Georgi Glouchkov
From Hoopedia
Georgi Nikolov Glouchkov (Bulgarian: Георги Николов Глушков) (born January 10, 1960 in Tryavna, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian former professional basketball player. A 6'8" (204 cm) forward, he was the first player from an Eastern bloc country to compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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Professional Career
Glouchkov began playing with Bulgaria's national team at the age of seventeen. He also played with the club Akademik Varna, and by the mid-1980s, he had established a reputation as one of Europe's top five players. After averaging 23 points and 19 rebounds during the 1984-85 season (in which his team won the national championship), he attracted the attention of the Phoenix Suns, who selected him in the seventh round (148th pick overall) of the 1985 NBA Draft. The Suns signed him with much fanfare on September 25, 1985, releasing a special press kit which included a history of Bulgaria and a glossary of Bulgarian phrases.
Glouchkov knew very little English and was accompanied by Bozhidar Takev, a Bulgarian coach and trainer who translated for him. At the beginning of the season, Glouchkov impressed the Suns with his strong rebounding and became a regular member of the team's playing rotation; as the year went on, however, Glouchkov began gaining weight, and his productivity decreased. Some Suns' staff members attributed his weight gain to his taste for American fast food and candy, but rumors also surfaced that he was experimenting with steroids. He ended the 1985-86 NBA season with averages of 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
As the season came to a close, Glouchkov began losing weight at a dramatic pace. When he reported to the Suns' 1986 summer league team, he weighed 25 pounds less than he had weighed when he first signed with the Suns. The Suns never determined the cause of his weight fluctuations, but after a poor performance in summer league competition, the Suns advised him to return to Europe.
Glouchkov did return to his homeland, but continued to play basketball in European leagues until 2003. In his post-NBA career he achieved his greatest success with the Italian club Phonola Caserta, whom he led to the European Winner's Cup finals in 1989 before losing to Real Madrid.
National Team
Glouchkov began playing with Bulgaria's national team at the age of seventeen. He participated in four European Championship tournaments (1979, 1985, 1989, 1991).
Post-Playing Career
Glouchkov has remained active in professional basketball in Europe. He was the team manager for Italy's Juvecaserta.
