Igor Nesterenko (; born August 18, 1990) is an Israeli-Ukrainian professional

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 for Maccabi Rishon LeZion of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Early life

Nesterenko was born in

Kiliya Kiliia or Kilia (, ; ; ) is a city in Izmail Raion, Odesa Oblast, southwestern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Kiliia urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Kiliia is located in the Danube Delta, in the historic Bessarabian dist ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family. Nesterenko lived his first three years in Ukraine before growing up in

Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( , "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were ...

. He played for the Maccabi Rishon LeZion youth team and the Gymnasia Realit high school team.

Professional career

In 2008, Nesterenko started his professional career with Maccabi Rishon LeZion. On November 1, 2008, he made his professional debut in a match against Maccabi Haifa. In his fourth season with Rishon LeZion, Nesterenko was loaned to Elitzur Yavne of the

Liga Leumit The Israeli Liga Leumit (, HaLiga HaLeumit, ) is the second division of the professional Israeli association football (soccer) league system. This second-tier league is placed directly below the Israeli Premier League. Structure There are 16 ...

. In his seventh season, Nesterenko helped Rishon LeZion reach the 2015 Israeli League Semifinals, where they eventually were eliminated by Hapoel Jerusalem. On August 17, 2015, Nesterenko signed a one-year deal with Ironi Nes Ziona. On July 5, 2016, Nesterenko signed with Ironi Nahariya for the 2016–17 season. Nesterenko helped Nahariya reach the 2017 Israeli League Quarterfinals, as well as reaching the 2017 FIBA Europe Cup Quarterfinals, where they eventually were eliminated by

Telekom Baskets Bonn Telekom Baskets Bonn is a German professional basketball club that is based in Bonn, Germany. The club plays in the Basketball Bundesliga, which is German basketball league system, the highest level pro basketball league in Germany. The club's s ...

. On July 23, 2017, Nesterenko signed a two-year contract extension with Ironi Nahariya. On January 3, 2018, Nesterenko recorded a career-high 20 points, shooting 7-of-8 from the field, along with four rebounds and three assists in a 90–98 loss to

Hapoel Holon Hapoel Holon Basketball Club (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League (the top tier of Israeli basketball), and internationally in the Basketball Champions League. The ...

. In 33 games played during the 2017–18 season, he averaged 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. On September 8, 2019, Nesterenko joined Hapoel Haifa of the Israeli National League, signing a one-year deal with an option for another one.

References

External links

RealGM profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesterenko, Igor 1990 births Living people Centers (basketball) Hapoel Haifa B.C. players Ironi Nahariya players Ironi Ness Ziona B.C. players Israeli Basketball Premier League players Jewish Israeli sportspeople Israeli men's basketball players Maccabi Rishon LeZion basketball players Ukrainian emigrants to Israel Jewish Ukrainian sportspeople Ukrainian men's basketball players Sportspeople from Rishon LeZion Gymnasia Realit alumni 21st-century Israeli sportsmen