Belinelli, this achievement represented his third scudetto.

On 18 August 2025, Belinelli announced his retirement from professional basketball after two decades of competition, expressing that he had given basketball "my heart... Every piece of me... Basketball gave me everything… and I gave it everything I had.”

National team career

Belinelli made his first appearance with the Italian national basketball team during the 2006 FIBA World Championship, where he led his squad in scoring with an average of 13.5 points per game. Among his standout performances was a 25-point game against the USA national team. Throughout subsequent EuroBasket competitions, his scoring averages were 15.5 points in 2007, 12.0 in 2011, 13.6 in 2013, 16.3 in 2015, and peaked at 17.9 points per game in 2017.

Regular season

|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Golden State | 33 || 0 || 7.3 || .387 || .390 || .778 || .4 || .5 || .2 || .0 || 2.9 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Golden State | 42 || 23 || 21.0 || .442 || .397 || .769 || 1.7 || 2.1 || .9 || .0 || 8.9 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Toronto | 66 || 1 || 17.0 || .406 || .380 || .835 || 1.4 || 1.3 || .6 || .1 || 7.1 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | New Orleans | 80 || 69 || 24.5 || .437 || .414 || .784 || 1.9 || 1.2 || .5 || .1 || 10.5 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | New Orleans | style="background:#cfecec;"|66* || 55 || 29.8 || .417 || .377 || .783 || 2.6 || 1.5 || .7 || .1 || 11.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Chicago | 73 || 27 || 25.8 || .395 || .357 || .839 || 1.9 || 2.0 || .6 || .1 || 9.6 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| † | align="left" | San Antonio | 80 || 25 || 25.2 || .485 || .430|| .847|| 2.8|| 2.2|| .6|| .1||11.4 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | San Antonio |62||9||22.4||.423||.374||.848||2.5||1.5||.5||0||9.2 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Sacramento |68||7||24.6||.386||.306||.833||1.7||1.9||.5||0||10.2 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Charlotte |74||0||24.0||.429||.362||.893||2.4||2.0||.6||.1||10.5 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Atlanta |52||1||23.3||.411||.372||.927||1.9||2.0|||.9||0||11.4 |- |- |align=left | |- |align=left |2017–18 Philadelphia 76ers season |- |28 |- |1 |- |26.3 |- |.495 |- |'.385' |- |'.870' |- |'1'.8 |- |'1'.6 |-|' '.7 |-|' '.3 |-|' 13.6 ' |- |-

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|- style=text-align:center colspan=2 Career |-860 |-219 |-22.7 |-.424 |-.376 |-.846 |-2.1 |-1.7 |-.6 |-.1 |-9.7

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Playoffs

Template:NBA player statistics start |- | align="left" | 2011 | align="left" | New Orleans |6||6|||28.8|||.365|||.308|||1.000|||0.8|||0.7|||0.8|||0|||9.7 |- | align="left" | 2013 | align="left" | Chicago |12|||7|||27.1|||.411|||.340|||.879|||2.9|||2.6|||0.4|||0|||11.1 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | 2014† | align="left" | San Antonio |'23'||0|'15.5'|'444'|'421'|'955'|'2'.3|'0'.8|'0'.1|'0'|'5'.4 |- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - class=sortbottom |}

EuroLeague

Template:Euroleague player statistics start |}

Season	Team	Games	Starts	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR

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Works

Marco Belinelli (preface), Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi (in Italian), Fratelli tutti: Davvero uomini e donne in dialogo con il cardinale Matteo Maria Zuppi, Effatà, 2021, ISBN 9788869297632, 98 pages

External links