Valdis Valters

Valdis Valters (born August 4, 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]

Valdis Valters

Personal information
Born	(1957-08-04) August 4, 1957 Riga, Latvia
Nationality	Latvian
Listed height	6 ft 4.75 in (1.95 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
Playing career	1976–1989, 1992–1997
Position	Point guard
Number	10
Coaching career	1996–2003, 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 3× Latvian League champion (1997, 1998, 1999)
FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Soviet Union World Championships 1982 Colombia 1986 Spain European Championships 1981 Czechoslovakia 1983 France 1985 West Germany 1987 Greece

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]

References

1. Dream Team, Shaq and Kukoc headline 2017 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame Inductees.
3. Latvia Workouts Underway 01 July 2010.
6. Vlade Divac, an icon without a ring.
8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-09-06. Retrieved 2014-09-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-03-24. Retrieved 2013-03-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

• FIBA Profile
• FIBA Hall of Fame Profile
• FIBA Europe Profile