Dāvis Bertāns (born 12 November 1992) is a Latvian 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 (appr ...

player for the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

of the

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

(NBA). Nicknamed the "Latvian Laser", he also represents the Latvian national team. He was the 42nd pick in the

2011 NBA draft The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting sponsor ...

by the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

Professional career

Kadeti (2007–2008)

In 2007–08, Bertāns played for ASK Kadeti II.

Riga (2008–2010)

Between 2008 and 2010, Bertāns played for BAA Riga of Latvia's second division. During this time, he also had two stints in the top division with

ASK Riga ASK Rīga is a former professional basketball club that was based in Riga, Latvia. "ASK" stood for "Armijas Sporta Klubs" (in English: Army Sports Club). History BK Rīga was then founded in 2004, and it got back the original name of ASK R ...

at the end of the 2008–09 season, and with BK Keizarmezs Riga at the start of the 2009–10 season.

Barons (2010)

Bertāns started the 2010–11 season with

BK Barons BK Barons/LDz (previously Barons/LMT) was a professional basketball club which is based in Riga, Latvia. The team played in the first division of Latvian Basketball League. History Barons kvartāls was an integral part of Latvia's recent bas ...

Olimpija (2010–2012)

In November 2010, Bertāns signed a multi-year deal with Slovenian club

Union Olimpija Košarkarski klub Olimpija ( en, Olimpija Basketball Club) was a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Olimpija has won 23 National League championships, including eight consecutive titles between 1992 and 1999. They ...

. Following the 2010–11 season, Bertāns was selected by the

with the 42nd overall pick in the

. However, his rights were immediately traded to 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 league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

along with the rights to 15th overall pick

Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a five-time All-Star with three All-NBA ...

for George Hill.

Partizan (2012–2014)

In January 2012, Bertāns left Olimpija and signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Serbian club

Partizan Belgrade Jugoslovensko sportsko društvo Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Југословенско спортско друштво Партизан, lit=Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan), commonly abbreviated as JSD Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, ЈСД Партизан, link ...

. In the Serbian League finals series against

Crvena zvezda Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in B ...

in June 2013, he tore the ACL in his right knee, which sidelined him for nine months. Bertāns returned to the court on 20 March 2014, against

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

, helping his team get a hard-fought Euroleague Top 16 win against the favoured visitors by contributing two points, two rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes of action. Eight days later, on 28 March 2014, Dāvis scored team-high 20 points in a road Euroleague Top 16 loss to Lokomotiv-Kuban. Partizan ended the season by winning its 13th and Dāvis' third consecutive

Serbian League The Serbian League () is the third level football league in Serbia. It consists of four groups, namely Belgrade, East, Vojvodina, and West. The winner of each group earns promotion to the Serbian First League. History 1992–1995 In the summer of ...

title, defeating rivals Crvena zvezda 3–1 in the finals series. On 3 July 2014, Bertāns terminated his contract with the club.

Baskonia (2014–2016)

On 19 July 2014, Bertāns signed a three-year contract with Spanish club Laboral Kutxa Baskonia. On 26 March 2015, in a game against

Emporio Armani Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

, Bertāns tore the ACL in his right knee, the same injury that sidelined him in 2013. He was subsequently ruled out for six to eight months. Over 22 Euroleague games, he averaged 11.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, while also averaging 11.4 points in 25 games of the Spanish League. In Laboral Kutxa Baskonia's very next game following Bertāns's injury, a Spanish League contest versus

Valencia BC Valencia Basket Club S.A.D., commonly known as Valencia Basket (), is a professional basketball team based in Valencia, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, with home games played at the Fuente de San Luis. The club is spons ...

, each Baskonia player wore Bertāns's number 42 in a show of support for their sidelined teammate. On 14 July 2016, Bertāns and Baskonia agreed on a contract buyout.

San Antonio Spurs (2016–2019)

On 14 July 2016, Bertāns signed with the

. He made his debut for the Spurs in their season-opener on 25 October 2016, scoring five points in four minutes off the bench in a 129–100 win over the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. On 25 November 2016, he set a career high in scoring, pitching in 15 of the Spurs' 56 bench points to help San Antonio defeat the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

109–103. On 7 January 2017, he scored 21 points in a 102–85 win over the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

. He went 4-of-5 on three-pointers in leading the Spurs in scoring for the first time in 2016–17. On 29 January 2017, against the

, Bertāns became just the fourth Spurs rookie with at least 35 three-pointers and 15 blocks in a season, joining

Manu Ginóbili Emanuel David Ginóbili Maccari (, , ; born 28 July 1977) is an Argentine former professional basketball player. Over a 23-year professional career, he became one of only two players (along with Bill Bradley) to have won a EuroLeague title, an ...

and

Lloyd Daniels Lloyd Daniels (born September 4, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who played parts of five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life The shooting guard was one of the most sought-after recruits ...

. On 11 March 2017, he had three three-pointers in a 107–85 win over Golden State to reach 51 three-pointers on the season. He became just the sixth Spurs rookie to hit 50 in a season. During his rookie season, he had multiple assignments with the

Austin Spurs The Austin Spurs are an American basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas, and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs. The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The team has made the postseason in ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. Early on the 2017–18 season, Bertāns was twice assigned to the

. On 8 January 2018, he scored a career-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting with six 3-pointers in a 107–100 win over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. On 13 January 2018, he scored 18 points on a career-high six 3-pointers in a 112–80 win over the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. On 11 July 2018, Bertāns re-signed with the Spurs for two years and $14 million. On 27 January 2019, he scored a season-high 21 points in a 132–119 win over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

Washington Wizards (2019–2022)

On 6 July 2019, Bertāns was traded from the

to the

in a three-team deal that also included the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

, in which the Spurs received

DeMarre Carroll DeMarre LaEdrick Carroll (born July 27, 1986) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected as the 27th overall pick ...

via sign-and-trade. In his first game in San Antonio following the trade, on 26 October 2019, Bertāns made all seven of his field goal attempts, including five three-pointers, and scored 23 points. On 22 November, he made six three-pointers and scored 20 points against the

. On 22 June 2020, three months into the NBA's hiatus, Bertāns decided to pull out of the NBA's

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

restart; he was the first player to do so. This decision was made due to personal reasons. Bertāns was entering free agency and viewed sitting out as a preventative measure. Bertāns also had two previous ACL injuries. If the Wizards did not advance past the seeding games in Orlando, he stood to lose $520,000. The Washington Wizards fully supported Bertāns's decision and as anticipated did not ultimately qualify for the playoffs. On 21 November 2020, Bertāns agreed to a five-year, $80 million deal with the Washington Wizards. On 17 February 2021, Bertāns scored a career-high 35 points in a 130–128 win over the

. He logged a career-best nine 3-pointers becoming the third player in team history to do so.

Dallas Mavericks (2022–present)

On 10 February 2022, Bertāns, along with

Spencer Dinwiddie Spencer Gray Dinwiddie (born April 6, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes and earned first-team all ...

, was traded to the

in exchange for

Kristaps Porziņģis Kristaps Porziņģis (; born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest active players in the NBA, standing at tall, and plays bo ...

National team career

Bertāns represented

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

EuroBasket 2011 EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's EuroBasket, European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted t ...

, averaging 5.6 points and 2 rebounds per game. He returned for

EuroBasket 2017 EuroBasket 2017 was the 40th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe and held between 31 August and 17 September 2017. Beginning from 2017, the continental championships take place every four years with a similar ...

, now in a more prominent role, averaging 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game.

Personal life

Bertāns's older brother, Dairis, is also a professional basketball player; he formerly played for the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. Their father, Dainis, was a professional basketball player and is currently a youth coach. Their mother is a sports teacher and a former high-level rower. In childhood Bertāns was raised in Latvia's northernmost town

Rūjiena Rūjiena (; german: Rujen; et, Ruhja) is a town in Valmiera Municipality, in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. As of 2017 its population was 3,007. Geography The town is located in northern Latvia, near the border with Estonia, in the historical regi ...

until his parents moved to capital city

Rīga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava (river), Daugava river where ...

. Bertāns is fluent in the

Serbian language Serbian (, ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina and co-official in Montenegro and Kos ...

. Due to a childhood wood-cutting accident, Bertāns is missing part of the ring finger on his right hand. Bertāns is a former vegan but now eats a dairy-free

pescatarian Pescetarianism (; sometimes spelled pescatarianism) is the practice of incorporating seafood into an otherwise vegetarian diet. Pescetarians may or may not consume other animal products such as eggs and dairy products. Approximately 3% of adul ...

diet.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, 67 , , 6 , , 12.1 , , .440 , , .399 , , .824 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , .3 , , .4 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 10 , , 14.1 , , .440 , , .373 , , .816 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .4 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 12 , , 21.5 , , .450 , , .429 , , .883 , , 3.5 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .4 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, 54 , , 4 , , 29.3 , , .434 , , .424 , , .852 , , 4.5 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , .6 , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 7 , , 25.7 , , .404 , , .395 , , .870 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .6 , , .2 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 0 , , 14.7 , , .351 , , .319 , , .933 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 22 , , 0 , , 13.9 , , .375 , , .360 , , .800 , , 2.5 , , .7 , , .3 , , .3 , , 5.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 387 , , 39 , , 19.1 , , .424 , , .398 , , .860 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .4 , , 8.2

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 13 , , 0 , , 8.6 , , .444 , , .400 , , .667 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .2 , , .3 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 16.4 , , .167 , , .188 , , .727 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .0 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 15.8 , , .333 , , .273 , , .600 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .2 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 4 , , 2 , , 26.5 , , .407 , , .348 , , 1.000 , , 2.8 , , .3 , , .3 , , .5 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 18 , , 0 , , 10.7 , , .400 , , .373 , , .833 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 45 , , 2 , , 12.7 , , .373 , , .339 , , .780 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 4.0

Euroleague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 1 , , 15.6 , , .282 , , .217 , , 1.000 , , 2.2 , , .5 , , .1 , , .1 , , 3.0 , , .6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: **AK Partizan, athletics ** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling ** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo **FK Partizan, association fo ...

, 10 , , 1 , , 20.0 , , .385 , , .471 , , .625 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 6.6 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , 4 , , 2 , , 21.9 , , .435 , , .435 , , .000 , , 3.8 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .5 , , 12.5 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Baskonia , 22 , , 18 , , 21.9 , , .381 , , .355 , , .853 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .2 , , .5 , , 11.0 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , 15 , , 8 , , 20.7 , , .514 , , .474 , , .905 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .4 , , .4 , , 7.9 , , 6.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 61 , , 30 , , 20.2 , , .400 , , .388 , , .824 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .4 , , .4 , , 8.3 , , 5.4

References

External links

Dāvis Bertāns
at aba-liga.com
Dāvis Bertāns
at acb.com

at fiba.com
Dāvis Bertāns
at euroleague.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertans, Davis 1992 births Living people ABA League players ASK Riga players Austin Spurs players Basketball League of Serbia players Dallas Mavericks players Indiana Pacers draft picks KK Partizan players KK Olimpija players Latvian men's basketball players Latvian expatriate basketball people in Serbia Latvian expatriate basketball people in Spain Latvian expatriate basketball people in the United States Liga ACB players National Basketball Association players from Latvia People from Valmiera People from Rūjiena Power forwards (basketball) San Antonio Spurs players Saski Baskonia players Small forwards Washington Wizards players