Career
At 6"5" (196 m), he played at the shooting guard and small forward positions. He was nicknamed "Nembo Kid". He was named one of International Basketball Federation"s 50 Greatest Players in 1991.
In 2004, he was given a trophy to mark his being the top scorer of all-time in the Italian League, with 14,399 points scored.
He is also the all-time leading scorer in the history of the senior men"s Italian national basketball team, with 3,785 points scored. In 2008, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors.
Riva started playing basketball in the 1977-1978 season. Riva founded a new basketball team in 2002.
Riva is a keen skier.