Elena Viktorovna Baranova (russian: Елена Викторовна Баранова; born 28 January 1972) is a Russian former 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. She is a former

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA) player, where she became the first player from Europe in 1997 WNBA inaugural season, the first All-Star from Russia in 2001 and played for the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was f ...

until the 2005 season.

Career

Baranova was born in the

Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic The Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic (Kirghiz SSR; ky, Кыргыз Советтик Социалисттик Республикасы, Kyrgyz Sovettik Sotsialisttik Respublikasy, ky, Кыргыз ССР, Kyrgyz SSR, russian: Киргизск ...

. She started playing professional basketball at age 16, was included to the Soviet national team at the age of 17, won European Championship at the age of 19 in 1991, and became the Olympic champion at the age of 20 in 1992.

WNBA

Baranova was assigned to the

Utah Starzz Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its we ...

on 22 January 1997. She was later traded with Utah's second-round pick in the 2000 WNBA Draft to the

Miami Sol The Miami Sol were a professional women's basketball team that was based in Miami and entered the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2000. They played their games at American Airlines Arena as the sister team to the Miami Heat of the ...

in exchange for Kate Starbird and the 8th pick in the 2000 WNBA Draft (15 December 1999). She was taken in the 2003 WNBA

Dispersal draft A dispersal draft is a process in professional sports for assigning players to a new team when their current team ceases to exist or is merged with another team. Like most other sports drafts, most dispersal drafts are conducted in North America. ...

by the

. In January 1997, Baranova was selected among world's 16 top players to play in the inaugural WNBA season and in the first and inaugural WNBA championship. So the league was created and she became the first player from Russia and even from Europe to play in the World's Top Women's Basketball League. Also known as 'Russian Queen' and 'SuperNova', Elena shined in 7 WNBA seasons during 1997–2005: 3 for Utah Starzz, 1 for Miami Sol and 3 for New York Liberty. She took part in 220 games where she scored 2,215 points, leading her teams to the Conference Semifinals (2001, 2005) and Conference Final (2004) and proved her name and reputation as one of the best in Pro Basketball Women. In her first WNBA season she led the League in blocked shots (2,25 blocks per game) and set the League's single-game record for three-point field goals with 7 of 9 recorded 22 July 1997 at Madison Square Garden, New York. In 2001 WNBA season she got 'The Bud Light Shooting Champion' trophy as the League's top free-throw shooter (with 93,1%). The same 2001 season she was selected to play in WNBA All-Star Game in Orlando to become the only player from Russia to represent her country at the All-Star Weekend, where she set WNBA All-Star Game record for blocked shots (4). As one of the League's most versatile weapons, Elena is one of just 2 players in WNBA All-Time History to record over 200 three-point field goals (with 236) and 300 blocks (with 320). Although she performed just in 7 of WNBA's 12 seasons, Elena is still in the list of the League's best players of All-Time: 7th in blocks (320), 7th in blocks per game (1.53), 12th in 3-point field goal percentage (.391), 14th in rebounds per game (6.4), 17th in free-throw percentage (.845).

International

Baranova's scoring and rebounding ability helped the Soviet national team to win gold medals at the 1991 European Championship and 1992 Olympics. She has played in 105 games for her National team (which is Russia all-time record for men and women), in which she scored over 1300 points representing her country at three Olympic Games (1992, 1996, 2004), two World championships (''1998, 2002'') and seven European Championships (''1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003''). At last 3 events she appeared as the captain of Russian national team (2002 World championship, 2003 European championship, 2004 Olympic Games). At 1998 World championship where Elena led Russia to silver medals she was awarded by MVP (Most Valuable Player) prize and in 2002 World championship (where she also brought Russians to become the vice-champions) Elena Baranova was selected to the World's Top 5 Team. 1991 European Champion as a member of USSR team (the last competition where USSR team took part), Elena led her country to the first Russian Gold medals in basketball at 2003 European Championship, where she also was selected to Europe 'Top 5 Team'.

Achievements

Europe: 22 seasons, over 650 games, over 12,000 points, over 6,000 rebounds
Stroitel Frounze (''USSR, 1988–1989''),

Dynamo Moscow MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...

(''USSR, 1989–1992''), Elitzur Holon (''

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, 1992–1994''), CSKA Moscow (''

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, 1994–1999''), Bison Mytischi (''Russia, 1999''), Fenerbahçe Istanbul (''

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, 1999–2000''), Villa Pini Chieti (''

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, 2000–2001''),

UMMC Ekaterinburg BC Ekaterinburg (russian: БК «УГМК») is a Russian women's basketball team based in Yekaterinburg competing in the Russian Premier League, and until February 2022 in FIBA Europe's EuroLeague Women. In reaction to the 2022 Russian inv ...

(''Russia, 2001–2003''), Dynamo Moscow (''Russia, 2004–2005''), Chevakata Vologda (''Russia, 2006–2007''),

Ros Casares Valencia Ros Casares Godella was a professional women's basketball team based in Godella, Spain. It played in the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto between 1996 and 2012, when it resigned to play in EuroLeague and Spanish League. It continued playing in Primera ...

(''

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, 2007–2008''), UMMC Ekaterinburg (''Russia, 2008–2009''), Nadezhda Orenburg (''Russia, 2009–2011''), Chevakata Vologda (''Russia, 2011–2012''). WNBA: 7 seasons, 220 games (178 started), 2,215 points, 1,403 rebounds

(''1997, 1998, 1999''),

(''2001''),

(''2003, 2004, 2005''). Other achievements *1997 Ronchetti Cup Champion (with CSKA Moscow). *1998 European Player of The Year. *In 1999 Baranova played four men's basketball games for Bison Mytischi in the

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally "under Moscow"), is a federal subject of Rus ...

championships. She averaged 6.3 points, 6.25 rebounds and 2.75 blocks. By the end of the same 1999 year was selected as 'The Best Russian Basketball Player of 20th century' voted by the most popular Russian newspaper 'Sport-Express' readers. *2003 EuroLeague Women Champion (with

) and Final Four MVP. *2010 FIBA Cup Finalist (with Nadezhda Orenburg). *6-times Champion of Russia (the only in Russian Women's Basketball) and Russian Cup winner, 2-times Champion of Israel and Israel Cup winner, Vice-Champion of Turkey and Turkish Cup winner, Champion of Spain and Spanish Cup and SuperCup winner.

Career statistics

WNBA

Source

Regular season

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

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

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

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, style="background:#D3D3D3", 28° , , 27 , , 32.6 , , .390 , , .377 , , .694 , , 7.4 , , 2.2 , , 1.5 , , 2.3 , , 2.9 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

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

, 20 , , 19 , , 33.6 , , .420 , , .313 , , .831 , , 9.3 , , 3.5 , , 1.1 , , 1.5 , , 2.8 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

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

, 29 , , 19 , , 19.7 , , .405 , , .417 , , .805 , , 3.4 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , .8 , , 1.5 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

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

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, style="background:#D3D3D3", 32° , , 30 , , 30.8 , , .427 , , .375 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", .930° , , 6.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.9 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

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

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 33 , , 7 , , 25.8 , , .416 , , .363 , , .886 , , 5.5 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 1.3 , , 1.9 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

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

, style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , 33 , , 30.8 , , .463 , , .461 , , .925 , , 7.2 , , 2.0 , , 1.1 , , 1.7 , , 2.4 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

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

, 33 , , 33 , , 28.9 , , .441 , , .388 , , .855 , , 6.9 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , 1.4 , , 1.8 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 7 years, 3 teams , 209 , , 168 , , 28.7 , , .424 , , .391 , , .845 , , 6.4 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , 2.1 , , 10.1

Playoffs

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

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

, 3 , , 3 , , 35.0 , , .455 , , .545 , , .727 , , 6.0 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .7 , , 3.0 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 5 , , 5 , , 30.8 , , .395 , , .308 , , .800 , , 6.8 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , 1.8 , , 2.4 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 2 , , 2 , , 29.5 , , .300 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 3 years, 2 teams , 10 , , 10 , , 31.8 , , .407 , , .407 , , .783 , , 6.0 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , 1.3 , , 2.2 , , 9.5 , -

References

External links

Official website

WNBA Player Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baranova, Elena 1972 births Living people Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Russian expatriate basketball people in Israel Fenerbahçe women's basketball players Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Miami Sol players New York Liberty players Olympic basketball players of Russia Olympic basketball players of the Unified Team Olympic bronze medalists for Russia Olympic gold medalists for the Unified Team Olympic medalists in basketball Power forwards (basketball) Russian expatriate basketball people in Italy Russian expatriate basketball people in Spain Russian expatriate basketball people in Turkey Russian expatriate basketball people in the United States Russian women's basketball players Kyrgyzstani women's basketball players Soviet women's basketball players Sportspeople from Bishkek Utah Starzz players Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars