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(biografieonline.it) Dino Meneghin was born in Alano di Piave, in the province of Belluno, in the Veneto region, exactly on 18 January 1950. A former basketball player and sports manager, in 2008 he was appointed president of the Italian Basketball Federation. 2.04 meters tall, with a “centre” role, he is unanimously considered the strongest Italian player in the history of basketball, famous throughout the world and the only Italian basketball player present in the Springfield Hall of Fame, in the 2000s also included in the Hall of Fame in Europe, as well as the first Italian to be chosen in the NBA draft.
His career includes 12 championships, 6 Italian Cups, 7 Champions Cups, 4 Intercontinental Cups, 1 Korac Cup, 2 Cup Winners’ Cups, 1 Olympic gold at France 1983. He is the Italian basketball player who has won the most.
His arrival at professional basketball came when he was just sixteen years old. It was 1966 when the young Dino was noticed and brought to the first team by Nico Messina, then head of the youth sector of Ignis Varese. The future coach of the team sensed the great qualities of Meneghin, who soon, with his colleague Aldo Ossola, formed a very strong tandem, which brought the Varese team back to the top.
Dino played and won with Pallacanestro Varese until 1981. From 1968 to 1978 he won the national championship seven times. But that’s not all: in the 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976 seasons, again with the Ignis shirt, Meneghin won the European Cup, establishing himself as one of the strongest players in the world.
The first call up to the national team dates back to 1969. In 1971 he earned a bronze at the European Championships in West Germany. In 1975 he repeated the result in Yugoslavia. The silver at the Olympics came in 1980, in Moscow and, in 1983, he won gold at the European Championships in France, at the height of his strength and athletic splendor, which was reflected both in the blue shirt and in the club teams in which he played during his long career. With the Italian national team, he will take part in four Olympics, taking to the field 271 times, second in appearances only to Pierluigi Marzorati. The points with the national team amount to 2,947, also in this case second in the standings, behind Antonello Riva.
After the experience with Varese he found Olimpia Milano on his path, whose shirt he wore in 1981. Also in this case Dino Meneghin remained faithful to the colors of the team, remaining in the Lombard capital until 1990, when he reached the age of forty. The basketball player, however, is an example of competitive longevity and did not stop playing basketball until 1994, at the age of forty-four.
With the Milan team, Dino Meneghin continues to collect trophies. In 1986 and 1987 he won two more championships. But not only that, he also won the European Cup with Olimpia, both in 1987 and the following year. In 1987, another magical year for him, he also won the Intercontinental Cup, for the fourth time, after the other three wins with Varese.
From 1990 to 1993 he wore the Stefanel Trieste jersey, without obtaining victories, now over forty years old. Meanwhile, in 1991 the magazine “Giganti del Basket” elected him as the greatest European player of all time. He ended his career still in Milan, with Olimpia.
At the end of the games, Meneghin totaled 836 championship games and 8,580 points. Participations in the Champions Cup finals are 13, with 7 victories. During his glittering career he also won two Cup Winners’ Cups and came fourth twice in the World Cup.
To underline his competitive longevity there is a more unique than rare event: Dino played an official championship match against his son Andrea Meneghin (also a professional player).
Having hung up his shoes, Meneghin decides to take on the role of manager on and off. He did it first for Olimpia and, subsequently, for the Italian national team. His job is that of team manager.
On September 5, 2003, he became the first Italian ever to enter the Basketball Hall of Fame. Overall, however, he is the second Italian included in the Hall of Fame, after Cesare Rubini, whose recognition is based exclusively on his coaching activity. In 2004 he decided to lend his voice as a commentator to the SKY Sport satellite platform, naturally for the basketball editorial team.
On 30 September 2008, he was appointed by the CONI National Board extraordinary commissioner of the Italian Basketball Federation, after the resignation of Fausto Maifredi from the role of president. The following year he ran for president of the FIP and on 7 February 2009, he was elected President of the Italian Basketball Federation, with 4,375 votes.
In 2011, his first autobiography was releasedentitled “Giant Steps” (written with Flavio Vanetti) whose proceeds are destined for charitable works.
2024-01-17 23:51:01
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