Alexander Volkov is considered the best basketball player in Ukrainian historybut it does not exempt you from trying defend your country of the invasion of the Russian army like the vast majority of his compatriots. The legendary wing-pvot appears in an image that circulates on social networks dressed in a military uniform and with a gun by his side. The harsh reality of the country, which has nothing to do with those times when I played in the Hawks Or was he one of the best players in Europe.
The former player of 57 years old and 2.08 meters I was born in the city of Omskin full Siberia, although he soon moved with his family to Ukraine. He was one of the mainstays of the Unin Sovitica who won the medal gold at the Sel Games in 1988. By then he had already aroused the interest of the NBA. The Hawks he was drafted in 1986, but he didn’t go to Atlanta until after three years. He had previously played in Builder Kiev and the CSKA of Moscow
Volkov will spend three seasons with the Hawks, although his role was reduced. Those were other times and Europeans who dare to cross the atlantic they were exception. NBA debut on the same day as Drazen Petrovic, Sarunas Marciulionis and Vlade Divac, other great players from the Old Continent who had a hard time adapting. only six days after their premieres in the American League the Berlin Wall fell. A metaphor of the opening that also lives basketball.
The Ukrainian player disputed 149 games in the NBA in those three seasons marked by injuries. The second one was completely lost. Between the physical problems and the difficult adaptation to the United States and the League, he only averaged 16.5 minutes per game with 6.8 points and 2.6 rebounds. “He is a national hero and there he is, warming up the bench. If we switched roles, I don’t know if I’d last half as long,” he said. Mike Brotherhis technician in Atlanta, guiltily.
After returning from the NBA, Volkov went through the Viola Reggio Calabria, el Panathinaikos, Olympiacos y BC Kieva club he helped create and played for for years after retiring in 1995. later served as president. Having hung up the boots, returned to action to play for the Ukrainian national team in 1998.
Political career and president of the Federation
The former player made a career in politics after leaving basketball. From 1999 to 2000 he was Minister of Sports of Ukrainewas elected to parliament of the country in several elections and in June 2007 he took charge of the President of the Basketball Federation.
Now, despite his extraordinary resume, he has had no problem becoming one of the many Ukrainian citizens resisting the Russian invasion. His family’s house near Chenigivnext to the border with Belaruswhere he spent his childhood there and in recent years went fishing, has been destroyed by bombing. It corresponds to him to be a national hero but changing the ball for a weapon.
