Richard Robert Yonakor (October 3, 1958 – March 3, 2022) was an American

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. He played one season for the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). Yonakor, a 6'9"

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

from Euclid, Ohio, played collegiately at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

from 1976 to 1980 where he averaged 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game for his career. Despite his modest college statistics, Yonakor was drafted in the third round of the

1980 NBA draft The 1980 NBA draft was the 34th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 10, 1980, at the Sheraton Centre Hotel & Towers, before the 1980–81 season. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selectin ...

by the

. After playing a season in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

for Bartolini Brindisi, Yonakor made his NBA debut on March 8, 1982. He appeared in 10 games, averaging 3.3

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

and 2.3

rebounds per game 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

in his only NBA season. He also played in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

for the Rochester Zeniths and

Montana Golden Nuggets The Montana Golden Nuggets are a former Continental Basketball Association (CBA) team that played from 1980 to 1983. They played their home games at Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls, Montana, Great Falls. Montana reached the CBA finals in 1981 ...

. Rich was the son of former NFL football player John Yonakor. Rich Yonakor died on March 3, 2022. Tar Heel Times announces passing of Rich Yonakor
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References

External links

Italian League profile
1958 births 2022 deaths American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players American people of Lithuanian descent Centers (basketball) Montana Golden Nuggets players North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Power forwards Rochester Zeniths players San Antonio Spurs draft picks San Antonio Spurs players Sportspeople from Euclid, Ohio Basketball players from Cuyahoga County, Ohio {{1950s-US-basketball-bio-stub