He was patient. Always was, still is.

Carlos Delfino was a kid growing up in Santa Fe, Argentina, trying to find his niche, something he would succeed at for the rest of his life. He was only 8 years old, and extremely active.

First came swimming.

"For me, the first thing I did when I was young was jump in the pool -- my head was very big," said Delfino, gesturing with his hands that he had an inflated ego, "but I wasn't very fast."

Then came soccer, followed by volleyball, and even a few dreams of becoming a lawyer.

Next up was gymnastics. Delfino liked the rings.

"It helped a lot with my coordination," Delfino said. "Stretching, everything -- it was great."

But it wasn't him.

Basketball was, although Delfino didn't realize it until years after his grandfather built a basket in the backyard of the family house. He was a teenager when his father, Carlos Gustavo Delfino, stopped playing professional basketball in South America and found time to teach his son, Carlos Francisco Delfino V -- or "Los" as he often goes by now -- the game that has taken him to three continents.

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