Daniel Santiago

Daniel Santiago

File:Daniel Santiago.JPG
No. 25 – Cangrejeros de Santurce
Position	Center
League	BSN
Personal information
Born	(1976-06-24) June 24, 1976 Lubbock, Texas
Nationality	American / Puerto Rican
Listed height	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight	260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
College	New Mexico Military Institute (1994–1995) New Mexico (1995–1997) Saint Vincent (1997–1998)
NBA draft	1998 / Undrafted
Playing career	1996–present
Career history
1996–1998	Vaqueros de Bayamón
1998–2000	Pallacanestro Varese
2000–2001	Phoenix Suns
2001	Vaqueros de Bayamón
2001–2002	Phoenix Suns
2002	Vaqueros de Bayamón
2002–2003	Lottomatica Roma
2003–2005	Milwaukee Bucks
2005–2008	Unicaja Málaga
2008–2009	Barcelona
2009	Vaqueros de Bayamón
2009–2010	Efes Pilsen
2010	Capitanes de Arecibo
2010	Spirou Charleroi
2011–2012	Capitanes de Arecibo
2012–2013	Boca Juniors
2013	Mets de Guaynabo
2014–present	Cangrejeros de Santurce
Career highlights and awards
4× BSN champion (1996, 2009–2011) Serie A champion (1999) ACB champion (2006, 2008) NAIA Player of the Year (1998)
Medals Men’s basketball Representing Puerto Rico Pan American Games 2011 Mexico Team FIBA Americas Championship 2009 San Juan Team 2013 Venezuela Team

Daniel Gregg Santiago (born June 24, 1976) is an American-born Puerto Rican professional basketball player for the Cangrejeros de Santurce. A center, he had a collegiate career in the NCAA and NAIA. His professional career saw him play in the NBA, the Baloncesto Superior Nacional of Puerto Rico and overseas. Santiago has played for the Puerto Rican national team since 1998.

College career

Santiago attended and played Junior College basketball at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico and played NCAA Division I basketball at the University of New Mexico. He finished up his collegiate career at the NAIA school of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where he was named NAIA player of the year.

Professional career

In Puerto Rico, Santiago played professionally on the National Superior Basketball League with the Vaqueros, helping the team to various national championships and tournament finals.

Between 1998 and 2000, he played for Varese Roosters of the Italian Serie A.

From 2000 to 2001 he played for the NBA's Phoenix Suns as a back-up center until being released. He returned to the NBA in 2003, playng two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks.

In 2005, Santiago signed for a season with Spanish ACB League's Unicaja Málaga. After winning the 2006 league, he signed a further two-year deal with the Andalusia outfit. In 2008, Santiago signed with Regal FC Barcelona, helping the side to a third finish in the 2008–09 Euroleague.

In July 2009, Santiago came back to the BSN after a 7-year absence, joining the Bayamón Cowboys. In September 2009 he signed with Efes Pilsen S.K. of Turkey. In October 2010 he signed with Spirou Charleroi. In January 2011 he joined Capitanes de Arecibo.

In September 2012, Santiago signed with Boca Juniors in Argentina. In March 2013, he was selected as the league's best center for the season. In May 2013, he joined the Mets de Guaynabo in Puerto Rico.

International career

In 2002, Santiago represented Puerto Rican national team at the Indianapolis 2002 FIBA World Championship, and also played in the 2004 Olympic team that handed the United States their first defeat in Olympic play since they began using professional players. Santiago again represented Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Championship, retiring from the national side in 2007, only to return the following year.

Personal

Santiago's paternal grandfather, Pedro Rodríguez, was a well known baseball player in Puerto Rico and emigrated to the United States to play. Due to his small stature he was nicknamed "Jockey," while grandson Daniel received the "El Gigante" (the giant) moniker. Puerto Rico's Jockey Rodríguez retired from baseball with the Albuquerque Dukes team under the name Pedro Santiago.

Santiago was raised in the West Texas area of Lamesa on a cotton farm and later in Albuquerque, New Mexico where his parents, Stan and Diana Santiago, originated. He has two younger brothers, Matthew and Jarrett Santiago.

Career stats

Santiago's NBA stats in 122 games were: 417 points (3.4 PPG), 260 rebounds (2.1 RPG), 38 assists (0.3 APG), 39 steals (0.3 SPG) and 47 blocks (0.4 BPG). He shot a .469 field goal percentage, with .685 from the line.

Domestic leagues

Season	Team	League	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1996	Vaqueros de Bayamón	BSN	23	?	.570	--	.690	3.3	.5	?	?	5.0
1997			24	?	.590	--	.820	3.2	.5	?	?	4.4
1998			7	?	.390	--	1.000	2.9	.4	?	?	3.4
1998–99	Pallacanestro Varese	Lega A	36	18.4	.629	--	.663	3.5	.2	1.3	.8	6.1
1999-00			27	29.9	.575	.200	.654	7.1	.6	2.7	.9	13.2
2001	Vaqueros de Bayamón	BSN	6	?	.560	.000	.690	4.8	.7	?	?	10.2
2002			27	?	.610	.000	.770	6.9	1.1	?	?	15.0
2002-03	Lottomatica Roma	Lega A	42	29.3	.574	.333	.610	8.0	1.0	2.8	1.5	12.3
2005-06	Unicaja	Liga ACB	43	21.4	.605	.000	.721	4.1	.4	1.2	.9	10.4
2006-07			24	20.3	.601	.000	.656	3.8	.7	1.1	.8	10.3
2007-08			33	15.8	.552	.000	.737	3.2	.4	.8	.8	8.4
2008-09	FC Barcelona		41	12.1	.562	.000	.726	2.0	.5	.5	.8	4.9
2009	Vaqueros de Bayamón	BSN	5	25.2	.488	.333	.500	6.6	3.4	1.4	1.2	11.2
2010	Capitanes de Arecibo		29	21.3	.554	.462	.738	5.7	1.1	.8	.7	11.0
2010-11	Spirou Charleroi	Ethias League	5	17.2	.577	--	.733	4.0	1.2	.4	1.0	8.2
2011	Capitanes de Arecibo	BSN	42	21.7	.577	.000	.715	5.8	1.7	.5	1.8	11.0
2012			48	19.9	.577	.000	.647	4.4	1.0	.6	.9	9.3
2012–13	Boca Juniors	Argentina LNB	49	24.2	.629	.286	.588	5.8	1.3	.8	1.1	11.9
2013	Mets de Guaynabo	BSN	24	24.8	.566	--	.591	5.9	1.9	.5	.9	10.2
2014	Cangrejeros de Santurce		47	22.1	.572	.000	.701	5.0	1.2	.5	1.0	9.7
2015			13	11.2	.524	.000	.500	2.6	.6	.1	.7	3.9

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

External links

• Video Interview @ FIBA.com
• NBA.com Profile
• NBA Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
• ACB.com profile
• Euroleague Profile