The Soviet basketball legend Alexander Belov was born 9 November, 1951 in Leningrad, Soviet Union. The 200-centimeters-tall forward/center was the first Soviet player to be drafted by an NBA team. A one-club-man for Spartak Leningrad (1967-1978), Belov had an illustrious international career, winning all the possible accolades in the major tournaments.
Although Belov never played in the EuroLeague, he enjoyed a great run in the FIBA Saporta Cup, winning the competition twice (1973, 1975). In four seasons in the Saporta Cup, the Soviet center scored 470 points in 28 games, averaging 16.8 points per game. He also had some memorable moments in the USSR Premier League, helping Spartak to win a title in 1975. The talented center contributed to this title run with 620 points in 35 games, averaging 17.7 points per game.
Belov gained a great international recognition after scoring the winning-basket in the final of the 1972 Olympic Games against Team USA. He helped to break the USA’s dominance at the Olympics and bring the first gold medal in basketball for the Soviet Union. In this memorable run, Belov averaged 14.4 points per game. In his FIBA Saporta Cup and international games from 1968 to 1977, Belov scored 977 points in 79 games.
Belov died in his hometown in 1978, at the age of 26. He suffered from a rare disease – cardiac sarcoma.
ACCOLADES
FIBA Saporta Cup (1973, 1975) Olympic Games (1972)
Olympic Games (1976) FIBA World Cup (1974) FIBA World Cup (1970) Eurobasket (1969, 1971)
Eurobasket (1975) USSR Premier League (1975) USSR Premier League (1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978) USSR Premier League (1969)
FIBA SAPORTA CUP STATISTICS
Year
70/71
72/73
74/75
76/77
TOT
Team
Age
20
22
24
26
GP
8
9
9
2
28
PPG
18.4
18.0
14.7
14.5
16.8
PTS
147
162
132
29
470
TRK
QF
USSR PREMIER LEAGUE STATISTICS
Year
68/69
69/70
70/71
73/74
74/75
TOT
Team
Age
18
19
20
23
24
GP
44
33
22
27
35
161
PPG
14.3
15.5
16.6
21.0
17.7
16.7
PTS
629
512
365
566
620
2692
TRK
OLYMPIC GAMES STATISTICS
Year
1972
1976
TOT
Team
Age
21
25
GP
8
6
14
PPG
14.4
15.7
14.9
PTS
115
94
209
RNK
13th
20th
FIBA WORLD CUP STATISTICS
Year
1970
1974
TOT
Team
Age
19
23
GP
9
9
18
PPG
6.0
14.5
10.3
PTS
54
131
185
RNK
61st
11th
EUROBASKET STATISTICS
Year
1969
1971
1975
TOT
Team
Age
18
20
24
GP
7
5
7
19
PPG
4.0
7.2
7.0
5.9
PTS
28
36
49
113
RNK
100th
11th
67th
Description for statistics
FIBA Saporta Cup is the same competition, as FIBA European Cup Winners’ Cup, ULEB Cup or EuroCup, a 2nd-tier European Cup competition. FIBA Korac Cup is the same competition as FIBA EuroChallenge, a 3rd-tier European Cup competition. GP – Games played PPG – Points per game PTS – Total points RNK – Individual scoring ranking TRK – Team ranking