Walt Szczerbiak

For his son and former NBA basketball player, see Wally Szczerbiak.

Walt Szczerbiak

Personal information
Born	(1949-08-21) August 21, 1949 Hamburg, West Germany
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school	Saint Casimir (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
College	George Washington (1968–1971)
NBA draft	1971: 4th round, 65th overall pick
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Playing career	1971–1984
Position	Small forward
Number	21
Career history
1971–1972	Pittsburgh Condors
1972–1973	Wilkes-Barre Barons
1973–1980	Real Madrid
1980–1982	A.P.U. Udine
1983–1984	Canarias
Career highlights and awards
3× FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion (1976–1978) FIBA Intercontinental Cup MVP (1977) 3× EuroLeague champion (1974, 1978, 1980) EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer (1978) 4× Spanish League champion (1974–1977) Spanish League Top Scorer (1976) Spanish Cup winner (1977) CBA champion (1973) 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008)
Stats at Basketball Reference

Walter Szczerbiak Sr. (born Wolodymir Szczerbiak, August 21, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player. At 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), Szczerbiak played at the small forward position.

On February 3, 2008, Szczerbiak was chosen as one of the 50 most influential personalities to European club basketball, over the previous half-century, by the EuroLeague Basketball Experts Committee.

Early life and education

Born Wolodymir Szczerbiak in a Ukrainian refugee camp in Hamburg, West Germany, he received a sponsorship from a Ukrainian Catholic Church to immigrate to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in December 1951. He later attended St. Basil College, a Ukrainian Catholic minor seminary in Stamford, Connecticut, where he first learned to play basketball. He later graduated from St. Casimir High School in Pittsburgh.

Szczerbiak attended George Washington University, where he played college basketball. In 1985, he was inducted into the GW Athletics Hall of Fame.

Club career

After college, Szczerbiak was drafted by the Phoenix Suns, in the 4th round (14th pick, 65th overall) of the 1971 NBA draft. He was also drafted by the Dallas Chaparrals, of the American Basketball Association (ABA), in the 1971 ABA Draft.

Szczerbiak played in the ABA during the 1971–72 season, as a member of the Pittsburgh Condors. He then joined the Kentucky Colonels, who selected him in the Condors' dispersal draft, but he was later cut from Kentucky's roster.

Szczerbiak won three EuroLeague titles with the Spanish League club Real Madrid (1974, 1978, and 1980). He also won the FIBA Intercontinental Cup three times with Real Madrid (1976, 1977, and 1978). He was named the MVP of the 1977 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

Personal life

Szczerbiak was born in West Germany to Ukrainian parents who met in a refugee camp, after World War II. They later emigrated to Pittsburgh. His son Wally is a former NBA player.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Basketball-Reference.com
• Euroleague.net Profile
• Real Madrid Basketball Legends Archived 2010-10-03 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
• RealMadrid.com Walter Szczerbiak (in Spanish)
• RealMadrid.com Walter Szczerbiak (in English)
• Spanish League Profile Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
• Italian League Profile Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)