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
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
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Latvia
FIBA U18 European Championship
Silver medal – second place2018 LatviaNational team

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.

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. Already at the beginning of October, Žagars suffered a severe injury to the lateral ligament of his knee. Due to the injury, Žagars will have to miss at least five months.[9]

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.[10]

Žagars represented Latvia during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup which achieved 5th place during its debut.[11] Moreover, Žagars achieved the world cup's all-time record of assists by dishing out 17 assists in a game versus Lithuania.[11] In recognition of his individual play, Žagars was named to the All-FIBA World Cup Second Team.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 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. ↑ Delfi (19 October 2023). "Oficiāli: Žagaram traumas dēļ būs jāizlaiž vismaz pieci mēneši, sliktākās prognozes nepiepildās". sports.delfi.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Serbia big man Pecarski named MVP, tops All-Star Five". FIBA. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Zagars' record-breaking assist tally caps Latvia's historic World Cup finish". BasketNews.com. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "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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