Georgi Glushkov
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 10, 1960 Tryavna, People's Republic of Bulgaria |
| Nationality | Bulgarian / Italian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 1985 / Round: 7 / Pick: 148th overall |
| Selected by the Phoenix Suns | |
| Playing career | 1976–1997 |
| Position | Power forward / Center |
| Number | 16 |
| Career history | |
| 1976–1979 | Yambol |
| 1980–1982 | CSKA Sofia |
| 1983–1984 | Balkan Botevgrad |
| 1984–1985 | Akademik Varna |
| 1985–1986 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1986–1990 | Juvecaserta Basket |
| 1990–1991 | Sidis Reggio Emilia |
| 1991–1992 | Akademik Varna |
| 1993 | Tau Cerámica |
| 1993–1996 | Akademik Varna |
| 1996–1997 | Fontanafreda Siena |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Georgi Nikolov Glouchkov (alternate spelling: Gueorgui) (Bulgarian: Георги Николов Глушков; born January 10, 1960 in Tryavna) is a Bulgarian former professional basketball player and president of Bulgarian Basketball Federation. A 6 ft 8 in (204 cm) forward, he was the first player from an Eastern bloc country to compete in the American National Basketball Association (NBA).
Glouchkov began playing with Bulgaria's national team as a teenager.After one successful season with the Luskov Yambol junior side, he got promoted to their senior side by his junior coach Simeon Varchev. They also worked together in BC Balkan Botevgrad and Akademik Varna. 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 Akademik Varna 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 to 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.
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