Sergei Belov

Sergei Alexandrovich Belov (Russian: Серге́й Алекса́ндрович Бело́в; born January 23, 1944, in the village of Nashchyokovo, Shegarsky District, Tomsk Oblast, Soviet Union; died October 3, 2013 in Perm, Russia) was a professional basketball player, most noted for playing for the Soviet Union national basketball team at the Olympic Games. He trained at Trud Voluntary Sports Society, and later at Armed Forces sports society.

Club playing career

At the age of twenty, Belov made his debut in the USSR League, with the team of Uralmash Sverdlovsk, where he played from 1964 to 1967. He then played with CSKA Moscow for twelve years. With CSKA, he won the USSR League championship eleven times (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980), the USSR Cup twice (1972, 1973), and the Euroleaguetwice, in 1969 and 1971.

International playing career

As a member of the Soviet Union national basketball team for fourteen years (1967–1980), Belov helped them win a gold medal (1972), and three bronze medals (1968, 1976, 1980) at the Olympic Games. He also helped them to become the FIBA World champions in 1967 and 1974, and the FIBA Europeanchampions in 1967, 1969, 1971, and 1979.

In the gold medal game of the 1972 Summer Olympics, Belov scored 20 points against the United States national basketball team, as the Soviet Union defeated the USA, by a score of 51-50, to win the gold.

Coaching career

Belov was the head coach of CSKA Moscow, with whom he won the USSR League championship in 1982 and 1990. He was also the head coach of Ural Great Perm. With Ural Great Perm, he won the Russian SuperLeaguechampionship in both 2001 and 2002, and the North European Leaguechampionship in 2001.

As the head coach of the senior men's Russian national basketball team, he won silver medals at both the 1994 FIBA World Championship and the 1998 FIBA World Championship, and the bronze medal at the EuroBasket 1997.

Awards and accomplishments

• Order of the Badge of Honour
• Medal "For Distinguished Labour"
• As a player:
  • 2 × Euroleague Champion: 1969, 1971
  • 11 × USSR League Champion: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
  • 3 × Euroleague Final Top Scorer: 1970, 1972, 1974
  • 2 × USSR Cup Champion: 1972, 1973
  • Summer Olympic Games:
    •  Gold: 1972
    •  Bronze: 1968, 1976, 1980
  • FIBA World Cup:
    •  Silver: 1978
    •  Bronze: 1970 (MVP)
  • FIBA EuroBasket:
    •  Gold: 1967, 1969 (MVP), 1971, 1979
    •  Silver: 1975, 1977
    •  Bronze: 1973
  • FIBA's 50 Greatest Players: 1991 (Voted #1)
  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: 1992
  • FIBA Hall of Fame: 2007
  • 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors: 2008
• As a head coach:
  • 2 × USSR League Champion: 1982, 1990
  • FIBA Order of Merit: (1995)
  • 2 × Russian SuperLeague Champion: 2001, 2002
  • North European League Champion: 2001
  • FIBA World Cup:
    •  Silver: 1994, 1998
  • FIBA EuroBasket:
    •  Bronze: 1997