Richard Petruška (born January 25, 1969) is a Slovak[1]-Italian[2][3] former professional basketball player and coach. He was born in Levice, Czechoslovakia. At a height of 6'10" (2.08 m) tall, and a weight of 260 lbs. (118 kg), he played at the power forward and center positions.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| Born | January 25, 1969 Levice, Czechoslovakia | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Slovak / Italian | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Gymnázium Andreja Vrábla Levice (Levice, Slovakia) | ||||||||||||||
| College |
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| NBA draft | 1993: 2nd round, 46th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1988–2003 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Power forward / center | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1988–1990 | Inter Bratislava | ||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||||
| 1994–1998 | Cagiva Varese | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Galatasaray | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Unicaja Málaga | ||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Tau Cerámica | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Upea Capo D'Orlando | ||||||||||||||
| 2003 | CAI Zaragoza | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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College career
editPetruška played college basketball at Loyola Marymount, and UCLA, in the United States.
Professional career
editPetruška was selected by the Houston Rockets, of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the 46th overall pick (2nd round), of the 1993 NBA draft. He played in 22 games with the Rockets during the 1993–94 NBA season, and scored 53 total points. His only NBA season also saw him as part of an NBA championship team, which resulted in him accidentally dropping and denting the team's first Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy during the celebration of the title. The dent in the trophy's basketball would remain a part of the trophy until 2018, when the team commissioned replacements after an ownership change.[4]
National team career
editPetruška was a member of the senior Czechoslovakian national basketball team. He played with the Czechoslovakia at the 1991 EuroBasket.
Coaching career
editAfter he retired from playing professional basketball, Petruška became a basketball coach. He has worked as a coach at the CBA (Canarias Basketball Academy).
Personal life
editPetruška lives in Canada with his wife and two sons.
References
edit- ^ Richard PETRUSKA (SVK).
- ^ Richard Petruska nacionalidad | licencia: ITA (in Spanish).
- ^ RICHARD PETRUSKA Nationality ITA.
- ^ Feigen, Jonathan (September 20, 2018). "Rockets receive replicas of championship trophies". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 21, 2018.