Sergio Rodriguez
From Hoopedia
Sergio Rodríguez (born June 12, 1986 in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain) is a Spanish professional basketball player. He is a member of the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association, after being selected with the 27th pick in the first round by the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA Draft (later that day traded to the Trail Blazers in exchange for cash considerations). On July 20, it was announced that the Trail Blazers had negotiated a buyout with Spanish club CB Estudiantes, and signed him to a rookie-scale contract.
Prior to joining the NBA, Rodríguez played for CB Estudiantes of the Spanish League (ACB), where he was named Rookie of the Year for the 2004-05 season. Thought to be one of the best European prospects of his age, he was named the MVP of the 2004 Under-18-years-old (Junior) European championship of national teams, held in Zaragoza (Spain), where he led the host Spanish team to the gold medal. He averaged in the 8 games of that tournament 19 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 2.1 steals. Later in 2004, Rodriguez was chosen for the 2004 World Junior Select team to play against the best high school players at the Hoop Summit located in the United States.
In August 2006, Rodríguez won the gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship with the Spanish National Team.
