Mário Palma

Who is Mário Palma?

Mário Leonel Faria Borges de Palma is a Portuguese basketball coach.

Palma was the coach of Angola at their first presence at the FIBA Africa Championship, in 1980, reaching 7th place.

He later would be the coach of Benfica, leading the Portuguese squad to a golden era, where they won five titles at the Portuguese Championship and the Cup of Portugal. They also reached the final group of the European Champions Cup for the first time in 1993/94.

Palma returned to the Angolan squad, where he won three titles in a row at the FIBA Africa Championship editions of 1999, 2001 and 2003. He was also the Angolan coach at their presences at the 2000 Summer Olympics and 2004 Summer Olympics.

After leaving the Angola side, he went to coach Clube Desportivo Primeiro de Agosto, where he won the national championship title, and Palma Aqua Mágica, in Spain. In his most recent position, he led the Jordan national basketball team to the bronze medal at the FIBA Asia Championship 2009, earning the nation its first FIBA World Championship berth.

In March 2011, he was nominated head coach of Portugal.