Leo Menalo (born January 6, 2002) is a Croatian professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Trieste of the Italian Serie A2. Due to his Italian upbringing, he is considered a "homegrown player" in the domestic championship.
 Menalo in 2022 | |
| No. 24 – Pallacanestro Trieste | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward |
| League | Serie A2 |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 6, 2002 Zagreb, Croatia |
| Nationality | Croatian |
| Listed height | 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) |
| Listed weight | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 2018–present |
| Career history | |
| 2018–2022 | Stella Azzurra Roma |
| 2022–present | Virtus Bologna |
| 2024–present | → Pallacanestro Trieste |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Professional career
Stella Azzurra Roma (2018–2022)
After having played in the youth teams of KK Cibona, Menalo moved to A.S. Stella Azzurra of Rome in 2018, where he initially played in the youth teams. With Stella Azzurra, Menalo played in Serie A2, the second-tier league of Italian basketball.[1]
Virtus Bologna (2022–present)
On 2 August 2022, Menalo signed a four-year deal with Virtus Bologna, of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague, one of the most important teams in Europe.[2] On 29 September 2022, after having ousted Olimpia Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its third Supercup, defeating 72–69 Banco di Sardegna Sassari and achieving a back-to-back, following the 2021 trophy.[3] However, despite good premises Virtus ended the EuroLeague season at the 14th place, thus it did not qualify for the playoffs.[4] Moreover, the team was defeated in the Italian Basketball Cup final by Brescia. In June, after having ousted 3–0 both Brindisi and Tortona, Virtus was defeated 4–3 by Olimpia Milan in the national finals, following a series which was widely regarded among the best in the latest years of Italian basketball.[5][6]
On 24 September 2023, after having ousted Olimpia Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its fourth Supercup, and the third in a row, defeating 97–60 Germani Brescia.[7]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Bologna | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Career | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | |