Career: Algés (Portugal-Div. 2, 1996-97), Benfica Lisboa (Portugal-Liga TMN, 1997-2003), Oliveirense (Portugal-Liga TMN, 2003-05), Petro Luanda (Angola-Div. 1, 2005-07).

Like several of his Portuguese teammates, Jordao came to basketball late in life. He started to play when he was 17. At the time he was the same height as he is now (2.03 m) and Benfica were quick to snap up the raw talent. The Lisbon native spent most of the early part of his career stuck behind more experienced and developed players that Benefica had signed from outside of Portugal. There, he began another stage in his development. But the road was not an easy one, since Benfica usually signs foreign players to play inside. His long, thin frame made it difficult for coaches to decide if his future was as a power forward or center. As a result of their hesitation, Jordao developed all parts of his game and to this day he loves to step out of the box and nail some three pointers. He has been working harder in the gym to build up his frame, gain weight and become a stronger power forward, still capable of shooting from distance (40% from three-point range in 2004-05). Many now consider him a poor man's Matjaz Smodis (CSKA and Slovenia). As his minutes have grown so has his confidence and a move from Benfica to Oliveirense in search of playing time has seen him improve even more. In the summer of 2005, he decided to sign with Petro Luanda, a club from Angola (his  wife’s home), where he thought the level of the game was higher than in Portugal. While there, his game improved even more.  Now, he is more tenacious, stronger mentally and has finally learned to pace himself in games. The move to Angola has also seen him become a champion, something that eluded him in Portugal.  With Petro Luanda, he won the Angolan League, the Super Cup and the African Club Championship, all in one year (2006). For the National Team, his improvement has been impressive. “Xico” had a good qualifying round campaign in 2003, an even better one in 2005 (17.4 ppg). Last year he divided the job with his teammates to achieve qualification for EuroBasket 2007. Capable of being productive on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court, Francisco Jordão is Portugal’s most potent weapon. He still has one weakness to solve, his lateral movement on defense. His late start did not help, but his desire to win and his tenacity moved many obstacles out of his way. This EuroBasket will be a window of opportunity for “Xico” to show all the things he can do.  Early in his career, he had an opportunity to play in Spain, even signing a two-year contract with Ricoh Manresa in the summer of 2005.  Eventually he got tired of waiting for his opportunity and chose to play in Luanda. EuroBasket 2007 is another opportunity for Jordao to show what he’s made of and the success of his team may rest squarely on his shoulders.