1. Jorge Garbajosa Chaparro was born on 19 December 1977 and is a Spanish former professional basketball player, the outgoing president of the Spanish Basketball Federation, and the current President of FIBA Europe.
20 Facts About Jorge Garbajosa
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Jorge Garbajosa was an All-EuroLeague first team selection in 2003, and an All-EuroLeague second team selection in 2006, while playing for Unicaja.
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Jorge Garbajosa played internationally with the senior Spain national team, which won a bronze medal at the EuroBasket 2001, two silver medals at the EuroBasket 2003 and 2007, and a gold medal at the EuroBasket 2009.
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In 2006, Garbajosa was named Mr Europa Player of the year by Italian weekly magazine SuperBasket.
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Jorge Garbajosa began his career playing for Taugres, later known as TAU Ceramica, between 1995 and 2000.
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Jorge Garbajosa then spent four seasons at Benetton Treviso between 2000 and 2004 under future Toronto Raptors Vice-President and Assistant General Manager Maurizio Gherardini and New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni.
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Jorge Garbajosa was the 2005 Spanish Cup MVP, and the 2006 Spanish League Finals MVP, and earned All-EuroLeague Second Team honors.
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Jorge Garbajosa wore number 15 for the Raptors, previously worn by ex-Raptors star Vince Carter.
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On 26 March 2007, Jorge Garbajosa suffered an injury to his left leg during a regular-season matchup against the Boston Celtics.
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Jorge Garbajosa averaged 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game after 67 appearances in his debut season for the Raptors.
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Jorge Garbajosa had previously been named to the 2008 Spanish Olympic basketball squad, against the wishes of the Raptors.
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Jorge Garbajosa played internationally with the senior Spain national teams at two Summer Olympiads: the 2000 and 2004.
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Jorge Garbajosa won medals at two EuroBaskets: a bronze medal in 2001, and a silver medal in 2003.
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On 1 January 2007, Jorge Garbajosa was named Mister Europa 2006, by Italian weekly magazine SuperBasket.
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At the 2007 EuroBasket, Jorge Garbajosa was a key player for the Spanish team.
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Jorge Garbajosa went on to win a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, and a gold medal at the 2009 EuroBasket.
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On 9 July 2016, Jorge Garbajosa was appointed as President of the Spanish Basketball Federation.
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Jorge Garbajosa was reelected to the position in 2020 as the only candidate.
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On 20 May 2023, Jorge Garbajosa was elected as the new President of FIBA Europe by the general assembly with 35 out of 50 votes, succeeding Turgay Demirel for the following four years.
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Jorge Garbajosa assumed the position immediately, giving him three months to call elections for the next President of the Spanish Basketball Federation.