{{Short description|Basketball player}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Romain Sato | image = Romain Sato.jpg | image_size = | caption = Sato in 2013 | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 5 | weight_lbs = 220 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|3|2}} | birth_place = [[Bimbo, Central African Republic]] | highschool = [[Dayton Christian High School|Dayton Christian]] ([[Dayton, Ohio]]) | college = [[Xavier Musketeers men's basketball|Xavier]] (2000–2004) | draft_year = 2004 | draft_round = 2 | draft_pick = 52 | draft_team = [[San Antonio Spurs]] | career_start = 2004 | career_end = 2021 | career_number = 10 | career_position = [[Shooting guard]] / [[small forward]] | years1 = 2004–2006 | team1 = [[Aurora Basket Jesi|Aurora Jesi]] | years2 = 2006 | team2 = [[FC Barcelona Bàsquet|Barcelona]] | years3 = 2006–2010 | team3 = [[Mens Sana Basket|Mens Sana Siena]] | years4 = 2010–2012 | team4 = [[Panathinaikos B.C.|Panathinaikos]] | years5 = 2012–2013 | team5 = [[Fenerbahçe Men's Basketball|Fenerbahçe]] | years6 = 2013–2017 | team6 = [[Valencia Basket|Valencia]] | highlights = * [[EuroLeague]] champion ([[2010-11 Euroleague|2011]]) * [[EuroCup Basketball|EuroCup]] champion ([[2013-14 Eurocup|2014]]) * [[Liga ACB]] champion ([[2016–17 ACB season|2017]]) * [[All-ACB Team|All-Liga ACB First Team]] (2014) * [[Spanish Basketball Supercup|Spanish Supercup]] winner ([[2017 Supercopa de España de Baloncesto|2017]]) * 4× [[Lega Basket Serie A|LBA]] champion (2007–2010) * 2× [[Italian Basketball Cup|Italian Cup]] winner (2009, 2010) * 3× [[Italian Basketball Supercup|Italian Supercup]] winner (2007–2009) * [[Lega Basket Serie A MVP|LBA MVP]] (2010) * [[Italian Basketball SuperCup|Italian SuperCup]] MVP (2009) * [[Greek Basket League|Greek League]] champion (2011) * [[Greek Basketball Cup|Greek Cup]] winner (2012) * [[Turkish Basketball Cup|Turkish Cup]] winner (2013) * 2× First-team All-[[Atlantic 10 Conference|Atlantic 10]] (2003, 2004) | FIBA_HOF_player = romain-sato }} '''Romain Guessagba-Sato-Lebel''' ({{IPA|fr|ʁɔmɛ̃ ɡesaɡba sato ləbɛl}}; born March 2, 1981), generally known as '''Romain Sato''', is a former Central African professional [[basketball]] player. Standing at a height of 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in), he played as a [[swingman]].
Sato won four [[Lega Basket Serie A|LBA]] championships with [[Mens Sana Basketball Siena|Mens Sana Siena]] in Italy, and was named the [[LBA Most Valuable Player|league's MVP]] in 2010. Sato won the [[EuroLeague]] title with [[Panathinaikos B.C.|Panathinaikos]] in 2011. In his four years with [[Valencia Basket|Valencia]] of the [[Liga ACB]], he was named to the All-ACB First Team in 2014. Sato was enshrined in the [[FIBA Hall of Fame]] in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024 Hall of Fame Class: Romain Sato |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/news/2024-hall-of-fame-class-romain-sato |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=FIBA.basketball |language=en}}</ref>
He represented the [[Central African Republic men's national basketball team|Central African Republic national team]] in international play, leading them at [[AfroBasket 2009]].
==High school== Sato attended [[Dayton Christian High School]], while living in [[Moraine, Ohio]], in the [[United States]]. While there, he played basketball, and in 2000 Sato was selected as Mr. Basketball for the state of Ohio. In 2019 he was elected to the Dayton Christian High School Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 2021 the school retired his #23 jersey.
==College career== Sato graduated from [[Xavier University (Cincinnati)|Xavier University]] in 2004, having majored in [[French language|French]], after playing [[college basketball]] with the [[Xavier Musketeers men's basketball|Xavier Musketeers]]. During his time at Xavier, he helped lead the Musketeers to 4 consecutive NCAA tournaments from 2000 to 2004, including Xavier's first Elite Eight appearance in March 2004 (where they lost to Duke), and two Round of 32 appearances.
==Professional career== Sato was selected by the [[San Antonio Spurs]] in the [[2004 NBA draft]], and was subsequently waived on February 24, 2005. After being drafted by the Spurs, Sato played in the [[LegADue|Italian Second Division]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Coro|first=Paul|title=Sato may fill Suns' need|work=[[The Arizona Republic]]|url=http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0705suns07050.html|date=July 5, 2006|access-date=2007-06-28}}</ref> with [[Aurora Basket Jesi|Sicc Cucine Jesi]]. He was the league's second-leading scorer in the 2005–06 season, averaging 25.5 points per game, and also adding 7.5 rebounds per game.
In Romain's three playoff games that season, he averaged 35 points and 14.6 rebounds. From there, he went to [[FC Barcelona Bàsquet|FC Barcelona]] to play in the 2006 [[Liga ACB|Spanish ACB League]] playoffs.<ref name="Mens Sana bio">{{cite web|url=http://menssanabasket.it/en/squadra/sato.html |title=First Team Roster: Romain Sato |publisher=Mens Sana Basket |access-date=2008-02-20 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071205134309/http://www.menssanabasket.it/en/squadra/sato.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-12-05}}</ref> Sato then returned to Italy to play in the top [[Lega Basket Serie A|Italian League]] with [[Montepaschi Siena]] for the 2006–07 season. In his first season with Siena, he helped Montepaschi to win the ''Scudetto'' (Italian Championship),<ref>{{cite web|title=Xavier University Graduate Romain Sato Wins Italian Title|url=http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/061907aab.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080322040146/http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/061907aab.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 22, 2008|date=June 19, 2007|access-date=2007-06-28|work=[[CSTV]]}}</ref> and he then went on to win three more ''Scudetti'' with Siena. He was named the [[Lega Basket Serie A MVP|Italian League MVP]] in 2010.<ref>[http://web.legabasket.it/news/?id=107011 Legabasket.it – Gli MVP di Lega: Romain Sato è il miglior giocatore della stagione regolare {{in lang|it}}.]</ref>
In July 2010, he signed a three-year contract with [[Panathinaikos B.C.|Panathinaikos]]. In the summer of 2012, he signed a two-year contract with [[Fenerbahçe Men's Basketball|Fenerbahçe Ülker]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Fenerbahce signs Romain Sato|url=http://www.sportando.net/eng/europe/turkey/40931/fenerbahce-signs-romain-sato.html|access-date=11 November 2013|newspaper=Sportando.net|date=12 July 2012}}</ref> He left them after one season. In August 2012, he signed a one-year deal with the Spanish team [[Valencia Basket]].<ref>{{cite news|title=VALENCIA BASKET announces power Romain Sato|url=http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/home/transactions/eurocup-2013-14/i/115222/8174/valencia-basket-announces-power-romain-sato|access-date=11 November 2013|newspaper=Eurocupbasketball.com|date=2 August 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111025403/http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/home/transactions/eurocup-2013-14/i/115222/8174/valencia-basket-announces-power-romain-sato|archive-date=11 November 2013}}</ref> On July 1, 2014, he re-signed with Valencia Basket for two more years.<ref>{{cite news|title=Romain Sato will stay in Valencia two more years|url=http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/138321|access-date=July 1, 2014|work=Euroleague.net|date=July 1, 2014}}</ref>
==National team career== Sato played with the senior men's [[Central African Republic national basketball team]] at the [[AfroBasket 2009|2009 FIBA Africa Championship]]. He averaged 21.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game at the tournament, and was named to [[FIBA AfroBasket All-Tournament Team|the All-Tournament First Team]].
==Career statistics== {{Euroleague player statistics legend}}
===EuroLeague===
{| class="wikitable" |- | style="background:#AFE6BA; width:3em;"|† |Denotes season in which Sato won the [[EuroLeague champion|EuroLeague]] |- | style="background:#CFECEC; width:1em"|* | Led the league |}
{{Euroleague player statistics start}} |- | style="text-align:left;"| [[2007–08 Euroleague|2007–08]] | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"| [[Mens Sana 1871 Basket|Mens Sana]] | '''23''' || 22 || '''28.0''' || .442 || .347 || .731 || 4.9 || 1.0 || '''1.8''' || .1 || 11.6 || 12.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| [[2008–09 Euroleague|2008–09]] | 20 || 19 || 25.8 || .462 || '''.400''' || .814 || 3.9 || .7 || '''1.8''' || .1 || 10.1 || 10.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| [[2009–10 Euroleague|2009–10]] | 16 || 16 || '''28.0''' || '''.490''' || .396 || '''.855''' || '''5.3''' || '''1.3''' || 1.5 || {{sort|-|—}} || '''13.6''' || '''16.3''' |- | style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;"| [[2010–11 Euroleague|2010–11]]† | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| [[Panathinaikos B.C.|Panathinaikos]] | 21 || 16 || 26.2 || .413 || .388 || .813 || 3.9 || 1.1 || .7 || .1 || 9.0 || 10.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| [[2011–12 Euroleague|2011–12]] | style="background:#CFECEC;"|'''23'''* || 20 || 26.0 || .410 || .347 || .712 || 4.7 || 1.0 || .7 || .4 || 7.1 || 8.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| [[2012–13 Euroleague|2012–13]] | style="text-align:left;"| [[Fenerbahçe Basketball|Fenerbahçe]] | '''23''' || '''23''' || 27.0 || .408 || .341 || .810 || 4.2 || '''1.3''' || .7 || .1 || 7.3 || 8.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| [[2014–15 Euroleague|2014–15]] | style="text-align:left;"| [[Valencia Basket|Valencia]] | 9 || 6 || 27.2 || .362 || .292 || .800 || 4.8 || 1.1 || .9 || '''.6''' || 6.3 || 6.7 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan=2|Career | 135 || 122 || 26.8 || .433 || .363 || .789 || 4.5 || 1.1 || 1.1 || .2 || 9.4 || 10.6 {{S-end}}
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Sato es presenta.ogv|Romain Sato's words in his presentation as a [[Valencia Basket]] player, in 2013. File:Sato amb la premsa.ogv|Sato answers the questions of the Press in the very same act. File:Sato rep el premi a l'esforç VaBas 2014.ogv|Hommage in Valencia's court after his first season in the club, when he was chosen as best SF in the league, and awarded by local fans as the team's player who showed more effort. </gallery>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category|Romain Sato}} * [http://www.acb.com/jugador.php?id=BBG Romain Sato] at acb.com {{in lang|es}} * [http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Romain-Sato-5195/ Romain Sato] at draftexpress.com * [http://esake.gr/el/action/EsakeplayerView?idteam=00000001&idchampionship=00000002&idplayer=00000526&mode=1 Romain Sato] at esake.gr {{in lang|el}} * [https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2443/romain-sato Romain Sato] at espn.com * [http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=LMO#!careerstats Romain Sato] at euroleague.net * [https://web.archive.org/web/20121009155511/http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/37362/arti.html Romain Sato] at fiba.com * [http://web.legabasket.it/player/?id=SAT-ROM-81&year=2009&team=1173 Romain Sato] at legabasket.it {{in lang|it}} * [http://www.mistilynn.com/spurs/sato.htm Romain Sato] at mistilynn.com * [https://www.tblstat.net/player/2341 Romain Sato] at tblstat.net
{{Navboxes|list1= {{2004 NBA draft}} {{Italian Basketball Supercup MVP}} {{Lega Basket Serie A MVP}} {{Panathinaikos BC 2010–11 Euroleague champions}} {{Valencia Basket 2013–14 Eurocup champions}} {{FIBA Hall of Fame}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sato, Romain}} [[Category:1981 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Articles containing video clips]] [[Category:Aurora Basket Jesi players]] [[Category:Central African Republic expatriate basketball people in Greece]] [[Category:Central African Republic expatriate basketball people in Italy]] [[Category:Central African Republic expatriate basketball people in Spain]] [[Category:Central African Republic expatriate basketball people in Turkey]] [[Category:Central African Republic expatriate basketball people in the United States]] [[Category:Central African Republic men's basketball players]] [[Category:FC Barcelona Bàsquet players]] [[Category:Fenerbahçe men's basketball players]] [[Category:FIBA Hall of Fame inductees]] [[Category:Greek Basket League players]] [[Category:Liga ACB players]] [[Category:Mens Sana Basket players]] [[Category:Panathinaikos B.C. players]] [[Category:People from Bimbo]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Montgomery County, Ohio]] [[Category:San Antonio Spurs draft picks]] [[Category:Shooting guards]] [[Category:Small forwards]] [[Category:Valencia Basket players]] [[Category:Xavier Musketeers men's basketball players]]