Valdis Valters

Last updated
Valdis Valters
Personal information
Born (1957-08-04) 4 August 1957 (age 67)
Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
NationalityLatvian
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
Playing career1976–1989, 1992–1997
Position Point guard
Number10
Coaching career1996–2003, 2006–2010
Career history
As player:
1976–1989 VEF Rīga
1992–1997 BK Brocēni
As coach:
1996–2000 BK Brocēni
2000–2003 BK Skonto
2006–2007 ASK Juniors
2007–2010 VEF Rīga
Career highlights and awards
As player
  • EuroBasket MVP (1981)
  • 9× Latvian League champion (1974, 1979, 1982, 1984–1986, 1992, 1993, 1996)

As head coach

FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1982 Colombia
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1986 Spain
European Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1981 Czechoslovakia
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1983 France
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1985 West Germany
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1987 Greece

Valdis Valters (born 4 August 1957) is a retired Latvian professional basketball player. He played at the point guard position for the senior USSR national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest players to have played the game in Europe in the 1980s. Considering his lengthy work and deep connection to the sport, Valters has been one of the most influential people in Latvian basketball history. He became a FIBA Hall of Fame player in 2017. [1]

Contents

Club career

Valters spent most of his club career playing with the Latvian club VEF Rīga. In 1982, he set the USSR Premier League's all-time record for points scored in a single game, when he scored 69 points against Dynamo Moscow. [2]

National team career

Soviet national team

Valters first made his name in European basketball when he was named the MVP of EuroBasket 1981, [3] after he averaged 16.7 points per game, to lead his USSR national team to the gold medal. He was also on the All-Tournament Team of EuroBasket 1985. [4]

Valters also played a key role on the USSR national team that won the gold at the 1982 FIBA World Championship, in Colombia, where he was a starting point guard, and averaged 14.0 points per game. [5]

At the 1986 FIBA World Championship, Valters helped the Soviet Union to rally from a nine-point deficit, in the final minute of the game, [6] by hitting a three-pointer at the end of regulation, to send the semifinal game against Yugoslavia to overtime, and eventually earn a 91–90 win. [7]

Latvian national team

In 1992, after he had stopped playing basketball at the pro level, Valters returned to the court, and represented the senior Latvian national team at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament. [8]

Coaching career

After his basketball playing career ended, Valters also worked as a basketball coach and general manager. He founded his own basketball school, the Valtera Basketbola Skola (VBS), now known as Keizarmezs, whose alumni includes former NBA player Andris Biedriņš, as well as other top Latvian players. [9] He also helped to create the basketball league for Latvian youth players, the LJBL.

Other works

In 2013, Valters released his autobiographical book, called "Dumpinieks ar ideāliem" (Rebel with ideals). [10] He is currently working as an analyst for the Latvian TV channel, TV6, as a host of the weekly sports show Overtime. [11]

Personal life

Both of his sons, Kristaps and Sandis, are also professional basketball players. [12]

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References

  1. ↑ Dream Team, Shaq and Kukoc headline 2017 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame Inductees.
  2. ↑ "90 fakti 90 gados | Sporto.lv". www.sporto.lv. Archived from the original on 2013-12-13.
  3. ↑ Latvia Workouts Underway 01 July 2010.
  4. ↑ "EuroBasket History - the 80's | FIBA Europe".
  5. ↑ "Valdis Valters | European Championship for Men (1987) | FIBA Europe".
  6. ↑ Vlade Divac, an icon without a ring.
  7. ↑ "Cologne 2021 - Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL". 30 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "SPĒLĒTĀJI / Latvijas basketbola Goda zāle". Archived from the original on 2014-09-06. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
  9. ↑ "Basketbola skola 'Ķeizarmežs' iepazīstina ar plāniem". 16 July 2004.
  10. ↑ "Valdis Valters. "Dumpinieks ar ideāliem"".
  11. ↑ "Overtime TV | TV3 Play". Archived from the original on 2013-03-24. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  12. ↑ "Los genes de Valters". 17 February 2012.
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