He Barcelona strengthened the direction of the basketball team’s play with the signing of Raúl Néto. The Brazilian point guard, with an Italian passport, became a new player for the Barça club until the end of the current 2024-25 season. He arrives to replace Nico Laprovittolainjured all season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament and external meniscus in his right knee.
“I come with many hopes and desires. “I have already spoken with a few players, I have watched the matches and I am ready to play and help the team as much as possible,” said the new Barcelona player in statements to Barça One. Raulzinho, as he is called in the basketball world, measuring 1.86 meters and weighing 82 kilos, successfully passed the corresponding medical examinations this Monday and arrives from Esporte Clube Pinheiros of the Brazilian championship after 13 years of addition and where he recorded an average of 16.8 points, 5 assists, 17.8 efficiency and 20 minutes of play in five games.
“NOW I’m in the best moment of the last two years. My knee has completely recovered and I have found my rhythm again. “I feel very good and I think about the effort and all the difficult moments I experienced last year to join one of the best teams in Europe like Barça, to compete and win titles,” said the new Barcelona recruit.
– Barça basket (@FCBbasket) November 25, 2024
Net He will be the fifth player born in Brazil to wear the Barcelona jersey basketball. In this sense, he follows in the footsteps of Anderson Varejao (2001-04), Marcelinho Huertas (2011-15), Wesley Sena (a young basketball player who debuted in a game in the 2016-17 season) and Vitor Faverani (2017). ).
NBA Experience
Barcelona’s sports management was looking for a quality leader to replace Laprovittola, one of the best in Europe in his position, alongside Facundo Campazzo, Shane Larkin or Mike James. Neto was the one sought after for his extensive NBA experiencewhere he played eight seasons, between 2015 and 2023, in different teams: Utah Jazz; Philadelphia 76ers Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers.
In these eight courses, he played a total of 435 games in the best basketball league in the world. During the first season in Utah (2015-16), he played a big role, playing 81 games in the regular phase. Later, when he was already in Washington (2020-21 and 2021-22), he also had a lot of visibility, with 64 and 70 games. His time in the NBA ended with him averaging 5.7 points per game and 2.1 assists in 15 minutes of play.
“I came through the NBA and the national team and, as a player, I’m going to give my all on the court. I like to defend and play for the teamdo what it takes at the time of the game and the season to win. “I am a winner and I came to win,” he commented. Raulzinho Neto also experience in CBAwhere he played a total of 132 games between Gipuzcoa Basket (2011-14) and Murcia (2014-15), averaging 8.1 points, 3 assists and 8.1 efficiency in 22 minutes of play.
His best match was precisely the one against Barça on the last day of the 2012-13 season, scoring 25 points, six assists and accumulating a score of 31. And he remembers in a particular way these matches against his new club:When I played against Barça, I did it with more enthusiasm because I was where I wanted to be. “These were games highlighted on the calendar and very enjoyable to play.”
