Alberto Díaz
{{Short description|Spanish basketball player (born 1994)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{other uses|Alberto Díaz (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Alberto Díaz
| image = Alberto Díaz Ortiz - Penya-Unicaja by unniks-17.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| position = Point guard
| height_m = 1.91
| weight_kg = 86
| league = Liga ACB
| team = Unicaja
| number = 9
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1994|04|23}}
| birth_place = Málaga, Spain
| draft_year = 2016
| career_start = 2011
| career_end =
| years1 = 2011–2014 | team1 = Clínicas Rincón
| years2 = 2012–present | team2 = Unicaja
| years3 = 2014 | team3 = →Bilbao Basket
| years4 = 2014–2015 | team4 = →Baloncesto Fuenlabrada
| highlights =
- FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion (2024)
- FIBA Champions League champion (2024)
- FIBA Champions League Best Defender (2023)
- 2× All-FIBA Champions League Defensive Team (2022, 2023)
- EuroCup champion (2017)
- EuroCup Finals MVP (2017)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Men's basketball}}
{{MedalCountry|{{flagicon|ESP}} Spain}}
{{MedalCompetition|EuroBasket}}
{{MedalGold|2022 Germany|}}
{{MedalCompetition|FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship}}
{{MedalSilver|2014 Greece|Under-20 team}}
}}
{{family name hatnote|Díaz|Ortiz|lang=Spanish}}
Alberto Díaz Ortiz (born 23 April 1994) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Unicaja of the Liga ACB. At a height of {{convert|1.91|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in shoes,[http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alberto-Diaz-44110/ ALBERTO DIAZ HEIGHT W/O SHOES 6'2.0" HEIGHT W/ SHOES 6'3.0".] and a weight of {{convert|86|kg|lb|abbr=on}},[http://www.nbadraft.net/players/alberto-diaz Alberto Diaz Ht: 6-3 Wt: 190.] he plays at the point guard position.
Professional career
Díaz started his professional career at Clínicas Rincón, an affiliated team of Unicaja. He played simultaneously with both teams until March 2014, when he was loaned to Bilbao Basket, until the end of the 2013–14 season.
Díaz was loaned again for the next season, this time to Baloncesto Fuenlabrada, a team that finished in the last position of the 2014–15 ACB season.
Finally, in the summer of 2015, he came back to Unicaja, and definitively took a role in the team in the 2015–16 season. In the 2016–17 season, Díaz won the European-wide 2nd-tier level EuroCup, with Unicaja, after beating Valencia Basket in the Finals.{{Cite news |url=https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/ |title=7DAYS EuroCup Finals, Game 3: Unicaja Malaga is the champion! |date=5 April 2017 |accessdate=6 April 2017 |publisher=Eurocupbasketball.com}} Along with winning the EuroCup trophy, Díaz was also named the EuroCup Finals MVP,{{Cite news |url=http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/news/i/7q43wprnu8b8575a/alberto-diaz-chosen-mvp-of-eurocup-finals |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407055656/http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/news/i/7q43wprnu8b8575a/alberto-diaz-chosen-mvp-of-eurocup-finals |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 April 2017 |title=Alberto Diaz chosen MVP of EuroCup Finals |publisher=Eurocupbasketball.com |date=5 April 2017 |accessdate=6 April 2017}} after he averaged 7.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 steals, in 21.8 minutes per game, over the three-game series.[https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/?seasoncode=U2016&pcode=004213 DIAZ, ALBERTO EuroCup 2016-17 STATISTICS.]
Diaz signed a four-year contract extension on 7 August 2020.{{cite news |title=Malaga, Alberto Diaz pen contract extension |url=https://sportando.basketball/en/malaga-alberto-diaz-pen-contract-extension/ |website=Sportando |accessdate=7 August 2020 |date=7 August 2020}}
International career
Díaz took part of the Spain national under-18 basketball team that won the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.solobasket.com/competiciones-feb/mannheim-2012-espana-deslumbra-al-mundo-76-65-campeones |title=Mannheim 2012: España deslumbra al mundo (76-65), ¡CAMPEONES! |publisher=Solobasket |date=14 April 2012 |accessdate=5 February 2016 |language=Spanish}}
In July 2014, he won the silver medal at the Under-20 championship played in Greece.{{cite web |url=http://baloncesto.as.com/baloncesto/2014/07/20/mas_baloncesto/1405888325_716197.html |title=La Sub-20 también es de plata |publisher=As |date=20 July 2014 |accessdate=5 February 2016 |language=Spanish}}
After being cut from the final roster of the Spanish NT for EuroBasket 2022, he rejoined the team at the eleventh hour in the wake of Sergio Llull's injury, eventually being an integral part of the Spanish gold medal run, particularly in terms of providing defensive balance to the team, with averages of 5.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists.{{Cite web |date=19 September 2022 |title=Alberto Díaz, el líder silencioso de la campeona del Eurobasket |url=https://www.mundodeportivo.com/baloncesto/eurobasket/20220919/1001871366/alberto-diaz-lider-silencioso-campeona-eurobasket.html |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=mundodeportivo.com |language=es}} He was praised for his defence on Dennis Schröder in the 4th quarter of the semifinals.{{Cite web |website=basketnews |url=https://basketnews.com/news-178230-europes-best-perimeter-defender-how-alberto-diaz-became-a-nightmare-for-eurobasket-stars.html |date=21 September 2022 |title='Europe's best perimeter defender': How Alberto Diaz became a nightmare for EuroBasket stars |first=Giorgos |last=Kyriakidis}}
Player profile
According to Fotis Katsikaris, Díaz "has an incredible mentality as an athlete. He always plays at 110% and does not know how to practice at a slower pace. I think he's one of the best, if not the best, perimeter defenders in Europe".
Achievements
= Individual awards =
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{FIBA|new_id=182906|old_id=85658}}
- [http://competiciones.feb.es/estadisticas/Jugador.aspx?i=603818&c=1168750 Alberto Díaz] at feb.es {{in lang|es}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20170726023015/http://www.acb.com/jugador.php?id=SHG Alberto Díaz] at acb.com {{in lang|es}} (archived)
- {{Eurobasket.com player|192088}}
- [https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/alberto-diaz_1958487 Alberto Díaz] at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
- [https://esp.coe.es/atleta/alberto-diaz-ortiz/352900/ Alberto Díaz – COE – Paris 2024] {{in lang|es}}
{{Baloncesto Málaga current roster}}
{{Navboxes|list1=
{{Spain Squad EuroBasket 2022}}
{{Baloncesto Málaga 2016–17 EuroCup Champions}}
{{Eurocup Finals MVP Award}}
{{Baloncesto Málaga 2023–24 BCL Champions}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Alberto}}
Category:2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players
Category:Baloncesto Fuenlabrada players
Category:Baloncesto Málaga players
Category:Basketball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:Bilbao Basket players
Category:Olympic basketball players for Spain
Category:Spanish men's basketball players