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]

Vitaly Potapenko
Potapenko in 2016
Memphis Grizzlies
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1975-03-21) March 21, 1975
Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
NationalityUkrainian
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight280 lb (127 kg)
Career information
CollegeWright State (1994–1996)
NBA draft1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12th overall
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Playing career1992–2008
PositionCenter
Number52, 9, 20
Coaching career2009–present
Career history
As player:
1992–1994Budivelnyk
19961999Cleveland Cavaliers
19992002Boston Celtics
20022006Seattle SuperSonics
20062007Sacramento Kings
2007–2008MMT Estudiantes
As coach:
2009–2010Fort Wayne Mad Ants (assistant)
20102011Indiana Pacers (assistant)
2011–2012Dakota Wizards (assistant)
2012–2013Santa Cruz Warriors (assistant)
20132017Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
2018–presentMemphis Grizzlies (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player:
  • Ukrainian champion (1993, 1994)
  • 2× First-team All-MCC (1995, 1996)

As assistant coach:

Career NBA statistics
Points3,995 (6.5 ppg)
Rebounds2,725 (4.5 rpg)
Assists418 (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

Other

  • Potapenko was a sociology major at Wright State.[1]
  • His second-favorite sport is soccer.[1]
  • Favorite food is Swedish meatballs.[1]

See also

Notes

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