Carlos Delfino: 'I will never announce my retirement' / News - Basketnews.com

Delfino feels that he's a basketball player for life regardless of the level he can play at any time of his life. He won't sign a professional contract with a new team for the entire season unless he feels motivated to do it.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Carlos Delfino is one of the biggest names in Argentinian basketball history. At 41 years of age, he is not ready to retire yet.

Carlos Delfino

Position:SFAge:41Height:200 cmWeight:104 kgBirth place:Santa Fe, ArgentinaProfileNewsStatistics

Last season, Delfino played for Carpegna Prosciutto Pesaro in the Italian Lega Basket (LBA), averaging 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds for 6.1 PIR. Last summer, he played for the Argentinian national team in the Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament (OPQT).

Being the oldest player on the roster by far, Delfino still averaged 12.8 points and 2.8 rebounds for 10.3 PIR in the mini-tournament. At the moment, he hasn't signed a contract yet, but he isn't willing to call it quits.

"I am old and have many operations under my belt. Today, I am listening to my body. I love basketball. We lost to the Bahamas with the national and, unfortunately, we won't be in the Paris Olympic Games. Perhaps that match was my unannounced farewell, simply for a biological reason," he told Julio Ocampo from Relevo.

Delfino is currently practicing with the players of Benedetto XIV Cento, a team from Serie A2 - the second-division league in Italy. He's spending much of his time with his family, a thing he appreciates.

"I never liked to announce goodbyes or say that I was retiring from anything. I am a basketball player because I have fun. I don't care about money," Delfino said. "Today, I practice with the team from the city where I live. They play in the second division. We give each other a hand - I keep myself in shape, and they have more people hold practices better. I practice with them, but I don't play."

"I don't know if I feel today like being linked to a team all year round, giving up spending time with my family. If an opportunity comes up and it motivates me, I'll say yes because I'm in shape. I move by passion, by instinct," the veteran played explained. "I will tell you the same in five or ten years because I will never announce any kind of retirement. I am and will always be a basketball player, regardless of the level where I can play. I have played as hard as I could, but if there is a ball in my car in case I go out with my son and he asks me to play on the court in the park, I get off and we play. I love my job. I'm having fun."

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