Miha Zupan
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Miha Zupan (born 13 September 1982 in Kranj, Slovenia, at that time Yugoslavia) is a Slovenian basketball player. Despite being deaf since birth,[1] he plays among hearing players at the highest level in Europe. A 2.04 m (6 ft 8½ in) power forward who can also play center when needed, he currently plays for his country's best-known club, regular Euroleague participant Union Olimpija.
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[edit] Early years
Zupan spent most of his childhood in a special school for the deaf, eventually learning to speak. An unspecified type of hearing aid would later give him enough hearing to understand speech. He did not learn to play basketball until age 14, instead playing football and volleyball. After his first basketball coach spotted him in a schoolyard, he took to the game quickly, soon joining Slovenia's national basketball team for the deaf, which twice made the finals of the European championships with Zupan as its star. At age 17, he signed his first contract with a regular professional team, KD Slovan of Ljubljana. During his teenage years, he grew 20 cm (8 inches) in an 18-month period, leading to knee problems that sidelined him for several months early in his pro career.[1]
[edit] Professional career
At Slovan, he developed into a promising big man, soon making the (regular) Slovenia junior and under-20 national teams. He played in the Slovenian League All-Star Game in 2004 and 2006, earning MVP honors in the 2004 game and also winning the slam dunk contest associated with the 2004 game.
In the 2005-06 season with Slovan, he averaged 11.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in Slovenian League play. His statistics in the Adriatic League were arguably more impressive, considering that he played only 23 minutes per game in that competition; he averaged 13.2 points and 3.9 rebounds and also shot 47.3% from three-point range.[2]
Zupan would sign with Union Olimpija, also of Ljubljana, in the 2006 offseason, fulfilling what he called one of his lifelong dreams. He also barely missed out on a trip to the 2006 FIBA World Championship, becoming the last player cut from the Slovenia squad.[1] His chance to play for Olimpija in the Euroleague was on hold for several months because his transfer became the subject of litigation between them and Slovan. He had, apparently inadvertently, failed to revoke his contract with Slovan before signing with Olimpija. Olimpija had registered him at the start of the 2006-07 season, and he played six fixtures in the Adriatic League before Slovan contested the registration.[3] Olimpija won the first round of the legal battle in August 2006, but on 23 October, an appellate court set aside the decision and ordered a new trial. Olimpija announced that it would appeal this latest ruling.[4]
The legal battle raged until late February 2007, when Olimpija and Slovan reached a settlement. After Olimpija paid an undisclosed fee to Slovan, they finally registered him officially on 1 March. The settlement proved timely for Olimpija, as they had seen six players leave the team during the season, and had two other players out with injury. While Zupan was unable to play during the 2006-07 Euroleague, as Olimpija had been eliminated by the time of the settlement, he arrived in time for the late rounds of the Adriatic League and for the second stage of the Slovenian domestic league.[3]
Assuming he remains with Olimpija and they qualify for the 2007-08 Euroleague, Zupan will become the first deaf player ever to play in the Euroleague.[1] He was scheduled to play in Olimpija's first game of Euroleague regular-season play against Croatian side Cibona on 26 October, but the court ruling prevented him from suiting up for the game.[5]
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b c d Euroleague.net profile: Miha Zupan. Euroleague (2006-10-24).
- ^ Olimpija lands forward Zupan. Euroleague (2006-06-23).
- ^ a b Ličen, Simon (2007-03-06). Zupan's saga unfolds as sixth player leaves Olimpija. Slovenian Basketball Federation.
- ^ The court cancelled the previous decision regarding Miha Zupan. Adriatic League (2006-10-23).
- ^ Box score, Cibona-Union Olimpija. Euroleague (2006-10-26). (Note the absence of Zupan from the Olimpija team listing.)
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Zupan, Miha |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Deaf Slovenian basketball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 13 September 1982 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kranj, Slovenia |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
