Petteri Koponen
Encyclopedia
Petteri Koponen is a Finnish
professional basketball
player. He currently plays for Virtus Bologna
. He is a point guard
, weighs 195 pounds (88.5 kg) and is 6 feet 4.5 inches tall (194 cm). He played for Virtus Bologna
in Italian Lega Basket Serie A basketball league. He was drafted as the 30th pick by the Philadelphia 76ers
in the 2007 NBA Draft
, and his NBA rights are currently held by the Dallas Mavericks
.
. This happened for the 2004-05 season. Under the guidance of coach Mihailo Pavicevic he quickly developed into a key component of Honka's 2006-07 Finnish Championship
-winning side. During the 2006-07 campaign Koponen averaged 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. The number of assists may sound small, but in Finland assists are harder to come by than in the NBA because of the difference in FIBA rules, and the league leader had an average of only 5 assists.
Koponen began his military service in the Lahti Military Academy in October 2007, participating in a special campaign built for professional athletes such as Finnish tennis player Jarkko Nieminen
. The Finnish League 2007-08 season
began slowly, with Koponen trying to adapt to the military recruit training. Koponen struggled a lot in the opening month of the season, but found his rhythm in November, recording 21.4 points, 4.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game while draining 55.6% of his 2-point attempts, 45.8% of his 3-point attempts and 81.0% of his free throws. In the first game of December, Koponen played through a concussion and led the Honka Playboys to an overtime victory over Team Componenta, scoring 32 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out five assists. After the game, the concussion forced Koponen to be sidelined for a week.
in 2007, and was considered one of the best players at the tournament. He recorded 7 points and 6 assists with only one turnover, playing against future NBA guards such as Derrick Rose
and O. J. Mayo
.
On June 28, 2007, Koponen was taken 30th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft
by the Philadelphia 76ers
. He was the final first-round pick in the draft. Philadelphia then traded Koponen to the Portland Trail Blazers
in exchange for their number 42 pick, Vanderbilt University
swingman
Derrick Byars
, and cash considerations.
On July 14, 2008, Koponen had by far his most exciting performance against NBA competition. In a Las Vegas Summer League
game against the Washington Wizards
, Koponen scored 19 points, shooting 4-for-6 on three-point attempts. Late in the game with the Blazers down by 9, Koponen put on an offensive show with his shooting, driving and passing abilities to lead the Blazers to a 78–73 victory.
On June 23, 2011, Koponen was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for the Mavericks' second round pick in the 2011 draft (57).
B-level competition, leading the Finnish team to third place by losing just one game. After that he was promoted to the senior men's Finnish national team
. He showed no fear as he played like a veteran and got to play quite a lot. His best game was against the small country Luxembourg national basketball team
; he scored 19 points and handed out 7 assists.
Koponen was a main contributor in the Finnish men's national team in the summer of 2007. Finland earned a spot in European Division A after crushing the Romanian national basketball team
in a deciding game by a score of 111-61. Koponen averaged 10.6 points, 2.7 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 21.3 minutes a game with the national team. Just days before the national team campaign tipped off, Koponen announced he would return to the Honka Playboys
for one more season.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. He currently plays for Virtus Bologna
Virtus Bologna
-Notable players: Marco Bonamico 9 seasons: '75-'76, '77-'78, '80-'86, '88-'89 Carlo Caglieris 6 seasons: '75-'81 Pietro Generali 6 seasons: '75-'76, '78-'83 Gianni Bertolotti 5 seasons: '75-'80 Terry Driscoll 3 seasons: '75-'78 Eric Luc Leclerc 1 season: '75-'76 Luigi Serafini 2 seasons: '75-'77...
. He is a point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
, weighs 195 pounds (88.5 kg) and is 6 feet 4.5 inches tall (194 cm). He played for Virtus Bologna
Virtus Bologna
-Notable players: Marco Bonamico 9 seasons: '75-'76, '77-'78, '80-'86, '88-'89 Carlo Caglieris 6 seasons: '75-'81 Pietro Generali 6 seasons: '75-'76, '78-'83 Gianni Bertolotti 5 seasons: '75-'80 Terry Driscoll 3 seasons: '75-'78 Eric Luc Leclerc 1 season: '75-'76 Luigi Serafini 2 seasons: '75-'77...
in Italian Lega Basket Serie A basketball league. He was drafted as the 30th pick by the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
in the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
, and his NBA rights are currently held by the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
.
Finland
His first club was Malmi Super-Koris ("Malmi super-basketball"), from where he joined one of Finland's top clubs, Espoo HonkaTapiolan Honka
Espoon Honka is a basketball club based in Espoo, Finland. Espoo is Finland's second largest city, with a population over 240,000. It is nearby Helsinki.Originally, one sport club Tapion Honka existed in Espoo. It was founded in 1957...
. This happened for the 2004-05 season. Under the guidance of coach Mihailo Pavicevic he quickly developed into a key component of Honka's 2006-07 Finnish Championship
Korisliiga
Korisliiga is the top league of basketball in Finland, comprising the top 12 teams of the country. In current format each team plays all other teams twice in the regular season, both at home and away...
-winning side. During the 2006-07 campaign Koponen averaged 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. The number of assists may sound small, but in Finland assists are harder to come by than in the NBA because of the difference in FIBA rules, and the league leader had an average of only 5 assists.
Koponen began his military service in the Lahti Military Academy in October 2007, participating in a special campaign built for professional athletes such as Finnish tennis player Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
. The Finnish League 2007-08 season
2007-08 Korisliiga season
-References:*...
began slowly, with Koponen trying to adapt to the military recruit training. Koponen struggled a lot in the opening month of the season, but found his rhythm in November, recording 21.4 points, 4.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game while draining 55.6% of his 2-point attempts, 45.8% of his 3-point attempts and 81.0% of his free throws. In the first game of December, Koponen played through a concussion and led the Honka Playboys to an overtime victory over Team Componenta, scoring 32 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out five assists. After the game, the concussion forced Koponen to be sidelined for a week.
NBA
Koponen played in the World All-Star team at the Nike Hoop SummitNike Hoop Summit
The Nike Hoop Summit is a basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select team of international players. The players demonstrate their skills and hope to attract attention from either NBA scouts or...
in 2007, and was considered one of the best players at the tournament. He recorded 7 points and 6 assists with only one turnover, playing against future NBA guards such as Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose
Derrick Martell Rose is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association ....
and O. J. Mayo
O. J. Mayo
Ovinton J'Anthony "O. J." Mayo , is an American basketball player currently playing with the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. He signed with the team on July 8, 2008. He played college basketball for the University of Southern California...
.
On June 28, 2007, Koponen was taken 30th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
by the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
. He was the final first-round pick in the draft. Philadelphia then traded Koponen to the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
in exchange for their number 42 pick, Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball
The Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represents Vanderbilt University in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . The Commodores have won three SEC regular season titles . They have competed in ten NCAA Tournaments, making it to the Elite Eight once and the Sweet 16 six times...
swingman
Swingman
A Swingman is a basketball term denoting a player who can play both the small forward and shooting guard positions, and, in essence, swing between the shooting guard and small forward positions." Swingmen males are often between 6'5" and 6'8" .John Havlicek, who played for the Boston Celtics in...
Derrick Byars
Derrick Byars
Derrick JaVaughn Byars is an American professional basketball player for the Pro A team Cholet Basket. Collegiality, he played for Virginia, and later for Vanderbilt...
, and cash considerations.
On July 14, 2008, Koponen had by far his most exciting performance against NBA competition. In a Las Vegas Summer League
NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League is a period during which NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups. Typically, there is a mix of rookies and some of the younger bench players to see how well some players work with others...
game against the Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
, Koponen scored 19 points, shooting 4-for-6 on three-point attempts. Late in the game with the Blazers down by 9, Koponen put on an offensive show with his shooting, driving and passing abilities to lead the Blazers to a 78–73 victory.
On June 23, 2011, Koponen was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for the Mavericks' second round pick in the 2011 draft (57).
Finnish national team
The summer of 2006 was Koponen's coming-out party. First, he played very well in the FIBA Europe Under-20 ChampionshipFIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, previously known as European Championship for Men 'Under22 and Under, is a basketball competition inaugurated in 1992. Until 2004 it was held biannually, but from 2004 onwards it is held every year. The current champions are Spain.Since 2005, a second level...
B-level competition, leading the Finnish team to third place by losing just one game. After that he was promoted to the senior men's Finnish national team
Finland national basketball team
The Finnish national basketball team is the basketball side that represents Finland in international competitions.-Eurobasket 1939:Finland first competed in the European championship in the third installment, at Eurobasket 1939...
. He showed no fear as he played like a veteran and got to play quite a lot. His best game was against the small country Luxembourg national basketball team
Luxembourg national basketball team
The Luxembourgian national basketball team is the basketball team that represents Luxembourg in international competitions.-Eurobasket 1946:...
; he scored 19 points and handed out 7 assists.
Koponen was a main contributor in the Finnish men's national team in the summer of 2007. Finland earned a spot in European Division A after crushing the Romanian national basketball team
Romania national basketball team
The Romanian national basketball team is the basketball side that represents Romania in international competitions. Romania has 17 appearances for the EuroBasket competition and reached two time the 5th place, but never managed to qualify for the Basketball World Championship...
in a deciding game by a score of 111-61. Koponen averaged 10.6 points, 2.7 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 21.3 minutes a game with the national team. Just days before the national team campaign tipped off, Koponen announced he would return to the Honka Playboys
Tapiolan Honka
Espoon Honka is a basketball club based in Espoo, Finland. Espoo is Finland's second largest city, with a population over 240,000. It is nearby Helsinki.Originally, one sport club Tapion Honka existed in Espoo. It was founded in 1957...
for one more season.