Are There Any Russian Players In The Nba?
Contents
- The Soviet Union and Russia have been sending players to the NBA since the late 1980s.
- The first Russian player in the NBA was Alexander Volkov, who played for the Atlanta Hawks in 1988.
- There have been a total of 23 Russian players in the NBA.
- The most recent Russian player in the NBA is Timofey Mozgov, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.
- There are currently no Russian players in the NBA.
There are currently no Russian players in the NBA, but that hasn’t always been the case. In the past, a few Russian players have made it to the league, but they haven’t had much success. Will that change in the future?
The Soviet Union and Russia have been sending players to the NBA since the late 1980s.
The Soviet Union and Russia have been sending players to the NBA since the late 1980s. In that time, there have been over 20 Russian players who have made it to the NBA, most recently Alexey Shved in 2012. Though Russian-born players are currently less prevalent in the NBA than they were a decade ago, they remain an important part of the league’s history.
The first Russian player in the NBA was Alexander Volkov, who played for the Atlanta Hawks in 1988.
Volkov was followed by a handful of other Russians in the NBA, including Sergei Monia (Portland Trail Blazers), Viktor Khryapa (Chicago Bulls) and Andrey Kirilenko (Utah Jazz). However, none of these players are currently active in the NBA. The last Russian player in the NBA was Timofey Mozgov, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2014 to 2016.
There have been a total of 23 Russian players in the NBA.
Since the National Basketball Association (NBA) started in 1946, there have been a total of 23 Russian players. The first Russian player was Sergei Belov, who played for the Portland Trail Blazers from 1969 to 1978. Belov was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.
The most recent Russian player was Alexey Shved, who played for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2012 to 2014. Shved is currently playing for CSKA Moscow in the Russian Professional Basketball League (VTB United League).
Other notable Russian players include:
– Sasha Vujacic: Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004, Vujacic played eight seasons with the Lakers, winning two NBA championships (2009 and 2010). He also played for the New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks. Vujacic currently plays for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball Super League.
– Andrey Kirilenko: Drafted by the Utah Jazz in 1999, Kirilenko spent 10 seasons with the Jazz, making one All-Star team (2004) and earning All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2006. He also played for the Minnesota Timberwovles and Brooklyn Nets. Kirilenko retired from the NBA in 2015 and currently serves as president of CSKA Moscow.
– Andrei Kirlenko: Kirlenko had a brief stint with the Orlando Magic during the 2007-08 season before returning to Europe to play for CSKA Moscow.
The most recent Russian player in the NBA is Timofey Mozgov, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Timofey Mozgov is the most recent Russian player in the NBA. He was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and is 7’1″ tall. He played for the New York Knicks from 2010 to 2015, and then was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2016, he won an NBA Championship with the Cavaliers. He then signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017.
There are currently no Russian players in the NBA.
There are no Russian players in the NBA at the moment. The last Russian player to be in the NBA was Andrei Kirilenko, who played for the Minnesota Timberwolves.