Sergei Belov

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Sergei Belov bigraphy, stories - Professional basketball player

Sergei Belov : biography

January 23, 1944 –

Sergei Alexandrovich Belov ( born January 23, 1944, in the village of Nashchyokovo, Shegarsky District, Tomsk Oblast, Soviet UnionGreat Russian Encyclopedia (2005), Moscow: Bolshaya Rossiyskaya Entsiklopediya Publisher, vol. 3, p. 227.) is a former professional basketball player, most noted for playing for the Soviet Union national basketball team at the Olympic Games. He trained at Trud Voluntary Sports Society, and later at Armed Forces sports society.

In 1968, he became an Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. Later, he became an Honored Coach of Russia (1995), and the President of the Russian Basketball Federation (1993–98).

Belov is considered to be one of the best non-American basketball players of all time. He was given the honor of lighting the Olympic Cauldron with the Olympic flame, during the 1980 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, in Moscow. In 1991, FIBA named him the Best FIBA Player Ever.. Fibaeurope.com (1972-09-09). Retrieved on 2011-11-02.

He became the first international player to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 11, 1992. He was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007.. Halloffame.fiba.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-02. He was named of the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors in 2008.

Club playing career

At the age of twenty, Belov made his debut in the USSR League, with the team of Uralmash Sverdlovsk, where he played from 1964 to 1967. He then played with CSKA Moscow for twelve years. With CSKA, he won the USSR League championship eleven times (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980), the USSR Cup twice (1972, 1973), and the Euroleague twice, in 1969 and 1971.

References and notes

International playing career

As a member of the Soviet Union national basketball team for fourteen years (1967–1980), Belov helped them win a gold medal (1972), and three bronze medals (1968, 1976, 1980) at the Olympic Games. He also helped them to become the FIBA World champions in 1967 and 1974, and the FIBA European champions in 1967, 1969, 1971, and 1979.

In the gold medal game of the 1972 Summer Olympics, Belov scored 20 points against the United States national basketball team, as the Soviet Union defeated the USA, by a score of 51-50, to win the gold.

Awards and accomplishments

  • Order of the Badge of Honour
  • Medal "For Distinguished Labour"
  • As a player:
    • 2x Euroleague Champion: 1969, 1971
    • 11x USSR League Champion: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
    • 3x Euroleague Final Top Scorer: 1970, 1972, 1974
    • 2x USSR Cup Champion: 1972, 1973
    • Summer Olympic Games:
      • 1972
        1968, 1976, 1980
    • FIBA World Cup:
      • 1978
        1970 (MVP)
    • FIBA EuroBasket:
      • 1967, 1969 (MVP), 1971, 1979
        1975, 1977
        1973
    • FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players: 1991 (Voted #1)
    • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: 1992
    • FIBA Hall of Fame: 2007
    • 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors: 2008
  • As a head coach:
    • 2x USSR League Champion: 1982, 1990
    • FIBA Order of Merit: (1995)
    • 2x Russian SuperLeague Champion: 2001, 2002
    • North European League Champion: 2001
    • FIBA World Cup:
      • 1994, 1998
    • FIBA EuroBasket:
      • 1997

Coaching career

Belov was the head coach of CSKA Moscow, with whom he won the USSR League championship in 1982 and 1990. He was also the head coach of Ural Great Perm. With Ural Great Perm, he won the Russian SuperLeague championship in both 2001 and 2002, and the North European League championship in 2001.

As the head coach of the senior men’s Russian national basketball team, he won silver medals at both the 1994 FIBA World Championship and the 1998 FIBA World Championship, and the bronze medal at the EuroBasket 1997.