Richard Melzer

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Richard Melzer (born December 8, 1979 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American professional basketball player for the Australian National Basketball League's New Zealand Breakers; he primarily plays power forward.

Melzer was named NCAA Division III Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the D-III News as a senior at Wisconsin-River Falls. He earned First Team All-America honours from the NABC his junior and senior seasons. He was named All-WIAC his last three seasons and was named league MVP his final two years and finished his career as the school's second all time leading scorer with 2, 363 points, the third all-time leading rebounder with 821 boards, and the all-time leading shot-blocker with 186 rejections.

Melzer has spent time trying out with the NBA's Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls and the Orlando Magic in the last two years. He led the Sioux Falls Skyforce to the CBA Championship in 2005. He also won a title with San Carlos in the Dominican Republic League and was voted MVP of the National Finals.

Melzer is currently with the New Zealand Breakers for the 2005/06 season of the NBL. He stands at 203cm and currently weighs in at 102kg. In Week 20 he received the NBL Player of the Week award for his performances.

Melzer recently signed a two-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs. He appeared in four preseason games in 2006, averaging 2.8 points in 7.8 minutes. He was released by the Spurs on October 20th, 2006.

Melzer is a 1999 graduate of River Falls High School in Wisconsin.