Yago Mateus dos Santos (born March 9, 1999), known simply as Yago, is a Brazilian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the Serbian KLS, the Adriatic League and the EuroLeague. Dos Santos was discovered by Palmeiras, and played for Paulistano from 2016 to 2020 and Flamengo from 2020 to 2022 before moving to German club Ratiopharm Ulm. He has also played for the Chicago Bulls in the 2023 NBA Summer League team. Yago won the 2023 German BBL championship with Ulm, while being named Finals MVP as well.
ESPN and ESporte called him one of the greatest revelations of Brazilian basketball of the 2010s.[1][2]
Professional career
From 2020 to 2022, Yago played two seasons with Flamengo, with whom he won the 2022 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, as well as two NBB championships.
On July 20, 2022, Yago signed a two-year contract with German club Ratiopharm Ulm of the German Basketball Bundesliga.[3] He was instrumental in helping Ulm win its first ever German championship in 2023 and received Bundesliga Finals MVP honours.[4] Appearing in 45 Bundesliga games (45 starts) during the 2022-23 campaign, he averaged a team-high 15.0 points per contest to go along with 5.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds a game.[5]
On July 17, 2023, Yago signed a three-year contract with Serbian powerhouse KK Crvena zvezda.[6] In the same season, main rivals KK Partizan also signed Brazilian Bruno Caboclo, making the Serbian derby also a derby between two of Brazil's best players. On June 28, 2024, Yago extended his contract with the Serbian club through 2027.[7]
National team career
During the 2023 FIBA World Cup, he recorded a double-double (24 points, 11 assists, 6-6 from three point range) against Ivory Coast, which earned him worldwide praise.[8]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | Crvena zvezda | 28 | 16 | 19.8 | .435 | .402 | .807 | 2.0 | 3.9 | .5 | — | 8.7 | 9.1 |
| Career | 28 | 16 | 19.8 | .435 | .402 | .807 | 2.0 | 3.9 | .5 | — | 8.7 | 9.1 | |
References
- ^ "Palmeiras descobriu e lapidou promessa do NBB, mas fechou time; hoje, 'baixinho' encanta em finalista". ESPN Brasil. espn.uol.com.br. May 27, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ "Finalista do NBB, prodígio foi treinado por técnico ligado aos Warriors". Esporte UOL. esporte.uol.com.br. May 27, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ "Frischgebackener MVP auf dem Weg nach Ulm". Ratiopharm Ulm (in German). Retrieved July 22, 2022.
- ^ "Ulm conclude miraculous German playoff run by winning first-ever championship title". basketnews.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
- ^ "Ratiopharm Ulm". Basketball-Bundesliga. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
- ^ "Brazilian international Yago dos Santos pens a 3-year contract with Crvena zvezda Meridianbet". aba-liga.com. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ Gillingham, Geoff (July 28, 2024). "Yago Dos Santos pens contract extension at Crvena Zvezda". EuroLeague. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ Filardi, Eric (August 30, 2023). "Yago Santos na Copa do Mundo 2023: mídia mundial se derrete". www.esportelandia.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved August 31, 2023.
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