Simon Birgander

Simon Fredrik Stefan Birgander (born 23 October 1997) is a Swedish professional basketball player for UCAM Murcia CB in the Spanish Liga ACB.

Simon Birgander
No. 55 – UCAM Murcia
PositionPower forward
LeagueLiga ACB
Personal information
Born (1997-10-23) 23 October 1997
Kvistofta, Helsingborg, Sweden
NationalitySwedish
Listed height2.09 m (6 ft 10 in)
Career information
NBA draft2017: undrafted
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2016Helsingborg BBK
2016–2017Clavijo
2017–2023Joventut Badalona
2023–presentUCAM Murcia CB
Career highlights and awards

Career

He cut his teeth in the youth ranks of Helsingborg Basket in his native Sweden before making his debut in the country's second-tier league Basketettan in the early stages of the 2015–16 season. He had a tremendous presence inside in terms of blocking shots (5.8 bpg) in Basketettan play, while averaging 11.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per contest (12 games played).[1]

Birgander left Sweden in January 2016 to head to Spain, where he joined CB Clavijo of the LEB Gold, the second-tier division.[2] He was also made eligible to play for EBA side Natural Rioja Vintage Clavijo. In EBA play, he was a major contributor on the defensive end of the court, averaging 3.6 blocks a game in 14 games of the 2015–16 campaign, while scoring 7.4 points and pulling down 9.3 rebounds per outing.

In April 2017, Birgander put his name into the 2017 NBA draft. Two months later, he became one of only 10 international underclassmen to remain in the NBA Draft that year. However, he went undrafted.[3] He signed with Joventut de Badalona of the Spanish top-flight Liga ACB in July 2017.[4] In 2019 and 2020, he was injured (knee) and unable to play for a total of 352 days.[5]

On July 1, 2023, Birgander signed with fellow Liga ACB side UCAM Murcia CB.[6]

International career

Birgander was a key member of the Swedish under-18 national team who won gold at the 2015 Division B European Championship, averaging 3.8 points, 6.0 boards as well as a tournament-high 2.5 blocks a game.[7] In 2016, he averaged 7.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per contest at the under-20 European Championships in Finland.[8]

References
  1. "Spelare". basket.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  2. nuevecuatrouno (20 January 2016). "Simon Birgander, apuesta de futuro para el Cocinas.com". nuevecuatrouno.com. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  3. Pascoe, Bruce. "Controversial trade takes the spotlight away from Arizona's Lauri Markkanen". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  4. "El Divina Joventut ficha al joven pívot sueco Simon Birgander". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  5. García, Dioni (14 June 2023). "El pívot del Joventut Simon Birgander, objetivo del UCAM Murcia". La Opinión de Murcia (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  6. "Simon Birgander nuevo pívot del UCAM Murcia". La Verdad (in Spanish). 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  7. "Simon Birgander | U18 European Championship Men (2015) | FIBA Europe". fibaeurope.com. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  8. "FIBA U20 European Championship (2016) | FIBA Europe". fibaeurope.com. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
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