Tiago Splitter

Sport: Basketball

Nation: Brazil

DOB: January 1, 1985

Career Highlights: A longtime star in the Spanish league, Splitter more recently made a name for himself in the U.S. by becoming a key contributor for the San Antonio Spurs. In just his second NBA season, he came off the bench to average 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 61.8 percent from the field, helping the Spurs finish with the best record in the Western Conference. Splitter started his professional career in 2000 at just 15 years old, spending seven seasons with Caja Laboral in the Spanish league as he averaged 11.2 points and 5.1 boards in 223 games. The center led Caja Laboral to two championships and was the league's regular season and finals MVP in 2009, a season in which he averaged 15.4 points and 7.1 rebounds. This will be his first Olympic appearance, having helped Brazil qualify with a second-place finish in the 2011 Americas Championship. Splitter began playing for the Brazilian national team in 2002 and instantly had an impact, leading gold-medal runs at the 2003 South American Championship and Pan American Games. A skilled rebounder and solid defender, Splitter also helped his country to the 2005 and 2009 Americas Championship. He has played for Brazil in world championships three times, including in 2010 when he averaged 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds. He had 13 points and 10 boards in a 70-68 loss to the U.S. team. Splitter shoots a high percentage, as most of his contributions come from around the hoop.

Olympic History: None