Ariel McDonald

Last updated
Ariel McDonald
ArielMcDonald01.jpg
McDonald, in 2007
Personal information
Born (1972-01-05) January 5, 1972 (age 52)
Harvey, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican / Slovenian
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school
College Minnesota (1990–1994)
NBA draft 1994: undrafted
Playing career1994–2009
Position Point guard
Career history
1994–1995 Castors Braine
1995–1996Interier Krško
1996–1999 Olimpija Ljubljana
1999–2002 Maccabi Tel Aviv
2002–2004 Panathinaikos
2004–2005 Dynamo Moscow
2005–2008 Akasvayu Girona
2008Dynamo Moscow
2008–2009 Montepaschi Siena
Career highlights and awards
As player:

Ariel Rene McDonald (born January 5, 1972) is an American-Slovenian former professional basketball player. He played at the point guard position. A high quality floor general who was the 2000 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, FIBA SuproLeague Final Four MVP in 2001, and an All-EuroLeague Second Team member in 2002, McDonald played for top European teams like Montepaschi Siena, Olimpija Ljubljana, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Panathinaikos, Akasvayu Girona, and Dynamo Moscow.

Contents

Early life and career

McDonald began his high school career at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, outside of Chicago. He averaged 24 points per game, on 63% field-goal shooting, and 10 assists per game. After two years at Homewood-Flossmoor, McDonald's family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. McDonald took his new high school, Athens Drive High School, to the final four in North Carolina.

College career

In the fall of 1989, McDonald arrived at the University of Minnesota. In his first year of college basketball, McDonald was red-shirted. He and the Golden Gophers greatly improved over the next four years, winning the NIT Tournament, and reaching the second round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament, in McDonald's senior year.

Professional career

McDonald began his pro career in Europe, playing with small teams like Castors Braine (Belgium) and Interier Krško (Slovenia). After his time in Interier Krsko, he was signed by the top Slovenian basketball club: Olimpija Ljubljana. During his time in Slovenia, he played in the EuroLeague, which is the top-tier level of European-wide professional club basketball, and he played in the 1997 EuroLeague Final Four.

McDonald's next stop was Maccabi Tel Aviv. Soon McDonald became very famous in Israel, and together with Nate Huffman and Anthony Parker, turned Maccabi into one of the best European basketball teams. In McDonald's three seasons with Maccabi, the club won the FIBA SuproLeague title (2001) and twice reached the EuroLeague Final Four (2000, 2002). He was the 2000 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP

McDonald played in 139 games, scoring 1,606 points for Maccabi Tel Aviv in three years. Finally, he said goodbye to the club, and moved to one of Maccabi's biggest rivals: Panathinaikos. With Panathinaikos, McDonald put up solid numbers, and also 19 points in the first game he played against his former team, Maccabi Tel Aviv. McDonald played for Akasvayu Girona in the Spanish ACB League, from the 2005–06 season, up until July 2008. Then he returned to Dynamo Moscow, for which he had previously played with, in the 2004–05 season. [1]

National team career

McDonald was also a member of the senior men's Slovenian national basketball team. He played with Slovenia's senior national team at the FIBA EuroBasket 2001. [2]

Coaching career

After he retired from playing professional basketball, McDonald became a high school basketball coach at Providence Academy, in Plymouth, Minnesota.

Personal life

After playing for two years in Slovenia, McDonald became a Slovenian citizen in June 1997. [3] One of McDonald's claims to fame in Israel, was a Burger King commercial, in which he said: "Listen to McDonald - only Burger King".

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References

  1. ↑ Dynamo Moscow brings back Arriel McDonald Archived 2008-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Ariel Rene MC DONALD (SLO) participated in 2 FIBA / FIBA Zones events.
  3. ↑ "ACB Profile". Archived from the original on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
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