Rasho Nesterovič
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| Position | Center |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Rasho |
| League | NBA |
| Height | ft in ( m) |
| Weight | lb ( kg) |
| Team | Toronto Raptors |
| Nationality | Slovenia |
| Born | May 30 1976  |
| Draft | 17th overall, 1998 Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Pro career | 1993–present |
| Former teams | PAOK (1993-95) Olimpija Ljubljana (1995-97) Kinder Bologna (1997-99) Minnesota Timberwolves (1999-2003) San Antonio Spurs (2003-2006) |
Radoslav Nesterovič (Serbian Cyrillic: Радослав Нестеровић), usually referred to in English as Rasho Nesterovič (born May 30 1976), is a Slovenian professional basketball player currently with the NBA's Toronto Raptors. He is a 2.13 m (7-foot) center.
Early life
Nesterovič was born to Serbian parents in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia). He played among the juniors in Partizan Belgrade. Because of the Yugoslav wars, he moved to PAOK Thessaloniki. While playing there, he obtained a second citizenship (Greek) - his name in the Greek passport is Radoslav Makris. [1] In 1995 he returned to Slovenia to play for Olimpija Ljubljana.
Nesterovič was the Most Valuable Player of the Eurobasket 1996 for players under 22 years. He started his professional career with KK Union Olimpija in the season 1995-96, where he played in the domestic cup in average of 20 minutes and scoring 7 points and grabbing 4 rebounds per game. In the season 1996-97 he was a part of that legendary Olimpija team, where he helped his team reach the Euroleague final four in Rome. In that season, he played on average of 17 minutes, scoring 8 points and grabbing 4 rebounds per game in the Euroleague. His path then led him to Italian power Virtus (Kinder) Bologna in 1997.
In the first season with his new club, he scored on average of 7 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in the Italian domestic cup, but was much more successful in the Euroleague, where he scored on average 11 points and grabbed 8 rebounds per game. He helped Virtus win the Euroleague title, in which he played against legendary players such as Predrag Danilović, Zoran Savić, and Antoine Rigaudeau. In the grand final, Nesterovič scored 6 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Nesterovič was a first-round pick (17th overall) of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1998 NBA Draft. He joined the Timberwolves just before the end of the 1998-99 season and played there through the 2002-03 season.
Nesterovič stayed in Minnesota for 4 full seasons, or 5 years, because he played only the last two regular-season games, plus all of his team's games in the playoffs, in his first season. His best season with the Timberwolves was 2002-03, when he scored 11 points and grabbed almost 7 rebounds per game on average. He then signed a 6-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs in 2004. In his first season, he scored 9 ppg and grabbed 6 rpg. In his second season with the Spurs, 2004-05, he had an ankle injury, so he did not play as much as he did before. Nevertheless, along with his colleague from the national team, Beno Udrih, he scored 6 points and grabbed 6 rebounds per game, and ultimately helped his team win the NBA title.
Toronto Raptors
On June 21, 2006, Nesterovič was traded to the Toronto Raptors with cash for Matt Bonner, Eric Williams and a second round pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. In his first season with the Raptors, he averaged 6.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1 block per game.
International career
Nesterovič is the current captain of the Slovenian national basketball team. He helped his team win 6th place on Eurobasket 2005 in Belgrade, and secure a place in the Basketball World Championship of 2006. In Eurobasket 2005, he played an average of 21 minutes, where he scored 6 points and grabbed 6 rebounds per game.
References
External links
| San Antonio Spurs 2004-05 NBA Champions |
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