View source for Sandro Gamba

{{Short description|Italian basketball player and coach}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Sandro Gamba
| image = Sandro Gamba 2.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = Gamba, circa 1960.
| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|3 June 1932}}
| birth_place = [[Milan]], Italy
| death_date =
| death_place = 
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 2.75
| weight_lb = 175
| career_position = [[Small forward]]
| career_number =
| career_start = 1950
| career_end = 1965
| coach_start = 1965
| coach_end = 1992
| years1 = 1950–1963	
| team1 = [[Olimpia Milano]]
| years2 = 1963–1965	
| team2 = [[Pallacanestro Milano 1958|Milano 1958]]
| cyears1 = 1965–1973 
| cteam1 = [[Olimpia Milano]] (assistant)
| cyears2 = 1973–1977 
| cteam2 = [[Pallacanestro Varese|Varèse]]
| cyears3 = 1977–1980 
| cteam3 = [[Auxilium Pallacanestro Torino|Auxilium Torino]]
| cyears4 = 1979–1985 
| cteam4 = [[Italy national basketball team|Italy]]
| cyears5 = 1985–1987 
| cteam5 = [[Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna|Virtus Bologna]]
| cyears6 = 1987–1992 
| cteam6 = Italy
| highlights =
'''As player:'''
*10× [[Lega Basket Serie A|Italian League]] champion (1951–1954, 1957–1960, 1962, 1963)
*[[Italian Basketball Hall of Fame]] (2006)
'''As head coach:'''
*2× [[EuroLeague]] champion (1975, 1976)
*2× [[FIBA European Selection]] (1991 2×)
*2× [[Lega Basket Serie A|Italian League]] champion (1974, 1977)
|HOF_coach = sandro-gamba
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Basketball]] Head coach}}
{{MedalCountry | {{bk|ITA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[Basketball at the 1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Moscow]] | }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[EuroBasket]]}}
{{MedalBronze | [[EuroBasket 1985|1985 West Germany]] | }}
{{MedalGold| [[EuroBasket 1983|1983 France]] | }}
{{MedalSilver| [[EuroBasket 1991|1991 Italy]] | }}
}}

'''Alessandro "Sandro" Gamba''' (born 3 June 1932) is an Italian former professional [[basketball]] player and [[basketball coach|coach]]. Gamba was a finalist for induction into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 2005, and was elected as [[List of coaches in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|a member]] in 2006. He was inducted in 2006 to the [[Italian Basketball Hall of Fame]].

==Playing career==
===Clubs career===
During his [[sports club|club]] career, Gamba spent most of his career with [[Olimpia Milano]], they won ten [[Lega Basket Serie A|LBA]] championships (1951–1954, 1957–1960, 1962–1963). He finished his career with [[Pallacanestro Milano 1958|Milano 1958]].

===Italy national team===
Gamba debuted with the [[Italy national basketball team|Italy national team]] in 1952 and [[captain (sports)|captained]] at the [[Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Summer Olympic Games]].<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ga/sandro-gamba-1.html |title=Sandro Gamba |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418012108/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ga/sandro-gamba-1.html |archive-date=2020-04-18}}</ref>

==Coaching career==
Gamba retired from playing in 1965, and became a [[basketball coach|coach]] in the [[Italian basketball league system|top-tier level]] Italian professional league ([[Lega Basket Serie A|LBA]]) where he coached teams like [[Olimpia Milano]] (assistant coach, 1965–1973), [[Pallacanestro Varese|Varese]] (1973–1977), [[Auxilium Pallacanestro Torino|Auxilium Torino]] (1977–1980), and [[Virtus Bologna]] (1985–1987). He led Varese to two [[Lega Basket Serie A|LBA]] championships (1974 and 1977), and two [[EuroLeague|FIBA European Champions Cup]] (EuroLeague) titles (1975 and 1976).

From 1979 to 1992, except for a hiatus in 1985–1987, Gamba was the [[head coach]] of the [[Italian national basketball team|Italy national team]], and led them to a silver medal at the [[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|Summer Olympic Games]] in [[Basketball at the 1980 Summer Olympics|1980]], [[Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984]], [[Basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988]], and [[Basketball at the 1992 Summer Olympics|1992]]. He also coached the national team at the [[EuroBasket]] seven times, winning a gold in [[EuroBasket 1983|1983]], a bronze in [[EuroBasket 1985|1985]], and a silver in [[EuroBasket 1991|1991]].<ref>[http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/alessandro-sandro-gamba Alessandro "Sandro" Gamba] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831072705/http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/alessandro-sandro-gamba |date=31 August 2009 }}. hoophall.com</ref>

He was selected as a coach of the [[FIBA European Selection]] teams in 1991. He also worked as the coach of the "Rest of the World" team, at the [[Nike Hoop Summit]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

== See also ==
* [[List of FIBA EuroBasket winning head coaches]]
* [[List of EuroLeague-winning head coaches]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{FIBA|new_id=162771|name=Alessandro Gamba}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20180315133943/https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/p/lid_38135_cp/1/pid/64760/q/sandro%20gamba/rpp//_//players.html archive 1], [https://web.archive.org/web/20180315134052/https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/p/lid_38135_cp/1/pid/94936/q/sandro%20gamba/rpp//_//players.html archive 2])
* [http://www.fibaeurope.com/compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_1957.roundID_2246.teamID_307.playerID_64760.html FIBA Europe Player Profile]
* [http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/sandro-gamba/ Basketball Hall of Fame Profile]
* [http://web.legabasket.it/coach/coach.phtml?id=GAM-ALE Italian League Coach Profile] {{in lang|it}}
* {{Olympics.com|alessandro-gamba|Alessandro Gamba}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{Navboxes|list1=
{{Italy Men Basketball Squad 1980 Summer Olympics}}
{{Italy Squad EuroBasket 1991}}
{{Pallacanestro Varese 1974–75 Euroleague champions}}
{{Pallacanestro Varese 1975–76 Euroleague champions}}
{{2006 Basketball HOF}}
{{Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gamba, Sandro}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Auxilium Pallacanestro Torino coaches]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Milan]]
[[Category:EuroLeague–winning coaches]]
[[Category:FIBA EuroBasket–winning coaches]]
[[Category:Italian basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Italian men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Olimpia Milano players]]
[[Category:Olympic basketball players for Italy]]
[[Category:Pallacanestro Milano 1958 players]]
[[Category:Pallacanestro Varese coaches]]
[[Category:Small forwards]]
[[Category:Virtus Bologna coaches]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian sportsmen]]