Primož Brezec
Encyclopedia
Primož Brezec is a Slovenia
n professional basketball
player with Lokomotiv Kuban of the Russian Super League
. He is a 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall center
. Brezec has played seven seasons in the NBA.
, where he also made his professional debut with the local team Kraski Zidar. During his high school years he was a member of the basketball team and a major star of the ŠKL League, the national high school league. As a professional, he played for the Slovenian Premier A League
club Union Olimpija Ljubljana
from 1998 until 2001.
Brezec spent the next 7 seasons playing in the NBA in the United States and Canada. He returned to Europe on July 20, 2008, when he signed a 2-year contract with Lottomatica Roma of the Italian league
.
On September 26, 2010, Brezec signed with BC Krasnye Krylya Samara
of the Russian Professional Basketball League.
In July 2011 he signed with Lokomotiv Kuban for one season.
with the 27th overall pick of the 2000 NBA Draft
. After he spent three years in Indiana with little playing time, he was picked up in the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats
. As the Bobcats' starting center, Brezec averaged career-highs of 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game during the 2004-05 NBA season
. He also scored the first points, made the first turnover, and hit the first free-throws in the history of the franchise.
On December 14, 2007, Brezec, along with Bobcats teammate Wálter Herrmann
, was traded to the Detroit Pistons
for center Nazr Mohammed
.
At the 2008 NBA trade deadline, which was on February 21, Brezec, along with cash considerations, was traded to the Toronto Raptors
in exchange for Juan Dixon
. During his Raptors debut, he hit all five of his shots and finished with 11 points, three rebounds and a block in 13 minutes off the bench against the New York Knicks
in a February 24 win.
In August 2009, he returned to the NBA when signed with the Philadelphia 76ers
.
On February 18, 2010, Brezec was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks
along with Royal Ivey
in exchange for Jodie Meeks
and Francisco Elson
.
, the 2005 FIBA European Championship
, the 2006 FIBA World Championship
, and the 2010 FIBA World Championship
.
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | Indiana
| 22 || 4 || 7.3 || .483 || .000 || .600 || 1.3 || .3 || .0 || .3 || 2.0
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Indiana
| 22 || 1 || 5.0 || .395 || .000 || .600 || 1.0 || .2 || .1 || .2 || 1.9
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Indiana
| 18 || 0 || 4.0 || .462 || .000 || .667 || .8 || .2 || .0 || .2 || 1.6
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Charlotte
| 72 || 72 || 31.6 || .512 || .000 || .745 || 7.4 || 1.2 || .5 || .8 || 13.0
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Charlotte
| 79 || 79 || 27.4 || .517 || .000 || .732 || 5.6 || .6 || .2 || .4 || 12.4
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Charlotte
| 58 || 40 || 14.4 || .445 || .333 || .632 || 3.2 || .4 || .2 || .4 || 5.0
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Charlotte
| 20 || 18 || 13.4 || .395 || .000 || .600 || 2.2 || .3 || .0 || .2 || 1.9
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Detroit
| 17 || 0 || 5.8 || .769 || .000 || .500 || 1.1 || .2 || .1 || .1 || 1.6
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Toronto
| 13 || 0 || 8.5 || .447 || .000 || .667 || 1.4 || .1 || .1 || .2 || 3.7
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Philadelphia
| 7 || 0 || 5.1 || .154 || .000 || .500 || 1.7 || .0 || .1 || .1 || .7
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Milwaukee
| 14 || 0 || 4.2 || .538 || .000 || .000 || .9 || .1 || .0 || .1 || 1.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 342 || 214 || 18.1 || .498 || .167 || .701 || 3.9 || .5 || .2 || .4 || 7.2
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Milwaukee
| 4 || 0 || 6.3 || .571 || .000 || .500 || .8 || .0 || .2 || .0 || 2.3
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 4 || 0 || 6.3 || .571 || .000 || .500 || .8 || .0 || .2 || .0 || 2.3
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player with Lokomotiv Kuban of the Russian Super League
Russian Basketball Super League
The Russian Basketball SuperLeague is a men's professional basketball league that was the pre-eminent league of Russian professional basketball until 2010...
. He is a 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
. Brezec has played seven seasons in the NBA.
Europe
Brezec grew up in SežanaSežana
Sežana is a town and a municipality in the Slovenian Littoral region of Slovenia, near the border with Italy. According to the census of 2008, it has a population of 12,470, of which around 5,332 live in the town of Sežana and the rest in the neighbouring rural areas.Sežana is located about on the...
, where he also made his professional debut with the local team Kraski Zidar. During his high school years he was a member of the basketball team and a major star of the ŠKL League, the national high school league. As a professional, he played for the Slovenian Premier A League
Premier A Slovenian Basketball League
The Premier A Slovenian Basketball League , abbreviated as 1. A SKL and known for sponsorship reasons as the Telemach League , is the top-level professional men's basketball league in Slovenia...
club Union Olimpija Ljubljana
KK Union Olimpija
-Depth Chart:-In: Ben Woodside Deon Thompson Aleksandar Ćapin Jaka Blažič Danny Green Ratko Varda Robert Rothbart -Out: Giorgi Shermadini - return from a loan Kenny Gregory Samo Udrih Aloysius Anagonye Vladimir...
from 1998 until 2001.
Brezec spent the next 7 seasons playing in the NBA in the United States and Canada. He returned to Europe on July 20, 2008, when he signed a 2-year contract with Lottomatica Roma of the Italian league
Serie A (basketball)
Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
.
On September 26, 2010, Brezec signed with BC Krasnye Krylya Samara
BC Krasnye Krylya Samara
BC Krasnye Krylya Samara is a Russian professional basketball club from the city of Samara, Russia. The team played in the 2009-10 Russian Super League as a replacement for bankrupt CSK VVS, that is also from Samara.-External links:* *...
of the Russian Professional Basketball League.
In July 2011 he signed with Lokomotiv Kuban for one season.
NBA
Brezec was chosen by the Indiana PacersIndiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
with the 27th overall pick of the 2000 NBA Draft
2000 NBA Draft
The 2000 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2000 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Until 2011, it was the last draft held at the home arena of an NBA team; the following and subsequent drafts have all taken place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. This draft is...
. After he spent three years in Indiana with little playing time, he was picked up in the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
. As the Bobcats' starting center, Brezec averaged career-highs of 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game during the 2004-05 NBA season
2004-05 NBA season
The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association . It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating defending champion Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the NBA Finals....
. He also scored the first points, made the first turnover, and hit the first free-throws in the history of the franchise.
On December 14, 2007, Brezec, along with Bobcats teammate Wálter Herrmann
Wálter Herrmann
Walter Herrmann Heinrich is an Argentine professional basketball player. He is listed at 6'9" and 225 lbs. He was a key member of the Argentinian national basketball team that won the gold medal during the 2004 Olympic Basketball Tournament...
, was traded to the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
for center Nazr Mohammed
Nazr Mohammed
Nazr Tahiru Mohammed [NAW-zee] is an American professional basketball player with the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. He plays the center position. He is 6 ft 10 in and 250 lb...
.
At the 2008 NBA trade deadline, which was on February 21, Brezec, along with cash considerations, was traded to the Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
in exchange for Juan Dixon
Juan Dixon
Juan Dixon is an American professional basketball player. Dixon led the University of Maryland Terrapins to their first NCAA championship in 2002 and earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the 2002 Final Four.-Early life:...
. During his Raptors debut, he hit all five of his shots and finished with 11 points, three rebounds and a block in 13 minutes off the bench against the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in a February 24 win.
In August 2009, he returned to the NBA when signed with the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
.
On February 18, 2010, Brezec was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
along with Royal Ivey
Royal Ivey
Royal Terence Ivey is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA.-Early life and college:...
in exchange for Jodie Meeks
Jodie Meeks
Jodie Meeks is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA.Meeks played college basketball for the University of Kentucky Wildcats...
and Francisco Elson
Francisco Elson
Francisco Marinho Robby Elson is a Dutch professional basketball player. At 7' 0" and weighing 235 lbs , he most recently played for the Utah Jazz of the NBA. Elson is the seventh Dutch player in the NBA....
.
Slovenian national team
Brezec has also been a member of the senior Slovenian national basketball team. With Slovenia's senior national team, he has played at the 2003 FIBA European ChampionshipEurobasket 2003
-5th to 8th place:-Awards:-All-Tournament Team : Tony Parker Šarūnas Jasikevičius Saulius Štombergas Andrei Kirilenko Pau Gasol-Top scorers :# Pau Gasol 25.8# Andrei Kirilenko 23.1# Dirk Nowitzki 22.5# Mehmet Okur 18.7...
, the 2005 FIBA European Championship
Eurobasket 2005
The EuroBasket 2005 was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Greece won the gold medal by defeating Germany, while France won the bronze medal over Spain...
, the 2006 FIBA World Championship
2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...
, and the 2010 FIBA World Championship
2010 FIBA World Championship
The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the...
.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | Indiana
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 22 || 4 || 7.3 || .483 || .000 || .600 || 1.3 || .3 || .0 || .3 || 2.0
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Indiana
| 22 || 1 || 5.0 || .395 || .000 || .600 || 1.0 || .2 || .1 || .2 || 1.9
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Indiana
| 18 || 0 || 4.0 || .462 || .000 || .667 || .8 || .2 || .0 || .2 || 1.6
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Charlotte
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
| 72 || 72 || 31.6 || .512 || .000 || .745 || 7.4 || 1.2 || .5 || .8 || 13.0
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Charlotte
| 79 || 79 || 27.4 || .517 || .000 || .732 || 5.6 || .6 || .2 || .4 || 12.4
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Charlotte
| 58 || 40 || 14.4 || .445 || .333 || .632 || 3.2 || .4 || .2 || .4 || 5.0
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Charlotte
| 20 || 18 || 13.4 || .395 || .000 || .600 || 2.2 || .3 || .0 || .2 || 1.9
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Detroit
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
| 17 || 0 || 5.8 || .769 || .000 || .500 || 1.1 || .2 || .1 || .1 || 1.6
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Toronto
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
| 13 || 0 || 8.5 || .447 || .000 || .667 || 1.4 || .1 || .1 || .2 || 3.7
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" | Philadelphia
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
| 7 || 0 || 5.1 || .154 || .000 || .500 || 1.7 || .0 || .1 || .1 || .7
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Milwaukee
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
| 14 || 0 || 4.2 || .538 || .000 || .000 || .9 || .1 || .0 || .1 || 1.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 342 || 214 || 18.1 || .498 || .167 || .701 || 3.9 || .5 || .2 || .4 || 7.2
Playoffs
|-| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" | Milwaukee
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
| 4 || 0 || 6.3 || .571 || .000 || .500 || .8 || .0 || .2 || .0 || 2.3
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 4 || 0 || 6.3 || .571 || .000 || .500 || .8 || .0 || .2 || .0 || 2.3