Christian Welp
Personal information
Born(1964-01-02)January 2, 1964
Delmenhorst, West Germany
DiedMarch 1, 2015(2015-03-01) (aged 51)
Hood Canal, Washington, U.S.
NationalityGerman
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High schoolOlympic (Silverdale, Washington)
CollegeWashington (1983–1987)
NBA draft1987: 1st round, 16th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career1987–1999
PositionCenter
Number44, 42, 40
Career history
1987–1989Philadelphia 76ers
1989–1990San Antonio Spurs
1990Golden State Warriors
1990–1996TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1996–1997Olympiacos
1997–1998Alba Berlin
1999Viola Reggio Calabria
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Representing Germany Germany
EuroBasket
Gold medal – first place1993 GermanyNational team

Christian Ansgar Welp (January 2, 1964 – March 1, 2015) was a German professional basketball player. During his playing career, he was a 213 cm (7 ft 0 in), 111 kg (245 lb) center. He played three seasons in the NBA. He was the MVP of the 1993 EuroBasket.

College career

Welp became the leading scorer in Washington Huskies history, as a college basketball player. He scored 2,073 points for the Huskies, and was a three-time All-Pac-10 Conference selection.[1] Welp was the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1986, and helped lead the Huskies to consecutive conference regular-season titles. Welp was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame, in 2001.[2][3]

Professional career

NBA

Welp was selected 16th overall, in the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1987 draft, by the Philadelphia 76ers, and he played three seasons in the NBA. In December 1987, he slipped on a wet court in Chicago, the night after a Blackhawks' hockey game.[4] Welp remembered, "There was condensation on the floor, and the ball boys were mopping the floor the whole game," and the injury "was so severe, my knee never got back to the level it was before. But no excuses."[4]

He was traded by the 76ers, along with Maurice Cheeks and David Wingate, to the San Antonio Spurs, in exchange for Johnny Dawkins and Jay Vincent, during the off-season of 1989.[5]

He was used sparingly by the Spurs, before being traded to the Golden State Warriors, in exchange for Uwe Blab (another German-born NBA center), at the trade deadline, during the 1989–90 NBA season.[6] After a handful of games with the Warriors, his NBA career ended.

Europe

From 1990 to 1996, Welp played in Germany, with Bayer Leverkusen, with which he won six German national league championships and three German Cups. For the 1996–97 season, Welp played with the Greek League club Olympiacos, winning the EuroLeague title with them[7] (and also the Triple Crown). In the 1997–98 season, he played with the German league club Alba Berlin.[8]

He also played with the Italian league club Viola Reggio Calabria, during the 1998–99 season.[9]

National team career

Welp won the gold medal at the EuroBasket 1993, as a player for the senior Germany national team. He scored the decisive last points in the tournament's final.[10] He was voted MVP of that tournament.[11]

Coaching career

Welp worked as an assistant basketball coach for the senior Germany national team until 2006.

Personal life and death

After Welp retired from playing professional basketball in 1999, he lived in Seattle, Washington, with his wife, Melanie, and three children.[4] He worked at a construction-supply business in Woodinville, for Tim Burnham, a former football player, with whom he had become friends during college.[12]

Welp died on March 1, 2015, of heart failure.[12][13] He was at a vacation home on Hood Canal, that he had purchased just after being drafted in 1987.[12] He had been complaining of chest pains, and was planning to see a doctor.[12] Welp's sons Collin and Nic both practiced basketball with their father;[14] Collin later played for the UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Christian Welp, Washington Huskies career scoring leader, dies at 51 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  2. ↑ Welp, Shannon Head List of Husky Hall of Fame Inductees., University of Washington Alumni Magazine.
  3. ↑ Allen, Percy (March 1, 2015). "Washington basketball great Christian Welp dies at 51". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Raley, Dan (January 6, 2004). "Where Are They Now: Christian Welp". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  5. ↑ "28. Seattle Sonics". www.ibiblio.org. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
  6. ↑ 1990 NBA Transactions Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved January 9, 2007.
  7. ↑ Olympiakos roster 1996–97 Archived October 11, 2006, at the Wayback Machine @ basket-stats.info, retrieved Jan 9, 2007
  8. ↑ ALBA Berlin roster 1997–98 Archived July 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine @ basket-stats.info, retrieved Jan 9, 2007.
  9. ↑ "Legabasket". 77.208. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Former European champion Welp dead at 51". Reuters. March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  11. ↑ Kalwa, Jürgen (March 2, 2015). "Der EinzelgängerZum Tod von Basketballer Christian Welp". Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Withers, Bud (March 2, 2015). "UW great Christian Welp died at Hood Canal vacation home, friend says". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Germany hero Welp dies at 51". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  14. ↑ Drowley, Doug (February 27, 2020). "It took awhile for Seattle Prep's Nic Welp to grow, but now that he has, he's the man inside". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  15. ↑ Morales, Robert (December 4, 2019). "UC Irvine's Collin Welp credits late father Christian for his success". Orange County Register. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
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