Juan Ignacio ‘Pepe' Sánchez

Argentine international Pepe Sánchez is one of world basketball’s most experienced playmakers. He brings extensive experience to FC Barcelona backed up by a bagful of medals and is determined to take another big step forward in his career.

In April 2007, Pepe Sánchez sank a three-pointer in the Martín Carpena pavilion enabling Unicaja to beat Barça and killing off Barça’s hopes of making the Final Four for the second year running. Now, in the 2007-08 season, Pepe Sánchez is putting his skills at the service of FC Barcelona.

Sánchez is the type of player who constantly looks for new challenges. He started playing basketball as a youngster in Argentina, in a club with financial difficulties, and then received a scholarship from Templo University, where he studied History and was chosen as best student-athlete. He also studied astronomy and became a devotee of the stars. The fact is that Sánchez manages to combine his sporting success with many other interests.

After graduating, Sánchez signed as a free agent for the Philadelphia 76ers, becoming the first Argentine player in the NBA (2000-2001). He later moved to the Atlanta Hawks and then to Greece, where he won the Euroleague with Panathinaikos (2001-2002). He then returned to the NBA, joining the Detroit Pistons as well as spending half a season with the Golden State Warriors. After this he began his adventure in the ACB league, firstly with Etosa Alicante (2003-2004) and then Unicaja Malaga (2004-2007- ), where he established himself as one of the best in his position. With Unicaja he won two prestigious club competitions: the Kings Cup (2005) and the ACB league (2005-2006).

PROFILE

On court Pepe Sánchez stands out for his exceptional reading of the game. He has a well-balanced physique and is characterised more for his ability to organise play rather than for points scoring. However, his averages are more than respectable. One of his strong points is steals.

HONOURS

Panathinaikos
2001-02 Euroleague

Unicaja Malaga
2005 Kings Cup
2005-06 ACB league

Argentina
1999 South American Championship silver medal
2001 Pre-World Championship Nequén gold medal
2002 Indianapolis World Championship silver medal
2004 Athens Olympics gold medal

OTHER FACTS

First Argentine player in the NBA. Made his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers on 31st October 2000 in New York’s Madison Square Garden.