Wayne Donald Brabender Cole (born October 16, 1945) is an American-born Spanish retired professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player and coach. He acquired Spanish citizenship in 1968, relinquishing his U.S. citizenship to qualify for the Spanish national team. At a height of 6'4" (1.93 m), he could play at either the shooting guard or

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

positions. He was named one of

FIBA's 50 Greatest Players FIBA's 50 Greatest Players (1991) is the list of the 50 greatest players in the history of FIBA international basketball, as selected in the year 1991, by FIBA Magazine. The list was created in honor of the 100th anniversary of the creation of the ...

in 1991. On February 3, 2008, Brabender was chosen as one of the 50 most influential personalities to European professional

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

basketball, over the previous half-century, by the EuroLeague Basketball Experts Committee.

College career

Born in

Montevideo, Minnesota Montevideo is a city in Chippewa County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,383 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chippewa County. The town's mayor is Erich Winter and the Council President is Nathan Schmidt. The area ...

, Brabender played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

at Willmar Junior College (now Ridgewater College) and the

University of Minnesota Morris The University of Minnesota Morris (UMN Morris) is a public liberal arts college in Morris, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and was founded in 1960 as a public, co-educational, residential liberal arts college offering ...

after a high school career at Milan High School.

Club playing career

Brabender was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 14th round (145th overall) of the 1967 NBA Draft, though he never played in the NBA. Brabender came to Spain in order to gain experience, and he ended up contributing to four EuroLeague titles won by Real Madrid in 1968, 1974, 1978, and 1980. With Real Madrid, he also won 13 Spanish League championships, 7 Spanish Cups, and 4 Intercontinental Cups.

National team playing career

Brabender played for the senior men's

Spain national basketball team The Spain men's national basketball team ( es, Selección Española de Baloncesto) represents Spain in international basketball competitions. They are managed by the Spanish Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Spain. Spa ...

, and he won the silver medal at the

EuroBasket 1973 The 1973 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1973, was the eighteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Venues Group stage Group A – Badalona Group B – Barcelona Knocko ...

, where he was also named the MVP of the tournament. He also played at the

EuroBasket 1971 The 1971 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1971, was the seventeenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Venues First round Group A – Essen Group B – Böblingen Knock ...

, the

1972 Summer Olympic Games The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

, the

1974 FIBA World Championship The 1974 FIBA World Championship was the 7th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974. The tournament was won by the Soviet Union. Venues Comp ...

EuroBasket 1975 The 1975 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1975, was the nineteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Venues First round Group A – Split Group B – Karlovac Group C ...

, the

1975 Mediterranean Games The 1975 Mediterranean Games, officially known as the VII Mediterranean Games, and commonly known as Algiers 1975, were the 7th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Algiers, Algeria, from 23 August to 6 September 1975, where 2,444 athletes ...

EuroBasket 1977 The 1977 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1977, was the twentieth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Venues Group stage Group A – Liège Group B – Ostend ...

EuroBasket 1979 The 1979 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1979, was the 21st FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Twelve national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entere ...

, the

1980 Summer Olympic Games The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

(where Spain achieved 4th place),

EuroBasket 1981 The 1981 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1981, was the 22nd FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Czechoslovakia and took place from 26 May to 5 June 1981 ...

, and the 1982 FIBA World Championship.

References

External links

Euroleague.net ProfileLeyendasBaloncestoRealMadrid.es
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brabender, Wayne 1945 births Living people American emigrants to Spain American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Minnesota Basketball players at the 1972 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1980 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Minnesota Competitors at the 1975 Mediterranean Games Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Liga ACB players Mediterranean Games competitors for Spain Minnesota Morris Cougars men's basketball players Olympic basketball players of Spain People from Montevideo, Minnesota Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Real Madrid Baloncesto players Real Madrid basketball coaches Shooting guards Small forwards Spanish basketball coaches Spanish men's basketball players 1974 FIBA World Championship players 1982 FIBA World Championship players

College career

Club playing career

National team playing career

See also

References

External links