Georgi Glouchkov

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Georgi Nikolov Glouchkov (Bulgarian: Георги Николов Глушков) (born January 10, 1960 in Tryavna) is a Bulgarian former professional basketball player. A 6'8" forward, he was the first player from an Eastern bloc country to compete in the American National Basketball Association (NBA).

Glouchkov began playing with Bulgaria's national team at the age of seventeen. He also played with the club Akademik Varna, and by the mid-1980s, he had established a reputation as one of Europe's top five players [1]. After averaging 23 points and 19 rebounds during the 1984-85 season, he attracted the attention of the Phoenix Suns, who selected him in the seventh round (148th pick overall) of the 1985 NBA Draft [2]. The Suns signed him to much fanfare on September 25, 1985, releasing a special press kit which included a history of Bulgaria and a glossary of Bulgarian phrases [3].

Glouchkov knew very little English and was accompanied by Bozhidar Takev, a Bulgarian coach and trainer who translated for him. At the beginning of the season, Glouchkov impressed the Suns with his strong rebounding and became a regular member of the team's playing rotation; as the year went on, however, Glouchkov began gaining weight, and his productivity decreased. Some Suns' staff members attributed his weight gain to his taste for American fast food and candy, but rumors also surfaced that he was experiencing with steroids [4]. He ended the 1985-86 NBA season with averages of 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game [5].

As the season came to a close, Glouchkov began losing weight at a dramatic pace. When he reported to the Suns' 1986 summer league team, he weighed 25 pounds less than he had weighed when he first signed with the Suns [6]. The Suns never determined the cause of his weight fluctuations, but after a poor performance in summer league competition, the Suns advised him to return to Europe [7].

Glouchkov did return to his homeland and continued to play basketball in the European leagues until 2003. He had his most post-NBA success with the Italian club Phonola Caserta, whom he led to the European Winner's Cup finals in 1989 before losing to Real Madrid Baloncesto [8].

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Johnson, Roy. F. "A sun far from home court". New York Times. November 12, 1985. p. 10.
  2. ^ ibid.
  3. ^ Boyer, Mary Schmidt. "The International Player". The Official NBA Encyclopedia. New York: Doubleday, 2000.
  4. ^ http://www.interbasket.net/players/glouchkov.htm. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  5. ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gloucge01.html. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  6. ^ http://www.interbasket.net/players/glouchkov.htm. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  7. ^ AP Sports Wire. August 20, 1986.
  8. ^ "Glouchkov pioneered Europe's path into NBA" The Oregonian. March 21, 1991. p. D06.
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