Artūrs Žagars

Artūrs Mārtiņš Žagars (born 21 April 2000) is a Latvian professional basketball player for BC Wolves of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), on a loan from Fenerbahçe Beko. Standing at 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in), he primarily plays at the point guard position.

Artūrs Žagars
Žagars with Latvia men's national basketball team in 2023
No. 32 – BC Wolves
PositionPoint guard / Shooting guard
LeagueLithuanian Basketball League
EuroCup
Personal information
Born (2000-04-21) 21 April 2000
Riga, Latvia
NationalityLatvian
Listed height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Listed weight78 kg (172 lb)
Career information
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2022Joventut Badalona
2018–2019→CB Prat
2021→Kalev/Cramo
2022→Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
2022–2023Nevėžis Kėdainiai
2023–presentFenerbahçe Beko
2023–present→BC Wolves
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Latvia
FIBA U18 European Championship
Silver medal – second place2018 LatviaNational team

Early career

Žagars spent much of his early career playing for Latvian club BS DSN Riga.[1]

Professional career
Žagars with Joventut Badalona in 2018

In 2017, Žagars signed a long-term contract with Spanish club Joventut Badalona. On 11 March 2018, Žagars made his Liga ACB debut, scoring two points in seven minutes versus Baskonia.[1]

In November 2018, Žagars suffered a torn ligament in his ankle and was sidelined until early March 2019 after undergoing surgery.[2]

On 19 April 2019, Žagars declared for the 2019 NBA draft.[3][4]

On 16 February 2021, Žagars was loaned to Estonian powerhouse Kalev/Cramo.[5]

On 12 January 2022, he was loaned to Löwen Braunschweig of the German Basketball Bundesliga.[6]

On 20 July 2022, Žagars signed with Nevėžis Kėdainiai of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).[7] In 22 league matches, he averaged 15.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals per contest.

On 18 September 2023, Žagars signed a three-year contract with Turkish giants Fenerbahçe.[8] He was subsequently loaned to Lithuanian club BC Wolves for the 2023–24 season.

National team career

Žagars was named to the All-Star Five of the 2018 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in Riga after averaging 18.9 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game, while leading the Latvian national under-18 team to its first finals appearance and silver medal at the tournament.[9]

Žagars represented Latvia during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup which achieved 5th place during its debut.[10] Moreover, Žagars achieved the world cup's all-time record of assists by dishing out 17 assists in a game versus Lithuania.[10] In recognition of his individual play, Žagars was named to the All-FIBA World Cup Second Team.[11]

References
  1. Hein, David (30 March 2018). "Zagars inspired by former Joventut greats". EuroLeague. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  2. "U19 World Cup an 'amazing opportunity' for Latvia to put name out there, Zagars says". FIBA. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  3. Askounis, John (20 April 2019). "Louis Olinde among latest Europeans entering NBA draft". EuroHoops. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  4. "Talantīgais Žagars pieteicies NBA draftam" (in Latvian). TV NET. 20 April 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  5. "Arturs Žagars joins BC Kalev / Cramo". bckalev.ee (in Estonian). 16 February 2021.
  6. "Europäisches Top-Talent Arturs Zagars verstärkt die Löwen". basketball-loewen.de (in German). 12 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  7. "Kėdainių „Nevėžio-Optibet" atakoms diriguos latvis Artūras Martinas Žagaras". kknevezis.lt (in Lithuanian). 20 July 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  8. "Fenerbahce signs Arturs Zagars, will join Wolves on loan". EuroLeague. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  9. "Serbia big man Pecarski named MVP, tops All-Star Five". FIBA. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  10. "Zagars' record-breaking assist tally caps Latvia's historic World Cup finish". BasketNews.com. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  11. "World Cup 2023 All-Second Team, Best Coach and Best Defensive Player Awards revealed". FIBA. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
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