Charlie Alexander Villanueva (born August 24, 1984 in Queens, New York) is an American NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Villanueva is a first-generation American, son of Dominican immigrants, Roberto Villanueva and Doris Mejia. He grew up in Queens before moving to New Jersey and resides in Brooklyn, New York, which he calls home. A 6'11" power forward, he was drafted 7th overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2005 NBA Draft.

He attended high school at Blair Academy, with current Chicago Bulls player Luol Deng, where he earned All-American honors as a senior as well as New Jersey Co-player of the Year. He originally entered the 2003 NBA Draft but decided to withdraw and attend college at the University of Connecticut (UConn).

In his first year at UConn, Villanueva was named to the Big East All-Rookie 2nd Team and was a key reserve on the 2004 NCAA Men's Basketball National Champion Connecticut Huskies team. As a sophomore, Villanueva was named second-team All-Big East after averaging 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

In the Summer of 2004, Villanueva was a member of the gold medal-winning United States 21 and under team at the World Championships.

The Toronto Raptors were widely criticized for selecting Villanueva seventh overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, but he responded with a solid rookie campaign, ranking second among rookies with 13.0 ppg and 6.4 rpg. He was second in the voting for the 2005-2006 Rookie of the Year Award and was selected to the 2005-06 T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie First Team.

On March 26, 2006, Villanueva set a career high and Raptors rookie record for points in a game with 48 in a 116-125 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. His point total was the most by a rookie since Allen Iverson scored 50 in 1997.

Villanueva was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for point guard T.J. Ford and cash considerations on June 30, 2006.

As of February 27, 2007, Villanueva is averaging 12.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.6 steals.

Villanueva suffers from Alopecia areata, an autoimmune skin disease. This results in hair loss on the scalp and/or elsewhere on the body, but the disease is not otherwise life-threatening or harmful. Villanueva has become a spokesman for the NAAF (National Alopecia Areata Foundation) to help others growing up with the same condition. In March 2006, the NBA recognized his efforts by giving him the league's Community Assist Award for the month of February.
Source : Wikipedia