Rolando Ferreira


Rolando Ferreira Júnior is a Brazilian former professional basketball player and coach. At a height of 2.16 m tall, he played at the center position.

College career

Ferreira played college basketball at the University of Houston, with the Houston Cougars, for two seasons. As a senior co-captain of the 1987–88 Cougar squad, he averaged 15.8 points per game, and led the team with 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots per game. For his efforts, he was named to the 1988 All-Southwest Conference defensive team.

Professional playing career

Ferreira was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers, in the 2nd round of the 1988 NBA Draft. Ferreira played in only one NBA season, as a member of the 1988–89 Blazers. In his NBA career, he played in 12 games, and scored a total of 9 points. He owns the distinction of being the first Brazilian to play in the NBA.

National team playing career

Ferreira was a member of the senior Brazilian national basketball team for 12 years. He played at three FIBA World Cups, in 1986, 1990, and 1994, and at two Summer Olympic Games, in 1988 and 1992. He was also a part of the Brazilian team that won the 1987 Pan American Games, in Indianapolis, over Team USA.

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, Ferreira went on to work as coach at the Universidade Federal do Paraná. Today, he is a basketball coach at the International School Of Curitiba, in Curitiba-Paraná, Brazil.