Antonello Riva


Antonello Riva is an Italian retired professional basketball player. At 6'5", he played at the shooting guard and small forward positions. He was nicknamed "Nembo Kid". He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. In 2004, he was given a trophy to mark his being the top scorer of all-time in the Italian League, with 14,397 points scored. In 2008, he was named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors.

Professional career

Riva started playing pro club basketball in the 1977–78 season. He played most of his career with Cantù, with whom he won the FIBA European Champions Cup twice, in the seasons 1981–82 and 1982–83. He also won an Italian League championship in 1981.
He also played with Olimpia Milano, Victoria Libertas Pesaro, Dinamica Gorizia, and Sebastiani Rieti.

National team career

Riva was a member of the senior Italian national basketball team. He is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the senior men's Italian national basketball team, with 3,785 points scored. With Italy, he played at the following major FIBA tournaments: the 1983 EuroBasket, the 1984 Summer Olympics, the 1986 FIBA World Championship, the 1987 EuroBasket, the 1989 EuroBasket, the 1990 FIBA World Championship, and the 1991 EuroBasket.
He won a gold medal at EuroBasket 1983, and a silver medal at EuroBasket 1991.

Post-playing career

Riva founded a new basketball team in 2002. He won a career trophy for being the best scorer of all-time, of the Italian League, with 14,397 points scored, in 2004.

Personal life

Riva is a keen skier.