Martin Müürsepp

Martin Müürsepp (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈmɑrˈtin ˈmyːrˈsepˑ]; born 26 September 1974) is an Estonian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of Tallinna Kalev/TLÜ of the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League. Widely regarded as one of Estonia's greatest basketball players of all time, he is the only Estonian to have played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Martin Müürsepp
Müürsepp with CSKA Moscow in 2004
Tallinna Kalev
PositionHead coach
LeagueEstonian-Latvian Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1974-09-26) 26 September 1974
Tallinn, Estonia
NationalityEstonian
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
NBA draft1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 25th overall
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Playing career1990–2010
PositionPower forward
Number31, 13
Coaching career2010–present
Career history
As player:
1990TPedI
1990–1991Andris
1992–1993Alvik Basket
1993–1996Maccabi Tel Aviv
1993–1994→Maccabi Darom Tel Aviv
1994–1995→Hapoel Haifa
1995–1996→Kalev
1996–1997Miami Heat
1997–1998Dallas Mavericks
1998Nybit
1999Aris
1999–2001AEK
2001–2002UNICS Kazan
2002Dynamo Moscow
2002–2003Ural Great Perm
2003–2004UNICS Kazan
2004–2005CSKA Moscow
2005–2006UNICS Kazan
2006–2007University of Tartu
2007Melbourne Tigers
2008–2009Kalev/Cramo
2010Rakvere Tarvas
As coach:
2010–2017Kalev/Cramo (assistant)
2013Belarus (assistant)
2018–2019Tallinna Kalev/TLÜ (assistant)
2019–Tallinna Kalev/TLÜ
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points389 (4.7 ppg)
Rebounds181 (2.2 rpg)
Assists50 (0.6 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

Müürsepp was born in Tallinn, to Hilja Volter, who worked in a barbecue restaurant, and Suido Müürsepp, a truck driver.[1] He attended the Tallinn Secondary School No. 39, the Tallinn Secondary School No. 43, and the Tallinn Secondary School No. 49, leaving without graduating in 1991. Müürsepp started playing basketball when he was nine years old, under coach Andres Sõber.[2] He made his Korvpalli Meistriliiga debut in 1990, at age 15, playing for TPedI. In the 1990–91 season, Müürsepp played with Andris of the II liiga, winning the Estonian Cup.[2]

Professional career

Early years (1992–1996)

In 1992, Müürsepp moved to Sweden and joined Alvik Basket of the Swedish Basketball League (SBL).

In 1993, Müürsepp signed a 12-year, $5 million contract with the Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv.[3] He subsequently played with Maccabi Tel Aviv's reserve team and Hapoel Haifa of the Israel Basketball Super League (IBSL).[2]

In 1995, he was loaned to Kalev of the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML). Müürsepp led Kalev to the Estonian league championship and the Estonian Cup, averaging 16.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game for the 1995–96 season.[2]

Miami Heat (1996–1997)

On 26 June 1996, Müürsepp was selected with the 25th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. The Jazz then traded him to the Miami Heat for a 2000 first round draft pick. On 12 September 1996, Müürsepp signed a three-year, $1.8 million contract with the Heat.[4][5] Müürsepp made his NBA debut on 21 December 1996 in a 86–66 away win over the Houston Rockets. He finished with 2 points, one rebound and one assist in one minute and 22 seconds during the fourth quarter.[6] He averaged 1.7 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game in 10 games for the Heat.[7]

Dallas Mavericks (1997–1998)

On 14 February 1997, the Heat traded Müürsepp, Predrag Danilović and Kurt Thomas to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Jamal Mashburn.[8] He made his debut for the Mavericks a day later, scoring 2 points in a 84–99 away loss to the Utah Jazz. In the 1996–97 season, Müürsepp averaged 4,3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game for the Mavericks.[7] He missed the first 14 games of the 1997–98 season with a foot injury. On 5 March 1998, Müürsepp scored a career-high 24 points in a 119–109 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers.[9][10] He appeared in 41 games (7 starts) during the 1997–98 season, averaging 5.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.7 steals in 14.7 minutes.[7]

NBA lockout (1998–1999)

On 24 June 1998, the Mavericks traded Müürsepp, Pat Garrity, Bubba Wells and a 1999 first round draft pick to the Phoenix Suns for Steve Nash.[11] However, due to a lockout, the 1998–99 season did not start until 5 February 1999. During the lockout, Müürsepp made two appearances in the KML, playing for Nybit. The Estonian Basketball Association was subsequently fined for allowing Müürsepp to play with a without prior permission from FIBA.[12] On 23 January 1999, the Suns traded Müürsepp, Mark Bryant, Bubba Wells and a 1999 first round draft pick to the Chicago Bulls for Luc Longley.[13]

Greece (1999–2001)

On 1 February 1999, Müürsepp signed with Aris of the HEBA A1.[14] In May 1999, he was suspended by the HEBA for three months for use of ephedrine.[15]

On 15 July 1999, Müürsepp signed with AEK on a one-year, $700,000 contract with an option to extend for another season.[16] Müürsepp helped AEK win the FIBA Saporta Cup in 2000 and two consecutive Greek Cups in 2000 and 2001.[2] AEK reached the 2000–01 Euroleague semifinals, where they were eliminated by Baskonia. In the Euroleague, he averaged 8.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game in 17 games.

Russia (2001–2006)

In September 2001, Müürsepp signed a one-year contract with UNICS Kazan of the Superliga A.[17]

On 14 August 2002, Müürsepp signed with Dynamo Moscow on a one-year contract.[18] However, he left the club in November 2002 after they failed to pay his wages for the second consecutive month.[19] In December 2002, Müürsepp signed with Ural Great Perm for the rest of the season.[20]

On 18 June 2003, Müürsepp re-signed with UNICS Kazan.[21] He led Kazan to the 2003–04 FIBA Europe League title and was named the Europe League Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP), scoring a game-high 22 points in 87–63 win over Maroussi.[2][22]

On 17 June 2004, Müürsepp signed a one-year contract with Russian champions CSKA Moscow.[23] In the 2004–05 season, he won the Russian championship and the Russian Cup.[2] CSKA Moscow reached the 2005 Euroleague Final Four, losing 78–85 to Baskonia in the semifinal and 91–94 to Panathinaikos in the third place game. Over 24 Euroleague games, Müürsepp averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.

On 11 July 2005, Müürsepp returned to UNICS Kazan for a second time, signing a one-year contract.[24]

Late career (2006–2010)

On 27 June 2006, Müürsepp returned to Estonia by signing a one-year contract with University of Tartu.[25] He won his second Estonian championship in 2007.[2]

On 23 August 2007, Müürsepp signed a one-year contract with the Melbourne Tigers of the National Basketball League (NBL).[26] He was released by the Tigers in December 2007 due to an ankle injury.[27]

On 28 February 2008, Müürsepp signed with Kalev/Cramo. He left Kalev/Cramo after the 2008–09 season without having played in an official game for the team.

On 26 February 2010, Müürsepp joined Rakvere Tarvas, where he was reunited with Andres Sõber, his first coach. He retired after the 2009–10 season.[2]

Coaching career

Müürsepp began his coaching career in August 2010 as an assistant coach for Kalev/Cramo under head coach Aivar Kuusmaa, a position he held for seven years. He won six Estonian championships (2011–2014, 2016, 2017) and two Estonian Cups (2015, 2016) with Kalev/Cramo.[2]

In 2013, Müürsepp served as an assistant coach for the Belarus national team during the 2015 EuroBasket qualifying tournament.[2]

On 6 January 2018, Müürsepp became an assistant coach for Tallinna Kalev/TLÜ under head coach Gert Kullamäe.[28] In January 2019, he became the head coach for Tallinna Kalev/TLÜ following Kullamäe's mid-season departure.[29]

National team career

Müürsepp was a member of the Soviet Union junior national team that finished fifth at the 1991 European Championship for Cadets, averaging 10.6 points per game. He also represented the Estonia national junior team.

Müürsepp began playing for the senior Estonian national team in 1993. He led Estonia at the 2001 European Championship, averaging 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game in three games.[30] The team finished the tournament with a 0–3 record for 14th place. Müürsepp finished his national team career in 2007.[2]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

Note: The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the player participated for the team during the season. He also played in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1996–97 Miami 1002.9.357.250.429.5.3.0.11.7
1996–97 Dallas 32010.0.419.150.6791.9.5.4.34.3
1997–98 Dallas 41714.7.435.421.7612.8.7.7.35.7
Career 83711.5.425.323.6932.2.6.5.34.7

Euroleague
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2000–01 AEK 171421.5.423.235.4904.9.7.9.28.67.0
2004–05 CSKA Moscow 24617.5.528.462.6453.3.9.7.28.07.6
Career 412019.1.475.333.5754.0.8.8.28.37.4

Awards and accomplishments

Club career
Andris
Kalev
AEK
UNICS Kazan
CSKA Moscow
University of Tartu

Individual

References
  1. Soidro, Mart (2010). Mürka. Pea jagu üle. Tallinn: Go Group. pp. 16–17. ISBN 978-9949-9097-0-4.
  2. "Müürsepp, Martin" (in Estonian). ESBL.
  3. Tukk, Toivo (1 August 1995). "Juudid laenavad viiemiljonilise Martin Müürsepa Eesti klubile". Post (in Estonian). p. 1.
  4. Nilk, Andrus (14 September 1996). "Martin Müürsepast sai Miami Heati täieõiguslik liige". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  5. Winderman, Ira (17 September 1996). "Heat's Muursepp puts Israel in past". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  6. "Martin Müürsepp tegi NBAs avalöögi". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). 23 December 1996. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  7. "Martin Müürsepp Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
  8. Brown, Clifton. "Miami Acquires Mashburn From Dallas to Bolster Its Firepower". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  9. "N.B.A.: LAST NIGHT; Hardaway Lifts Miami to Victory". The New York Times. 6 March 1998. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  10. "Müürsepp viskas NBA karjääri kõrgeimad 24 punkti". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). 7 March 1998. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  11. Nilk, Andrus (26 June 1998). "Müürsepp siirdub Phoenixisse". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  12. "Müürsepp tõi liidule trahvi". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). 17 November 1998. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  13. "PLUS: PRO BASKETBALL -- PHOENIX". The New York Times. 24 January 1999. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  14. Arike, Ville (2 February 1999). "Müürsepp sõlmis lepingu Arisega". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  15. Arike, Ville; Press, Gunnar (10 May 1999). "Martin Müürsepp jäi dopinguga vahele" (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  16. Arike, Ville (16 July 1999). "Martin Müürsepp jätkab Ateena AEK-s". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  17. "Müürsepp otsustas Venemaa kasuks". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 17 September 2001. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  18. "Müürsepp liitub Moskva Dinamoga". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 15 August 2002. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  19. "Müürsepp lahkub Dinamost". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 29 November 2002. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  20. "Müürsepp liitub Permi Ural Greatiga". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 3 December 2002. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  21. "Müürsepp taas Uniksis". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 18 June 2003. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  22. "Unics Kazan 87 TIM Maroussi 63". fibaeurope.com. 24 April 2004. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  23. "Müürsepp sõlmis lepingu Moskva CSKA-ga". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 17 June 2004. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  24. "Müürsepp ei jää koondisest kõrvale". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). 12 July 2005. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  25. "Müürsepp: Tartu lihtsalt tundus õige olevat". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 27 June 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  26. Masing, Kadri (23 August 2007). "Müürsepp lõi Austraalia klubiga ametlikult käed". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  27. "Austraalia klubi laseb Martin Müürsepa lahti". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 12 December 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  28. Pahv, Peep (6 January 2018). "Kullamäest sai peatreener, Müürsepast tema abiline". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  29. Semiskar, Siim (11 January 2019). "VEEL ÜKS ÜLLATUS! Gert Kullamäe lahkus Tallinna Kalev/TLÜ peatreeneritoolilt". korvpall24.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  30. "Martin Müürsepp". fiba.com.

Further reading
  • Soidro, Mart (2010). Mürka. Pea jagu üle. Tallinn: Go Group. ISBN 978-9949-9097-0-4.
  • Lään, Vello; Ibrus, Märt (2006). Eesti korvpall: portreed. Tallinn: Eesti Korvpalliliit. ISBN 9949-406-68-4.
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