Alessandro Pajola (born 9 November 1999) is an Italian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He is also a member of the senior Italian national team. Standing at 1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in), he plays at the point guard position. Pajola is widely known for his defensive ability.[1]
 | |
| No. 6 – Virtus Bologna | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | LBA EuroLeague |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 9 November 1999 Ancona, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Listed height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Listed weight | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2021: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2015–present |
| Career history | |
| 2015–present | Virtus Bologna |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Medals | |
Professional career
editVirtus Bologna (2015–present)
editPajola joined Virtus Bologna in 2015, becoming an important supporting cast player in 2016–17, when the club was in Serie A2. On 19 June 2017, the Black V won the playoffs, beating Trieste by 3–0, thus returning to the top series after only one year.
Pajola's importance in the team grown up season after season, becoming one of Virtus' most prominent player in 2020–21 season. In June 2021, after having knocked out 3–0 both Basket Treviso in the quarterfinals and New Basket Brindisi in the semifinals, on Virtus defeated 4–0 its historic rival Olimpia Milano in the national finals, winning its 16th national title and the first one after twenty years.[2]
On 21 September 2021, the team won its second Supercup, defeating once again Olimpia Milano 90–84.[3] After an outstanding game in the final, Pajola was named MVP of the tournament.[4] Moreover, after having ousted Lietkabelis, Ulm and Valencia in the first three rounds of the playoffs, on 11 May 2022, Virtus defeated Frutti Extra Bursaspor by 80–67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its first EuroCup and qualifying for the EuroLeague after 14 years.[5] However, despite having ended the regular season at the first place and having ousted 3–0 both Pesaro and Tortona in the first two rounds of playoffs, Virtus was defeated 4–2 in the national finals by Olimpia Milan.[6]
On 29 September 2022, after having ousted Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its third Supercup, defeating 72–69 Banco di Sardegna Sassari and achieving a back-to-back, following the 2021 trophy.[7] However, despite good premises Virtus ended the EuroLeague season at the 14th place, thus it did not qualify for the playoffs.[8] Moreover, the team was defeated in the Italian Basketball Cup final by Brescia. In June, after having ousted 3–0 both Brindisi and Tortona, Virtus was defeated 4–3 by Olimpia Milan in the national finals, following a series which was widely regarded among the best in the latest years of Italian basketball.[9][10] At the end of the regular season, on 10 May 2023, Pajola renewed his contract with Virtus through 2026.
On 24 September 2023, after having ousted Olimpia Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its fourth Supercup, and the third in a row, defeating 97–60 Germani Brescia.[11]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
EuroLeague
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Bologna | 29 | 0 | 16.7 | .418 | .324 | .733 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 1.2 | — | 3.1 | 4.9 |
| 2023–24 | 34 | 8 | 17.0 | .387 | .352 | .727 | 1.8 | 3.0 | .8 | .1 | 3.9 | 4.9 | |
| Career | 63 | 8 | 16.9 | .400 | .343 | .729 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 1.0 | .1 | 3.5 | 4.9 | |
Italian Championship
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Virtus Bologna | 2 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 2016–17 | Virtus Bologna | 24 | 0 | 9.9 | .413 | .364 | .500 | 1.2 | .6 | .5 | .0 | 2.3 | 1.5 |
| 2017–18 | Virtus Bologna | 17 | 2 | 11.9 | .450 | .250 | .600 | 1.1 | .8 | .6 | .0 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| 2018–19 | Virtus Bologna | 27 | 0 | 11.7 | .282 | .286 | .571 | 1.1 | 1.0 | .7 | .1 | 1.3 | .7 |
| 2019–20 | Virtus Bologna | 20 | 1 | 12.2 | .465 | .313 | .722 | 1.6 | 1.5 | .8 | .1 | 3.1 | 4.6 |
References
edit- ^ Pajola: "Gioco per la squadra, la difesa per generare buoni attacchi", Tutto Bologna Web
- ^ Virtus, sei magnifica! Bologna, scudetto dopo 20 anni, Milano schiacciata 4-0, Gazzetta dello Sport
- ^ Basket, la Virtus Bologna vince la Supercoppa: Milano ancora ko, la Repubblica
- ^ Alessandro Pajola è l’mvp della Supercoppa Discovery+ 2021, Sportando
- ^ "Game Night: Virtus is the 7DAYS EuroCup champion and headed back to the EuroLeague!". euroleaguebasketball.net. 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Olimpia Milano campione d'Italia, Virtus Bologna ko 81-64 in gara-6". Sky Sport. 18 June 2022.
- ^ "Supercoppa, trionfa la Virtus Bologna! Canestro decisivo di Mickey, Sassari cede 72-69". Gazzetta dello Sport. 29 September 2022.
- ^ Virtus, il punto a fine EuroLega. BolognaBasket
- ^ Basket, Milano batte Bologna nella decisiva gara 7 e vince il suo 30esimo scudetto. Gli highlights. la Repubblica
- ^ Basket, Milano batte Bologna 67-55 nella finalissima e si conferma campione per la trentesima volta. Rai News
- ^ Una Virtus esagerata stravince la Supercoppa. la Repubblica
External links
edit- Alessandro Pajola at FIBA (archive)
- Alessandro Pajola international stats at Basketball-Reference.com
- Alessandro Pajola at Olympedia (archive)
- Alessandro Pajola at Olympics.com
