View source for Manuel Raga

{{Short description|Mexican basketball player (born 1944)}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Manolo Raga
| image = Manuel Raga 1972.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Manolo Raga in 1971.
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|03|14}} 
| birth_place = [[Aldama, Tamaulipas]], Mexico
| death_date =  
| death_place = 
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 2
| weight_lb = 170
| high_school =
| college =
| draft_year = 1970
| draft_round = 10
| draft_pick = 167
| draft_team = [[Atlanta Hawks]]
| career_start = 1963
| career_end = 1979
| career_position = [[Shooting guard]]
| career_number = 15
| coach_start =
| coach_end =
| years1 = 1963–1968
| team1 = Villa Aldama
| years2 = 1968–1974
| team2 = [[Pallacanestro Varese|Ignis Varese]]
| years3 = 1974–1979
| team3 = [[SP Federale Lugano|Federale Lugano]]
| highlights = 
* 2× [[FIBA Intercontinental Cup]] champion (1970, 1973)
* 3× [[EuroLeague]] champion (1970, 1972, 1973)
* [[50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors]] (2008)
* 3× [[Lega Basket Serie A|Italian League]] champion (1969–1971)
* 3× [[Italian Basketball Cup|Italian Cup]] winner (1969–1971)
* 3× [[Championnat LNA|Swiss League]] champion (1975–1977)
* [[Swiss Basketball Cup|Swiss Cup]] winner (1975)
* Best Mexican Player of the 20th Century
| FIBA_HOF_player = Manuel-Raga
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalCountry|{{bk|MEX}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Basketball at the Pan American Games|Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[Basketball at the 1967 Pan American Games|1967 Winnipeg]]|}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[CentroBasket]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[CentroBasket|1965 Mexico]]|}}
}}
[[File:Quinteta_Nacional_.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The national quintet of [[Mexican national basketball team|Mexico]]: [[Captain (sports)|Captain]] [[Carlos Quintanar]] (#12), Manuel Raga (#15), and [[Arturo Guerrero]] (#5) at the [[Basketball at the 1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Summer Olympics]].]]
'''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",<ref>[https://www.basketball-reference.com/olympics/athletes/manuel-raga-1/ Full name: Manuel "Manolo" Raga Navarro Nickname(s): The Flying Mexican.]</ref> due to his nationality and his one of a kind 43 inch standing (no step) [[vertical leap]].<ref>[http://kosmagazin.com/manuel-raga-the-flying-mexican/ Manuel Raga: The Flying Mexican.]</ref> In 2008, he was named one of the [[50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors]]. In 2016, he became a [[FIBA Hall of Famer|FIBA Hall of Fame player]].

==Club career==
Raga played professionally for [[Pallacanestro Varese|Varese]] in the [[Lega Basket Serie A|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 [[1970 NBA Draft|NBA draft]],<ref>[https://www.sportskeeda.com/slideshow/top-10-international-players-never-played-nba The top 10 international players who never played in the NBA.]</ref> when [[Atlanta Hawks]] [[general manager (basketball)|general manager]], [[Marty Blake]], took him with the 167th overall pick. He also would be the only true international selection from the [[American Basketball Association]] when the [[Pittsburgh Condors]] took him as their final selection ever in the franchise's history during the 18th round before going defunct later in 1972. However, Raga never played either in the [[NBA]] or the rivaling ABA.

==National team career==
Raga was a part of the senior [[Mexican national basketball team|national team of Mexico]]. He won a gold medal at the 1965 [[CentroBasket]], and a silver medal at the [[Basketball at the 1967 Pan American Games|1967 Pan American Games]].<ref name=r1/> He also played with Mexico in three different [[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|Summer Olympic Games]], at the [[Basketball at the 1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Summer Olympics]], the [[Basketball at the 1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Summer Olympics]], and the [[Basketball at the 1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Summer Olympics]]. He also played in 3 different [[FIBA World Cup]]s, at [[1963 FIBA World Championship|Brazil 1963]], at [[1967 FIBA World Championship|Uruguay 1967]], and at [[1974 FIBA World Championship|Puerto Rico 1974]].<ref>[https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/p/rpp//q/manuel%20raga/pid//_//players.html Manuel RAGA (MEX).]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==Awards and accomplishments==
===Club career===
* [[Lega Basket Serie A|Italian League]] Champion (3): 1969, 1970, 1971
* [[Italian Basketball Cup|Italian Cup]] Winner (3): 1969, 1970, 1971
* [[FIBA European Champions Cup]] (EuroLeague) Champion (3): [[1969–70 FIBA European Champions Cup|1969–70]], [[1971–72 FIBA European Champions Cup|1971–72]], [[1972–73 FIBA European Champions Cup|1972–73]]
* [[FIBA Intercontinental Cup]] Champion (2): [[1970 FIBA Intercontinental Cup|1970]], [[1973 FIBA Intercontinental Cup|1973]]
* [[Swiss Basketball League|Swiss League]] Champion (3): 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77
* [[Swiss Basketball Cup|Swiss Cup]] Winner: 1974–75
* Best Mexican Player of the 20th Century<ref>[http://www.fiba.basketball/en/hall-of-fame/Manuel-Raga Manuel Raga (Mexico) INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS.]</ref>
* [[50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors]]: 2008
* [[FIBA Hall of Famer|FIBA Hall of Fame]]: 2016

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=r1>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418091053/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ra/manuel-raga-1.html Manuel Raga]. sports-reference.com</ref>
}}

==External links==
*[http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/34334/history-principal-2 Euroleague.net 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors]
*[http://www.fiba.basketball/en/hall-of-fame/Manuel-Raga FIBA Hall of Fame Profile]
*[https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/p/rpp//q/manuel%20raga/pid//_//players.html FIBA Profile]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
*{{Basketball-Reference.com international player|manuel-raga-1}}
*[http://www.euroleague.net/features/voices/2010-2011/vladimir-stankovic/i/83159/the-flying-mexican The Flying Mexican]
*[http://www.interbasket.net/players/raga.htm Manuel Raga] at InterBasket

{{navboxes|list=
{{Mexico Men Basketball Squad 1967 Pan American Games}}
{{Euroleague50}}
{{FIBA Hall of Fame}}
{{Pallacanestro Varese 1969-70 Euroleague champions}}
{{Pallacanestro Varese 1971-72 Euroleague champions}}
{{Pallacanestro Varese 1972-73 Euroleague champions}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raga, Maunel}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century Mexican sportsmen]]
[[Category:1963 FIBA World Championship players]]
[[Category:1967 FIBA World Championship players]]
[[Category:1974 FIBA World Championship players]]
[[Category:Atlanta Hawks draft picks]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1967 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Tamaulipas]]
[[Category:FIBA Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Mexican men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Olympic basketball players for Mexico]]
[[Category:Pallacanestro Varese players]]
[[Category:Pan American Games silver medalists in basketball]]
[[Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for Mexico]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Condors draft picks]]
[[Category:Shooting guards]]
[[Category:SP Federale Lugano players]]