By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Sasha Volkov has been defending Ukraine against Russia’s invasion of his home country. Former player and chairman of Joventut Badalona, Jordi Villacampa shared a picture of Volkov in army clothing and inside a vehicle via a post on Twitter Wednesday night.
2006 i 2022. Alexander Volkov. Un horror ?? pic.twitter.com/ELyMvtvdFa
— Jordi Villacampa (@villacampa8) March 9, 2022
According to reports surfacing last week, his family home in Chernihiv was destroyed by bombings.
Volkov, 57, served as a chairman of the State Committee on Sports in Ukraine from 1999 to 2000. From there, he has remained active in politics.
In 2007, he was elected president of FBU, the Basketball Federation of Ukraine. After retiring as a player in 1995, he returned to action in 2000 to play for BC Kyiv. He was one of the founders and later served as president of the team based in the Ukrainian capital.
Among the pioneers of European players in the NBA, he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the sixth round of the 1986 draft. Despite an injury forcing him to the sidelines through the 1990-91 season, he managed to make his way to 149 NBA games, split between the 1989-90 and 1991-92 Regular Seasons. He produced career averages of 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest for the Hawks.
His playing years included an Olympic Games gold medal with the Soviet Union in 1988 to go along with two FIBA World Cup silver medals in 1986 and 1990, and one gold, one silver, and one bronze in FIBA EuroBasket editions from 1985 to 1989. His European travels stretched from CSKA Moscow and Viola Reggio Calabria to Olympiacos and Panathinaikos generating multiple domestic championships.
He was enshrined in the 2020 Class of the FIBA Hall of Fame.