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sep 29 2026Baskonia has finally filled its frontcourt gap, thanks to a rule change thousands of miles away from Vitoria. Marcio Santos signs a two-year deal just six days after Alex Len's departure, after SEC eligibility tightening prevented him from joining LSU.
How He Got Here
The Brazilian center had committed to the Tigers for the NCAA season. But the conference approved rules in early September that ban players with professional experience, and Santos found himself caught in them alongside other international players in the same program, such as Michael Ruzic, Brice Dessert, and Saliou Niang.
That blockade cleared the way for Baskonia.
2025-26 Numbers
He arrives from Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he spent his first EuroLeague season: 6.9 points and 1.6 rebounds in 37 games.
Before that, in 2024-25, he posted better numbers in the EuroCup with ratiopharm Ulm: 7.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and nearly one assist per game.
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Who He Is
A 6'8" center, 23 years old, international for Brazil. Entering his third season in Europe.
He developed at Franca in Brazil, where he debuted in 2018-19 and played until 2024, contributing to the conquest of the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
What He Solves in Vitoria
He will share the position with Kenneth Faried, on a team that spent all of September without closing out its frontcourt. The club lost Khalifa Diop when the Cleveland Cavaliers exercised their draft rights, signed Alex Len as a replacement, and parted ways with him after just one practice due to foot soreness.
In that time, the consequences showed on the court: they finished a preseason game without centers due to fouls and conceded 106 points to Olympiacos in their European debut.
At 6'8", Santos is not a particularly large center, so the height problem is not entirely solved. But he does provide another body to a rotation that was stretched thin.
