Carlos Jiménez

Carlos Jiménez
Hommage to Carlos Jiménez on February 2013 before the game between Estudiantes and Unicaja, the two clubs for which he played.
Unicaja
Position Sporting director
League Liga ACB
EuroCup
Personal information
Born (1976-02-10) 10 February 1976
Madrid, Spain
Nationality Spanish
Listed height 6 ft 8.75 in (2.05 m)
Listed weight 225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
NBA draft 1998 / Undrafted
Playing career 1994–2012
Position Small forward
Career history
1994–2006 Estudiantes
2006–2011 Unicaja
2011–2012 Estudiantes
2012 Unicaja
Career highlights and awards

Carlos Jiménez Sánchez (born 10 February 1976) is a Spanish former professional basketball player and current sporting director of Unicaja. He is 2.05 m (6' 8 34") tall. His nickname is "suma y sigue Jiménez", which translated into English is, "add and go on Jiménez."

Player profile

He played as a small forward. He was a good rebounder, using his 205 cm height and his long arms. He was a good defender, and a good free throw shooter.

Professional career

In the 2002-03 NBA Season, Jiminez was on the preseason roster of the Sacramento Kings, as he tried out for the club, but he was cut from the team a week before the start of the regular season. He was disappointed that the Kings released him. Jiménez never had another NBA experience. In August 2011 he returned to Asefa Estudiantes, after playing five seasons for Unicaja Málaga, signing a one-year contract.[1]

In 2011, he came back to Estudiantes, and in April 2012, with six games left to finish the Liga ACB, he decided to retire at the end of the season.[2]

However, on 17 September 2012, he returned to professional basketball, by signing a one-month long contract, with an option to extend it for one more month, with his former team Unicaja.[3] He retired in December 2012.

Spanish national team

Jiménez played with the senior Spanish national basketball team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, where he won a gold medal. He also won the silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, as Spain lost against Team USA in the gold medal game. After that Olympic competition, Jiménez announced his retirement from the Spanish national team, after having been the captain of that group of players. He retired as the Spanish player with the most medals won in international tournaments for the Spanish national team at that time.

2008 Summer Olympics Spanish basketball team 'slanty-eye' photo incident

As captain of the 2008 Summer Olympics Spanish basketball team, Jiménez was a part of the 'slanty-eye' gesture photo incident, that took place before the Beijing Olympics. The photo was a feature ad, as a newspaper spread in Spain, showing all the Spanish players using their fingers to apparently make their eyes look more Chinese (Epicanthic fold), on a basketball court adorned with a Chinese dragon. The photo was part of a publicity campaign for team sponsor Seur, and was used only in Spain.[4]

"It was something like supposed to be funny, or something, but never offensive in any way," said teammate Pau Gasol. "I'm sorry if anybody thought or took it the wrong way, and thought that it was offensive."[5]

Teammate José Calderón said the team was responding to a request from the photographer. "We felt it was something appropriate, and that it would be interpreted as an affectionate gesture," said Calderón. "Without a doubt, some ... press didn't see it that way."[6]

Awards

Club career

Spanish senior national team

References

  1. Carlos Jimenez pens a deal with Asefa Estudiantes.
  2. Six last nights with Carlos Jiménez El Mundo. 19 April 2012 (in Spanish)
  3. "Unicaja Malaga signs Carlos Jimenez to a one-month contract". Sportando. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  4. Ad photo featuring 2008 Summer Olympics Men's Spanish basketball team, The Associated Press, August 2008
  5. Pau Gasol, Spanish hoops team respond to accusations of racism Archived 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine., Projo Sports Blog, 13 August 2008
  6. Spanish basketball team sparks Olympic row as they are pictured making 'slanty-eye' gesture, Daily Mail, 14 August 2008
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