Einar Gunnar Bollason (born 6 November 1943) is an Icelandic former

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player, coach and TV analyst. As a player, he won the Icelandic championship six times with KR. In 2001, he was named to the

Icelandic basketball team of the 20th century The Team of the 20th Century in Icelandic basketball was chosen in 2001. The selection of the men's team was made by a 50-person panel while a 25-person panel selected the women's team. Men's team of the century Player of the century Pétur Guðmu ...

and the coach of the 20th century by the Icelandic Basketball Association. In 2020, he received the Knight's Cross of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon () is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowaday ...

from the

president of Iceland The president of Iceland () is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Halla Tómasdóttir, who won the 2024 Icelandic presidential election, 2024 presidential election. The president is not involved in the running of the country, bu ...

Early life

Einar was born in

Vesturbær Vesturbær () is a district in Reykjavík in Iceland, comprising eight neighbourhoods west of the city center: ''Gamli Vesturbær'' , ''Bráðræðisholt'' , ''Grandahverfi'' , ''Hagahverfi'' , ''Melar'' , ''Skjól'' , ''Grímsstaðaholt'' , ''Skil ...

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

Playing career

Club career

Einar came up through the junior ranks of ÍR and played his first senior games at the age of 15. He later moved to KR where he spent the bulk of his career.

Icelandic national team

Between 1964 and 1978, Einar played 35 games for the Icelandic national basketball team.

Coaching career

Einar coached the men's national team in 1974–1976, 1977, 1979–1982 and 1984–1987. During his tenures the team played 133 games, winning 57.

Team of the 20th century

In 2001 Einar was voted to the Icelandic team of the 20th century in basketball, both as a player and a coach.

Icelandic Basketball Association

Einar served as the chairman of the Icelandic Basketball Association from 1973 to 1976.Einar Bollason er sextugur
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Career statistics in Icelandic top league

Guðmundur and Geirfinnur case

In 1976, Einar, along with three others, sat innocent for 105 days in solitary confinement after his sister and other suspects in the

Guðmundur and Geirfinnur case The Guðmundur and Geirfinnur case () concerns the disappearances of Guðmundur Einarsson and Geirfinnur Einarsson in 1974 in Iceland. Six people were convicted of their alleged murders on the basis of confessions (sometimes called the Reykjavi ...

(Icelandic: ''Guðmundar- og Geirfinnsmálið'') had implicated them to the case. He had been accused falsely by his step-sister, Erla Bolladóttir of having been involved in the case during her confessions. Erla was later sentenced to jail for perjury, as part of the Reykjavik Six, while Einar was released.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bollason, Einar 1943 births Living people Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason Einar Bollason 20th-century Icelandic sportsmen