Virtus and Fortitudo Bologna (2002–2007) Belinelli played in the Italian
Serie A and the
EuroLeague for
Virtus Bologna and
Fortitudo Bologna. In 2004, he lost the
EuroLeague Finals against
Maccabi Tel Aviv, and in 2005, he won the Serie A title with Fortitudo.
NBA (2007–2020) Golden State Warriors (2007–2009) After being selected #18 in the first round of the
2007 NBA draft by the
Golden State Warriors, Belinelli scored 37 points in his first
NBA Summer League game against the
New Orleans Hornets, going 14-on-20 from the field, including 5-on-7 from
behind the arc, adding 5 boards, 2 assists and 1 steal to help the Warriors earn a 110–102 win. His performance is tied for second for the highest scoring game ever in Vegas summer league history, behind
Keith Bogans' 38 scored as a member of the
Orlando Magic in 2004. Belinelli finished his Summer League scoring an average of 22.8 points per game in 4 games with the Warriors, before returning to
Italy to be part of the Italian national team for
EuroBasket 2007. On 19 December 2008, he scored 27 points, in a game the Warriors lost to
Atlanta Hawks.
Toronto Raptors (2009–2010) On 30 July 2009, he was traded to the
Toronto Raptors for
Devean George, joining
Italian national squad teammate
Andrea Bargnani. He played his first NBA game as a starter for Toronto on 2 February 2010 against the Indiana Pacers.
New Orleans Hornets (2010–2012) On 11 August 2010, he was traded to the
New Orleans Hornets for
Julian Wright. After the 2010–11 season, he became a restricted free agent. On 13 December 2011, he signed the $3.4 million qualifying offer to stay with the Hornets for one more year.
Chicago Bulls (2012–2013) On 24 July 2012, Belinelli signed with the
Chicago Bulls. Since joining the Bulls, Belinelli developed a reputation as a clutch player, hitting shots that include a game winning shot against the Celtics in overtime while falling down, a go-ahead layup against the
Detroit Pistons after
Joakim Noah saved the ball from going out of bounds, a game-winning lay-up with 20 seconds remaining against the
Brooklyn Nets, and a 3 pointer to give the Bulls a 1-point lead with 5 seconds remaining in a game vs. the
Utah Jazz. Belinelli and
Joakim Noah each scored 24 points in a game 7 victory over the
Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the
2013 NBA Playoffs.
San Antonio Spurs (2013–2015) On 11 July 2013, Belinelli signed with the
San Antonio Spurs. On 2 January 2014, Belinelli scored a career-high 32 points in a 101–105 loss to the
New York Knicks. Belinelli also won the
Three-Point Contest at the 2014
NBA All-Star Weekend in
New Orleans, beating
Bradley Beal of the
Washington Wizards at the second attempt in the final after Beal equaled Belinelli's score in the initial final round. In the tiebreaker, Belinelli made six straight shots at a single point, sweeping his fourth rack. In his first season with the Spurs, Belinelli posted career-highs on field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free-throw percentage. In Game 3 of the
2014 NBA Finals against the two-time defending champion Miami Heat, Belinelli hit a crucial 3 pointer in the third quarter that increased San Antonio's lead back to double digits. The Heat had rallied, cutting the Spurs' half-time lead of 21 points to just seven, before Belinelli's three-pointer. Upon winning the 2014 Finals, he became the first Italian player to win an NBA championship.
Kings, Hornets, Hawks and 76ers (2015–2018) On 13 July 2015, Belinelli signed with the
Sacramento Kings. On 30 December 2015, he scored a season-high 28 points in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. On 7 July 2016, Belinelli was traded to the
Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the draft rights to
Malachi Richardson. On 20 June 2017, Belinelli was traded, along with
Miles Plumlee and the 41st pick which became
Tyler Dorsey in the
2017 NBA draft, to the
Atlanta Hawks in exchange for
Dwight Howard and the 31st overall pick (
Frank Jackson) in the 2017 NBA draft. On 9 February 2018, he was waived by the Hawks. On 12 February 2018, Belinelli signed with the
Philadelphia 76ers. In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the
Boston Celtics, Marco made a two-point corner shot to send the game to overtime, 89–89. However, the 76ers would lose to the Celtics, 98–101.
Second stint with the Spurs (2018–2020) On 20 July 2018, Belinelli signed with the
San Antonio Spurs, returning to the franchise for a second stint.
Virtus Bologna (2020–2025) victory in 2022 On 26 November 2020, Belinelli left the NBA and returned to Italy signing a three-year deal, until June 2023 with
Virtus Bologna. In April 2021, despite a winning record of 19–2, Virtus was defeated in the EuroCup's semifinals by
UNICS Kazan. However, the season ended with a great success. In fact, after having knocked out 3–0 both
Basket Treviso in the quarterfinals and
New Basket Brindisi in the semifinals, on 11 June Virtus
defeated 4–0 its historic rival
Olimpia Milano in the national finals, winning its 16th national title and the first one after twenty years. On 21 September 2021, the team won its second
Supercup, defeating
Olimpia Milano 90–84. Moreover, after having ousted
Lietkabelis,
Ulm and
Valencia in the first three rounds of the
playoffs, on 11 May 2022, Virtus defeated
Frutti Extra Bursaspor by 80–67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its first
EuroCup and qualifying for the
EuroLeague after 14 years. However, despite having ended the regular season at the first place and having ousted 3–0 both
Pesaro and
Tortona in the first two rounds of playoffs, Virtus was defeated 4–2 in the national finals by Olimpia Milan. On 29 September 2022, after having ousted Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its
third Supercup, defeating 72–69
Banco di Sardegna Sassari and achieving a back-to-back, following the 2021 trophy. However, despite good premises Virtus ended the
EuroLeague season at the 14th place, thus it did not qualify for the playoffs. Moreover, the team was defeated in the
Italian Basketball Cup final by
Brescia. In June, after having ousted 3–0 both Brindisi and Tortona, Virtus was defeated 4–3 by Olimpia Milan in the national finals, following a series which was widely regarded among the best in the latest years of Italian basketball. On 7 July 2023, Belinelli renewed his contract with Virtus through 2025. On 24 September, after having ousted Olimpia Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its
fourth Supercup, and the third in a row, defeating 97–60
Germani Brescia. Despite an impressive first half of the season, Virtus ended the EuroLeague regular season at the 10th place, qualifying only for the
play-in, where after having defeated 67–64
Anadolu Efes, it lost against
Baskonia 89–77, not qualifying for the playoffs. Moreover, the Black V placed first during the Italian regular season but, after having knocked out
Tortona by 3–2 and
Reyer Venezia by 3–1, it lost the third consecutive final against Milan by 3–1. In the following season Virtus ended the EuroLeague at the 17th place, after a disappointing regular season. After arriving first in the national championship season, Virtus eliminated Venezia 3–2 and their arch-rival Milan 3–1, reaching their fifth finals in a row. They then defeated Brescia 3–0, claiming the Italian championship title for the 17th time. For Belinelli, this was the third
scudetto of his career. On 18 August 2025, Belinelli announced his retirement from professional basketball, concluding his 20-year professional career, citing that he gave the game of basketball "...my heart. Every piece of me. Every single day. Basketball gave me everything… and I gave it everything I had.” ==National team career==