Vitaly Potapenko
Vitaly Nikolaevich Potapenko[1] (Ukrainian: Віталій Миколайович Потапенко, pronounced vee-TAH-lee poe-TAH-pen-koe,[1] born March 21, 1975) is a Ukrainian former professional basketball player who is currently an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at Wright State University and was selected 12th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1996 NBA draft, also the last pick before Kobe Bryant, believed by many as the best player from the 1996 draft. Nicknamed "The Ukraine Train",[1] he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Sacramento Kings of the NBA, as well as MMT Estudiantes in the Spanish ACB.[2][3]
 Potapenko in 2016 | |
| Memphis Grizzlies | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant coach |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 21, 1975 Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Ukrainian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 280 lb (127 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Wright State (1994–1996) |
| NBA draft | 1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12th overall |
| Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Playing career | 1992–2008 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 52, 9, 20 |
| Coaching career | 2009–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1992–1994 | Budivelnyk |
| 1996–1999 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1999–2002 | Boston Celtics |
| 2002–2006 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 2006–2007 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2007–2008 | MMT Estudiantes |
| As coach: | |
| 2009–2010 | Fort Wayne Mad Ants (assistant) |
| 2010–2011 | Indiana Pacers (assistant) |
| 2011–2012 | Dakota Wizards (assistant) |
| 2012–2013 | Santa Cruz Warriors (assistant) |
| 2013–2017 | Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant) |
| 2018–present | Memphis Grizzlies (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| As player:
As assistant coach: | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,995 (6.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,725 (4.5 rpg) |
| Assists | 418 (0.7 apg) |
Stats  at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Since retiring as a player, Potapenko has been serving as an assistant coach for several teams, among them the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Indiana Pacers, the Dakota Wizards,[4] and the Santa Cruz Warriors and later as an assistant director of player development for the Cleveland Cavaliers,[5] helping them win their first ever NBA championship.
NBA transactions
- September 27, 1995 – 1996 first-round draft pick that was eventually used to draft him traded by the Washington Bullets to the Cavaliers for Mark Price.
- March 11, 1999 – Traded by the Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics for Andrew DeClercq and a 1999 first-round draft pick (used on Andre Miller).
- July 22, 2002 – Traded by the Celtics with Kenny Anderson and Joseph Forte to the Seattle SuperSonics for Vin Baker and Shammond Williams.
- February 23, 2006 – In a four-team, nine-player trade; traded to the Sacramento Kings; the SuperSonics acquired Earl Watson, Bryon Russell, a 2008 second-round pick (used on DeVon Hardin) and cash from the Denver Nuggets, Nuggets also acquired Ruben Patterson from the Trail Blazers, Trail Blazers acquired Voshon Lenard from the Nuggets and Brian Skinner from the Kings; Kings also acquired Sergei Monia from the Trail Blazers.[6]
Other
See also
Notes
- "Vitaly Potapenko Bio". NBA. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008.
- MMT Estudiantes former players
- http://www.celticslife.com/2010/05/what-hell-happened-tovitaly-potapenko.html
- Dakota Wizards Hire Potapenko As Assistant Coach
- "Vitaly Potapenko returning to Cleveland Cavaliers as player-development coach".
- Trade deadline: Watson, Patterson move in four-team deal
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com or Basketball-Reference.com
- NBA.com Profile
- Cleveland Cavaliers' Front Office