Armenak Alachachian

The Soviet basketball legend legend was born 25 December, 1930 in Alexandria, Egypt. The 176-centimeter-tall point guard had a successful EuroLeague and international career, representing the legendary CSKA Moscow team from 1958 to 1966.

Alachachian began his career in 1948, playing for SKIF Yerevan team. In 1955, he moved to Burevestnik Almaty to play alongside the famous giant – Uvais Akhtaev. They turned out to be a very exciting duo. Alachachian’s great playmaking skills were highly valued and in 1958, the Armenian point guard joined the CSKA Moscow team.

He had a very successful run with CSKA, winning 8 consecutive Soviet League titles from 1959 to 1966, as well as two EuroLeague titles (1961, 1963). In total, Alachachian played 5 seasons in EuroLeague, averaging 5.0 points per game and reaching at least the semifinals stage in every of those seasons. While he was never a great scorer, but his playmaking and leadership skills made him CSKA’s captain.

After Alachachian retired from playing 1966, he joined the CSKA’s coaching staff. In 1968, he was promoted to head coach’s position. A year later, Alachachian became the first person in history to win a EuroLeague title as a player and coach.

Alachachian was a regular Soviet Union national team member, winning 4 Eurobasket titles (1953, 1961, 1963, 1965). He also was a member of the Soviet team that won the silver medals at the 1964 Olympic Games. In his EuroLeague and international games from 1953 to 1965, Alachachian scored 350 points in 72 games.

Alachachian died in 4 December 2017, at the age of 86. Since 1971, he lived in Toronto, Canada.

ACCOLADES

EuroLeague champion (1961, 1963)
EuroLeague (1965)
EuroLeague (1962, 1966)
USSR Premier League (1959-1966)
USSR Premier League (1958)
Eurobasket (1953, 1961, 1963, 1965)
Olympic Games (1964)