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Who is Jose Calderon?
Jose Manuel Calderon Borrallo, also known as Jose Calderon by his fans, is a household name in the basketball world. Jose began his professional career in the Spanish Second Division League and advanced to the NBA. He was, however, undrafted in the 2003 NBA draft.
Throughout his lengthy basketball career, the Spanish point guard faced numerous challenges.
But he never gave up and faced each challenge as if he were a champion.
Because of his bravery, he led Spain to a World Cup victory in 2006.
On the court, the player was a brilliant strategist and a fantastic leader.
He later demonstrated his leadership abilities by serving as the NBA’s special assistant to the executive director.
He has been retired from his professional career for three years.
However, he has been working in some capacity to promote basketball.
This article will take you through his childhood, his successes and failures, his personal life, and much more.
But, before we get into the specifics, here are some facts about Jose Calderon.
Early Years, Family, and First Job
Jose Manuel Calderon was born in Villanueva de la Serena, Spain, on September 28, 1981.
Jose Calderon Sr. and Lola Borrallo raised him as their only child.
When he first started playing basketball, both of his parents were very supportive.
In fact, when he was younger, his father, Jose, used to play basketball for the town club, Doncel La Serena.
He frequently accompanied his father to his matches and observed him during his practice sessions.
His father, on the other hand, was not a full-time player and worked as a mechanic in a factory.
He went to a small town school and participated in sports with his friends.
Furthermore, he was interested in playing football because it was popular in Spain.
However, he discovered that he was quite good at basketball and decided to devote his entire life to it.
While still playing for local teams, he was able to represent Spain in the FIBA Europe Championship in 1998.
After leading them to victory, the Diputacion Foral Alava offered him a position in the Spanish Second Division League.
His father was already on board with his decision to pursue a professional basketball career.
As a result, he was pleased that his son had followed in his footsteps.
Lola was also pleased that her son had made it to the professional League despite coming from a low-income family.
Jose devoted himself entirely to basketball practice and improvement.
He was already quite skilled, but he worked hard to improve his game.
He later played in the Spanish Second Division League and Liga ACB, thanks to the motivation of his teammates and the support of his family.
Jose Calderon’s European Career
Jose’s professional career began while he was still a teenager.
He joined the Spanish basketball club Lucentum Alicante in 1999 after training with the Alava and briefly playing for them.
He performed admirably and even led his team from the Second Division League to the Liga ACB.
However, despite his best efforts to keep his team in the league, they were relegated once more.
Calderon, on the other hand, did not give up, and as a result, he played the ACB with the new club, Fuenlabrada.
He signed with TAU Vitoria after playing for them in the 2001-02 season.
Meanwhile, Jose had declared for the NBA draft in 2003, but he went undrafted.
However, he continued to play well in the Liga ACB for the same club until 2005, when he was signed by the Toronto Raptors of the NBA.
Calderon was having a good time in Liga ACB when Toronto Raptors GM Rob Babcock asked him to join his team.
Jose immediately agreed because it had always been his dream to play in the NBA.
The Raptors’ team management saw him as one of the best guards, so they gave him more playing time despite the fact that it was his rookie season.
Unfortunately, he had a disappointing first season in which he did not even average more than 5.0 points per game.
In his second season with the Raptors, he was a backup shooting guard.
Despite the fact that he usually stepped down on the court, replacing T.J.
Ford during matches, had much better stats.
Jose remained with the Raptors for five more seasons.
His play throughout these seasons was outstanding, and he was already one of the NBA’s most capable playmakers when he was traded to the Detroit Pistons.
In the meantime, he had one successful season with the Dallas Mavericks.
Jose later spent two seasons with the New York Knicks.
Unfortunately, he missed many games during his first season due to a tendon injury.
Calderon required surgery to fully recover.
He later played for other NBA teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and others.
He contributed to the Cavaliers making the playoffs in 2018.
In addition, he made a brief appearance for the Atlanta Hawks in 2017.
In the 2016-17 season, he appeared in 17 games for them, averaging shallow points per game.
He has never recovered his former form. Instead, his play deteriorated, and his games with the Cavaliers were forgettable.
On July 7, 2018, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded him to his former team, the Detroit Pistons.
A career in the National Team
Jose Calderon first represented his country when he was about 17 years old.
He made his debut for Spain in the 1998 FIBA European Under-18 Championship, where they won gold.
He has since represented his country in numerous international tournaments, winning numerous major trophies.
He even led his country to victory in the 2006 FIBA World Cup.
Furthermore, Jose played an important role in the team’s victory at the 2011 EuroBasket in Lithuania.
Similarly, he has won numerous trophies and medals while representing his country on numerous occasions.
Calderon has had the most success while representing Spain in the international arena, based on his overall career trajectory.
However, after the Summer Olympics in 2016, he announced his retirement from the national team.
In the 2018-19 season, he worked as the NBA’s special assistant to the executive director after retiring from playing.
He is currently employed as a special advisor for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jose Calderon | Awards & Recognition
In his long basketball career, Jose Calderon has received numerous awards and accolades.
He has, however, been more successful in international games than in league games.
Jose did not win any major awards during his nearly fifteen-year NBA career.
He did, however, win a few awards in the Spanish Basketball League, Liga ACB.
Among his league honors are:
- Champion of the LEB Oro (2000)
- King’s Cup of Spain (2004)
- Spanish League All-Star Team (2005)
In addition, the former world champion has received numerous prestigious awards and medals for his country.
Some of his international accomplishments include:
- The FIBA World Cup (2006)
- EuroBasket (2011) (2011)
- Olympic silver medalist in Beijing in 2008.
- Olympic bronze medalist in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
- Under-19 Basketball World Cup FIBA (1999)
Height, weight, and age
The former NBA player will be 41 years old in 2022.
Moving on to his body measurements, he weighs around 200 lb (91 kg).
While he was still in the NBA, he appeared to be quite lean, but he has clearly gained weight and looks perfectly fine now.
Likewise, he is 1.91 meters (6 feet 3 inches) tall.
He also has dark brown hair and lovely green eyes.
Salary, Net Worth, and Career Earnings
Jose Calderon’s net worth is estimated to be around $35 million, according to sources.
However, there was a rumor a few years ago that he had inherited a $2.2 billion fortune from his father, a stake in a Coca-Cola bottling company called FEMSA.
However, it was quickly debunked.
Anyway, getting back to the point, his primary source of income was from league games.
He began earning money as a young man when he began playing in the Spanish League.
However, we do not have any information on his earnings prior to joining the NBA.
When he joined the Toronto Raptors in 2005, he was offered around $2.1 million.
During his next six seasons with the Raptors, he earned nearly $39 million.
Furthermore, the Detroit Pistons paid Jose $11 million for his single season.
On July 11, 2013, the Dallas Mavericks signed him to a four-year, $28 million contract.
He was paid approximately $6.7 million by the Mavericks for the 2013-14 season, after which he left the team.
He then went on to play for five different NBA teams before retiring in 2019.
During his NBA career, he amassed a fortune of approximately $82 million.
Furthermore, he made a lot of money from brand endorsements and march sales.
Furthermore, because he is a prolific speaker, various program organizers invite him to speak at events for which he is compensated.
So, based on his high-profile lifestyle, it is easy to conclude that he has made a lot of money as a basketball player.
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Personal Life of Jose Calderon
While still trying to find his place in the professional League, Jose fell in love with Ana Hurtado, a Spanish lady.
They first met in 1999 and began dating soon after.
They did not, however, rush into marriage and took their time getting to know each other.
Calderon had just entered the second-division league, and Ana, his girlfriend at the time, saw him quickly advance to the Spanish Liga ACB.
On July 18, 2003, the couple married in a small ceremony in the village of Villanueva de la Serena.
He got a big break in the NBA after two years of marriage, and Ana split her time between Toronto and Spain.
Ana gave birth to their first child, Manuel, in 2010, after seven years of marriage.
She later gave birth to two more boys, Jaime and Gonzalo.
The player is already retired, and his children are of school age.
They all adore basketball and enjoy discussing various exciting aspects of the game.
He is currently enjoying himself with his loved ones.
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