Ignacio Ortega

Started: He took up the sport at age seven in Alcobendas, Spain. (marca.com, 06 Feb 2018) Reason: He attended a seminar led by Spanish wheelchair basketball player Daniel Styx in Alcobendas, Spain, and fell in love with the sport. (vidasinsuperables.com, 20 Apr 2018) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (marca.com, 22 Apr 2023) Awards: He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2018 U22 European Championships in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy. (feddf.es, 15 Sep 2018) Additional Info: TIME ABROAD Between 2013 and 2016 he spent three years living in Richmond, VA, United States of America, where he played for the Sportable Spokes at high school level. In 2018 he returned to the United States of America in order to study at the University of Alabama. "I had wanted to go to the United States of America since I was a child; it has always been my dream and thanks to a scholarship at the University of Alabama it has become a dream come true. The possibility of combining studies with basketball at this level is something we cannot find anywhere else. The priority is studying, so I have the opportunity of getting a degree while playing the sport. Besides, [the US universities] have the best facilities and training, which has greatly increased my level of playing." (marca.com, 22 Apr 2023; agmeducation.com, 23 May 2019; telemadrid.es, 15 Mar 2018) FURTHER EDUCATION He has a master's degree in hospitality management from the University of Alabama in the United States of America. (europapress.es, 13 Oct 2023; LinkedIn profile, 01 Aug 2023) NUMBER He wears the number 24 with the national team, and also wore the same number while playing for the University of Alabama. He chose the number as a tribute to US basketball player Kobe Bryant. "I have always been inspired by [his] mentality." (marca.com, 22 Apr 2023)