Esteban Damián Batista Hernández is a name to look out for in the basketball world. And he is a player I believe could make an impact in the NBA.

Like most young Uruguayans, Esteban grew up playing soccer on the beach and on the street, anywhere he could. One day in 2000, when he was returning to Montevideo by bus, the eyes of a Club Welcome fan lit up when he spotted a 6ft 10in giant he hoped someday would play for his team. The fan approached the giant and asked if he played basketball professionally, and surprisingly, Batista said that he had never played basketball. Shortly after, he received an invitation to try out for the team.

And that was the start of his career. In his first season playing at Welcome, he averaged 2.1 points in 23 games. More importantly, his team was second in the league. The next season, he averaged 6.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 22 games. His team was again second.

'Batista said that he had never played basketball. Shortly after, he received an invitation to try out for the team'


He then moved north to Salto where he averaged 16.4 points in 28 games and caught the eye of several scouts. One of Europe's giants, Real Madrid, signed him later on that year. They then sent him on a loan to Pozuelo, also in Spain, where he averaged 8.9 points, and 7.4 rebounds in 23 games. Later on that year, he played in the Olympic qualifiers with Uruguay who finished in a weak ninth place.

Batista returned to Trouville, in Montevideo, in 2004 and the following years was back in Spain with LEB, a move that was to prove very effective. He averaged an impressive 10.6 points, and 5.5 rebounds. Then he went with the National team to compete in the FIBA Americas Championship but they failed to qualify for the World Cup in Japan. But Batista had many individual records. He averaged a tournament best 15.6 rebounds. He was also the 9th leading scorer in a tournament that included Dwyane Wade, LeBron, Carmelo, and many other NBA superstars.

He had a short, unsuccessful spell with Atlanta Hawks then joined the Uruguayan team for the Pan-American Games and the FIBA Americas Championships. In the Pan-American Games, he guided his team to 3rd place, including a win against Argentina in the semi-finals. In the FIBA Americas Championships, he again led the tournament in rebounding with 12.4 per game. He was also one of the top scorers with 20.8 points/game. And this tourney included Jason Kidd, Carmelo, LeBron and many other great NBA names.

He tried again with Boston in the NBA but played only 16 minutes in a pre-season game before the management decided to waive him. And he is now with Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv in Israel where he is a key player, having helped them to third place in their Euroleague group.

In my opinion, he could still do a great job with Miami Heat. Their two best centers are in trouble. This is supposed to be Alonzo Mourning's last season and right he's suffering a season-ending injury. Then we have the Big Fella, Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq can still get it done, but he's not the most important player on the court like he used to be and he's definitely on the decline. He is injured right now.

In Batista's stint in the NBA, he didn’t get it done, because of lack of playing time. But he has shown he can get it done against NBA material. He played in the FIBA Americas Championship against NBA players and he was simply amazing, and dominated. And playing with one of the elite of Europe, he's been outstanding. There is no doubt in my mind he should be back in the NBA soon.

Do you know any players worthy of an NBA chance? Post your comments below or submit an article to Sportingo.