The Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Marcelo Huertas to a contract Wednesday.
Terms were not released, but the deal reportedly is for one year.
The Brazilian native began his professional playing career in his home country for three seasons (2001-2004) before signing with Joventut of the Spanish ACB League, where he played three seasons (2004-2007), winning the 2006 FIBA Euro Cup. He remained in the ACB League for the 2007-08 season, which saw him garner an All-ACB Team selection with Bilbao Basket, before joining Fortitudo Bologna in Italy’s top domestic league for the 2008-09 campaign.
The 32-year-old Huertas, nicknamed “Marcelinho,” returned to the ACB League with Saski Baskonia from 2009-11, where he won the 2009-10 Spanish National Championship, and in 2010-11 won the Euroleague’s weekly MVP award two times and led the ACB with 5.9 assists per game en route to a second All-ACB Team selection.
Before joining the Lakers, Huertas spent the previous four seasons (2011-15) with Spanish power FC Barcelona, where he was a key piece on their 2011-12 and 2013-14 Spanish National Championship and 2013 Spanish National Cup-winning teams.
The 6-foot-3 point guard has played in Euroleague competition seven times, including the last six straight years, amassing 165 games played, and averages of 8.0 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per contest. Huertas led the Euroleague in free-throw shooting at 97.2 percent during the 2012-13 season, and was the 2013-14 Euroleague Top 16 Round 2 MVP.
Huertas has extensive international experience, notably as a member of the Brazilian national team for the 2012 Olympics in London, where he led the squad with six assists per game in addition to 11.3 points, good for second-best on the roster. He has appeared on three consecutive FIBA World Championship (renamed FIBA Basketball World Cup) teams in 2006, 2010, and 2014.