Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz will have a familiar face running the plays this season after it signed veteran point guard Marcelinho Huertas, who was the team’s playmaker for two seasons from 2009 through 2011. He signed a two-year deal on Tuesday.
Huertas (1.91 meters, 34 years old) helped the team win the Spanish League championship in 2010 and set EuroLeague career highs in the second of those seasons with 10.3 points and 5.5 assists per game. He arrives from Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, where Huertas averaged 2.7 points and 2.3 assists in 23 NBA games last season.
He has played the bulk of his professional career in Europe, including seven EuroLeague seasons with three different clubs, all of which were based in Spain. Huertas started his career with Pinheiros and Paulistano Sao Paolo of his native Brazil and has also played for Joventut Badalona, Bilbao Basket, Baskonia and FC Barcelona of Spain and for Fortitudo Bologna of Italy.
He lifted the Spanish League trophy with Barcelona in 2012 and 2014 and won the Copa del Rey title with the same club in 2013. Huertas also made it to the EuroLeague playoffs in six consecutive seasons from 2010 to 2015 and played at back-to-back Final Fours with Barcelona in 2013 and 2014.
He also won the FIBA Eurocup title with Joventut in 2006.
Huertas has been a regular with the Brazilian national team, which he helped win gold medals at the 2005 and 2009 FIBA Americas Championship, 2006 South American Championship and 2007 Pan American Games.
He also led Brazil to a silver medal at the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship. In seven EuroLeague seasons and 165 career games with Joventut, Baskonia and Barcelona, Huertas has amassed 1,325 points and 627 assists and ranks 12th overall in the latter category.
Source: EuroLeague