Argentina and Spain Nocioni's professional career began in the
Argentine basketball league (LNB) in the 1995–96 season in
Racing Club de Avellaneda, and in 1998–99 he was already named
Best Sixth Man. In 2001, Nocioni went to
Vitoria-Gasteiz, where he spent three seasons as a
refuerzo (reinforcement player) with Spain's
TAU Cerámica of the top-tier level
ACB Spanish professional league. He was the league's 2004
Most Valuable Player, and his stellar play earned him an
All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2003 and 2004.
NBA career Chicago Bulls After winning the gold medal at the
2004 Olympics, Nocioni was signed as an
undrafted rookie free-agent by the
Chicago Bulls. Two of his countrymen,
Manu Ginóbili and
Carlos Delfino, were also in the
NBA at the time. He played in 81 games during his rookie season and posted averages of 8.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.5 apg and 23.4 mpg. Nocioni's physical style of defense created controversy around the league, and he was suspended for one game after a hard foul to
Detroit Pistons'
Tayshaun Prince. Nocioni had previously committed a hard foul on the
Miami Heat's
Dwyane Wade and then was shoved past photographers and into the first row of spectators by
Udonis Haslem. A spectator tossed a drink at Nocioni, which was similar to the incident that triggered
Pacers–Pistons brawl at
The Palace of Auburn Hills. The fan was ejected by security. For the incident, Nocioni received a flagrant-one foul (which is a foul involving excessive or unjustified contact) and a
technical. Haslem received a technical and an
ejection. While giving a
teleconference interview with NBA.com, Nocioni spoke about the hard fouls and his suspension, "First, the one with Wade was completely my fault. It was a bad reaction on my part. If I had received any penalties because of it, it would be a fair sanction, but it was not given. However, the sanction set after the game against the Pistons is totally unfair. I see it as a totally real play taken out of context in the game — absolutely nothing happened. It was an accidental blow. Without purposely trying to, I hit him. I apologized on the court. I also asked Carlos Delfino to give my apologies to him, so I don't understand why there is a sanction for something totally normal in a game." In Nocioni's first NBA playoff game, he scored 25 points and grabbed 18 rebounds while playing all 48 minutes. Due to his outstanding play, the sold-out United Center crowd in Chicago chanted his name. This game solidified Nocioni's status as a Chicago favorite. In Nocioni's second season with the Chicago Bulls, he averaged 13.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and 1.4 apg, while playing in all 82 games, 43 of them starts. Nocioni was named the Chicago Bulls' Player of the Year for the
2005–06 season. In
the playoffs Nocioni averaged 22.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists including two
double-doubles. In game two against the
Miami Heat he scored 30 points shooting 13–15 overall from the field (83.3%), including 3–3 in from the three-point line and 1–1 in free throws, with 6 rebounds and one steal in almost 40 minutes played. Nocioni scored 30 points again on November 19, during the 82–72 defeat against the
L.A. Lakers. He also scored a career high 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the December 1st 111–108 road victory against the
Hornets. Nocioni missed a third of the
2006–07 NBA season due to
plantar fasciitis. He returned to action late in the season on April 8, 2007, against
Toronto. Nocioni became a restricted free-agent following the 2006–07 season. On July 6, 2007, he agreed a 5-year deal with the Chicago Bulls worth a reported $38 million. Teams that were interested in Nocioni included the
Memphis Grizzlies. The deal became official on July 18, 2007. In preparation for the
2008–09 NBA season, Nocioni admitted the
knee tendinitis which had hampered his performance during the
2008 Olympics was still affecting him and specifically he had hardly done anything in between winning the bronze medal and reporting for training camp.
Sacramento Kings On February 18, 2009, Nocioni was traded to the
Sacramento Kings along with
Drew Gooden and
Cedric Simmons for
John Salmons and
Brad Miller. Nocioni started for the Kings the last 23 games of the 2008–09 season, averaging 13.7 points a game. Sacramento was in a rebuilding process however, and Nocioni requested a trade following a decrease in playing time.
Philadelphia 76ers After the season ended, on June 17, 2010, Nocioni was traded to the
Philadelphia 76ers along with
Spencer Hawes for
Samuel Dalembert. On December 29, 2010, he scored a season-high 22 points to go along with 12 rebounds, in a 123–110 win over the
Phoenix Suns.
Return to Argentina During the
2011 NBA lockout, Nocioni trained with
Peñarol de Mar del Plata while waiting for the situation to resolve itself. With the announcement of the
NBPA to dissolve the Union and start litigation against the NBA, he agreed to join the team for the
Súper 8 tournament in November 2011. On November 26, as the NBA announced that a tentative agreement on a new
collective bargaining agreement was reached, Nocioni helped Peñarol to its third Súper 8 tournament.
Return to Spain With the end of the lockout, Nocioni returned to the Philadelphia 76ers for the
2011–12 NBA season, but was waived in March 2012, after playing 11 games that season. Nocioni's final NBA game was played on March 12, 2012, in a 103–71 win over the
Boston Celtics where he recorded 1 point and no other stats in 3 and half minutes of playing time. He then signed with his former team,
Caja Laboral (formerly known as TAU Cerámica for sponsorship reasons), for the remainder of the season. He chose to wear number 55, as number 5, was already taken by his
Argentina national basketball team teammate
Pablo Prigioni. He re-signed with Caja Laboral in July 2012. On July 20, 2014, he parted ways with Baskonia, and he signed a two-year contract with
Real Madrid, five days later. In May 2015, Real Madrid won the
EuroLeague, after defeating
Olympiacos, by a score of 78–59 in
the final game. Nocioni was named the
Final Four MVP. Real Madrid eventually finished the season winning the
Spanish League championship, after a 3–0 series sweep in the
Spanish League finals series against
Barcelona. With that trophy, Real Madrid won the
triple crown. On July 21, 2016, Nocioni re-signed with Real Madrid. On April 3, 2017, he announced his intentions to retire after the 2016–17 season. ==National team career==