Raitis Grafs

Raitis Grafs (born June 12, 1981) is a former Latvian professional basketball player. He played at the center position. Grafs represented the senior men's Latvian national team.[1] He was a FIBA EuroStar in 2007.

Raitis Grafs
Raitis Grafs (left) with Armands Šķēle playing against Estonia in 2006.
Personal information
Born (1981-06-12) June 12, 1981
Riga, Latvia
NationalityLatvian
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
CollegeValparaiso (1999–2003)
NBA draft2003: undrafted
Playing career1997–2014, 2016
PositionCenter
Number5, 13
Career history
1997–1999Broceni Riga
2003–2004Telindus Oostende
2004–2005Śląsk Wrocław
2005–2006Ventspils
2006–2009ASK Rīga
2009–2010BC Šiauliai
2010VEF Rīga
2011BK SPU Nitra
2011–2012Apollon Limassol
2012BC Šiauliai
2012Rakvere Tarvas
2012–2014Valga/Maks&Moorits
2016VEF skola
Career highlights and awards

Early life and career

Grafs was born in Riga, Latvia. In kindergarten, Grafs met Kristaps Valters, and they eventually became best friends, and also eventually became teammates. As a teenager, Grafs was regarded as one of the best young basketball prospects in Europe.

College career

Grafs played college basketball in the NCAA DI at Valparaiso University, where he played with the Valparaiso Crusaders, from 1999 to 2003. During his freshman year at Valparaiso, he was nominated the conferences' Newcomer of the Year.

Professional career

After he finished playing college basketball in the US, Grafs returned to Europe. He eventually went on to play in Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Estonia, Cyprus, and Latvia.

National team career

Latvian junior national team

Grafs averaged 13.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, at the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. At the 1999 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, he averaged 11.9 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game, and he was voted to the All-Tournament Team.

Latvian senior national team

Grafs was also a member of the senior Latvian national team. At the age of just 16 years and 5 months, Grafs became the youngest member of the senior men's Latvian national team. With Latvia, he played at the 2001 EuroBasket, the 2003 EuroBasket, the 2005 EuroBasket, and the 2007 EuroBasket.

References
  1. "RAITIS GRAFS basketball profile". eurobasket.com. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
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