Mário Leonel Faria Borges de Palma (born 27 June 1950) is a Portuguese basketball coach.

Mário Palma
Personal information
Born (1950-06-27) 27 June 1950 (age 74)
Portuguese Guinea
NationalityPortuguese
Coaching career1980–present
Career history
As coach:
1980Angola
1992–1996Benfica
1997–1998Estrelas da Avenida
1998–2006Primeiro de Agosto
Angola
2009–2011Jordan
2011–2012Primeiro de Agosto
Portugal
2015–2016Club Africain
2016–2019Tunisia
2021Al Ahly
2023–Tunisia
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Angola
AfroBasket
Gold medal – first place Luanda 1999
Gold medal – first place Casablanca 2001
Gold medal – first place Alexandria 2003
Gold medal – first place Algiers 2005
Representing  Tunisia
AfroBasket
Gold medal – first place Rades 2017

Career

edit

Palma was the coach of Angola at their first appearance at the FIBA Africa Championship, in 1980, finishing in seventh place.

He later would be the coach of Benfica, leading the Portuguese squad to a golden era, where they won five titles at the Portuguese Championship and the Cup of Portugal. They also reached the final group of the European Champions Cup for the first time in 1993/94.

Palma returned to the Angolan squad, where he won three titles in a row at the FIBA Africa Championship editions of 1999, 2001 and 2003. He was also the Angolan coach at the 2000 Summer Olympics and 2004 Summer Olympics.

After leaving the Angola side, he went to coach Clube Desportivo Primeiro de Agosto, where he won the national championship title, and Palma Aqua Mágica, in Spain. In his most recent position, he led the Jordan national basketball team to the bronze medal at the FIBA Asia Championship 2009, earning the nation its first FIBA World Championship berth.

In March 2011, he was nominated head coach of Portugal.

On 3 May 2021 Palma was appointed head coach of Egyptian club Al Ahly for the remainder of the season.[1]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Mário Palma Is Al Ahly Basketball Men's Team New Head Coach". www.alahlyegypt.com. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
edit
  • [1] (in Portuguese)