Introduction
Manuel "Manolo" Raga Navarro (born March 14, 1944) is a Mexican former professional basketball player. During his playing career, he was nicknamed, "The Flying Mexican", due to his nationality and his one of a kind 43 inch standing (no step) vertical leap. In 2008, he was named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors. In 2016, he became a FIBA Hall of Fame player.
Club career
Raga played professionally for Varese in the Italian League, from 1968 to 1974, and with them, he won three EuroLeague championships. In 1970, he became the first player from an international league to be selected in the NBA draft, when Atlanta Hawks general manager, Marty Blake, took him with the 167th overall pick. However, Raga never played in the NBA.
National team career
Raga was a part of the senior national team of Mexico. He won a gold medal at the 1965 CentroBasket, and a silver medal at the 1967 Pan American Games. He also played with Mexico in three different Summer Olympic Games, at the 1964 Summer Olympics, the 1968 Summer Olympics, and the 1976 Summer Olympics. He also played in 3 different FIBA World Cups, at Brazil 1963, at Uruguay 1967, and at Puerto Rico 1974.
Awards and accomplishments
Club career
- Italian League Champion (3): 1969, 1970, 1971
- Italian Cup Winner (3): 1969, 1970, 1971
- FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) Champion (3): 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73
- FIBA Intercontinental Cup Champion (2): 1970, 1973
- Swiss League Champion (3): 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77
- Swiss Cup Winner: 1974–75
- Best Mexican Player of the 20th Century
- 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors: 2008
- FIBA Hall of Fame: 2016