Martin Müürsepp (; born 26 September 1974) is an Estonian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach and former player, who is the head coach of BC Rakvere Tarvas of the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League. Widely regarded as one of Estonia's greatest basketball players of all time, he is the only Estonian to have played in 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 St ...

(NBA).

Early life

Müürsepp was born in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

, to Hilja Volter, who worked in a barbecue restaurant, and Suido Müürsepp, a truck driver. He attended the Tallinn Secondary School No. 39, the Tallinn Secondary School No. 43, and the Tallinn Secondary School No. 49, leaving without graduating in 1991. Müürsepp started playing basketball when he was nine years old, under coach Andres Sõber. He made his

Korvpalli Meistriliiga The Korvpalli Meistriliiga ( en, Basketball Champions League), known as the OlyBet Korvpalli Meistriliiga for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier level and most important professional basketball league in Estonia. It is controlled by the Es ...

debut in 1990, at age 15, playing for TPedI. In the 1990–91 season, Müürsepp played with Andris of the II liiga, winning the

Estonian Cup The Estonian Cup ( et, Eesti Karikas) is the national knockout competition in Estonian football. In 2012, the competition was unofficially rebranded as Evald Tipner's Cup. The winner will compete in UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifyi ...

Professional career

Early years (1992–1996)

In 1992, Müürsepp moved to Sweden and joined Alviks BK of the Swedish Basketball League (SBL). In 1993, Müürsepp signed a 12-year, $5 million contract with the Israeli powerhouse

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 ...

. He subsequently played with Maccabi Tel Aviv's reserve team and

Hapoel Haifa Hapoel Haifa Football Club ( he, מועדון הכדורגל הפועל חיפה, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Haifa'') is an Israeli football club located in the city of Haifa. The club won one championship (1998–99) and 4 Israeli cups (1 ...

of the

Israel Basketball Super League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...

(IBSL). In 1995, he was loaned to Kalev of the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML). Müürsepp led Kalev to the Estonian league championship and the Estonian Cup, averaging 16.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game for the 1995–96 season.

Miami Heat (1996–1997)

On 26 June 1996, Müürsepp was selected with the 25th overall pick in the

1996 NBA draft The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball playe ...

by the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. The Jazz then traded him to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

for a 2000 first round draft pick. On 12 September 1996, Müürsepp signed a three-year, $1.8 million contract with the Heat. Müürsepp made his NBA debut on 21 December 1996 in a 86–66 away win over the Houston Rockets. He finished with 2 points, one rebound and one assist in one minute and 22 seconds during the fourth quarter. He averaged 1.7 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game in 10 games for the Heat.

Dallas Mavericks (1997–1998)

On 14 February 1997, the Heat traded Müürsepp,

Predrag Danilović Predrag "Saša" Danilović ( sr-cyr, Предраг "Саша" Даниловић, ; born February 26, 1970), usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilović, is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player, considered one of ...

and Kurt Thomas to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Jamal Mashburn. He made his debut for the Mavericks a day later, scoring 2 points in a 84–99 away loss to the Utah Jazz. In the 1996–97 season, Müürsepp averaged 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game for the Mavericks. He missed the first 14 games of the 1997–98 season with a foot injury. On 5 March 1998, Müürsepp scored a career-high 24 points in a 119–109 home win over the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. He appeared in 41 games (7 starts) during the 1997–98 season, averaging 5.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.7 steals in 14.7 minutes.

NBA lockout (1998–1999)

On 24 June 1998, the Mavericks traded Müürsepp,

Pat Garrity Patrick Joseph Garrity (born August 23, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played for ten years in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a member of the National Basketball Players Association Executive Comm ...

, Bubba Wells and a 1999 first round draft pick to the Phoenix Suns for Steve Nash. However, due to a lockout, the 1998–99 season did not start until 5 February 1999. During the lockout, Müürsepp made two appearances in the Estonian League, playing for Nybit. The

Estonian Basketball Association The Estonian Basketball Association ( et, Eesti Korvpalliliit) is the governing body of basketball in Estonia. It was founded in 1923, and joined FIBA in 1934. After 1940 though, they suspended operations due to being occupied by the Soviet Unio ...

was subsequently fined for allowing Müürsepp to play with a without prior permission from

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

. On 23 January 1999, the Suns traded Müürsepp, Mark Bryant, Bubba Wells and a 1999 first round draft pick to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

for

Luc Longley Lucien James Longley (born 19 January 1969) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player. He was the first Australian to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played for four teams over 10 seasons. Long ...

Greece (1999–2001)

On 1 February 1999, Müürsepp signed with

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...

of the

HEBA A1 The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

. In May 1999, he was suspended by the HEBA for three months for use of

ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is often used to prevent low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred treatment. It is of unclear benefit in ...

. On 15 July 1999, Müürsepp signed with

AEK A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelf ...

on a one-year, $700,000 contract with an option to extend for another season. Müürsepp helped AEK win the

FIBA Saporta Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA E ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

and two consecutive

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most ...

s in 2000 and 2001. AEK reached the

2000–01 Euroleague The 2000–01 Euroleague was the inaugural basketball season of the EuroLeague, under the newly formed Euroleague Basketball Company's authority, and it was the 44th season of the premier competition for European men's professional basketball cl ...

semifinals, where they were eliminated by Baskonia. In the Euroleague, he averaged 8.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game in 17 games.

Russia (2001–2006)

In September 2001, Müürsepp signed a one-year contract with

UNICS Kazan BC UNICS (russian: БК УНИКС) is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia, that plays in the VTB United League, and formerly played in the EuroLeague. On February 28, 2022, EuroLeague Basketball suspended the team because of the 202 ...

of the Superliga A. On 14 August 2002, Müürsepp signed with

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 ...

on a one-year contract. However, he left the club in November 2002 after they failed to pay his wages for the second consecutive month. In December 2002, Müürsepp signed with Ural Great Perm for the rest of the season. On 18 June 2003, Müürsepp re-signed with UNICS Kazan. He led Kazan to the

2003–04 FIBA Europe League The 2003–04 FIBA Europe League was the first season of the FIBA Europe League, the newly established third tier in European basketball. A total number of 30 teams participated in the competition, five of which were domestic champions. BC UNICS, ...

title and was named the Europe League Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP), scoring a game-high 22 points in 87–63 win over

Maroussi Marousi or Maroussi ( el, Μαρούσι, also Αμαρούσιο ''Amarousio'') is a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Marousi dates back to the era of the ancient Athenian Republic; its ancient name was Athmon ...

. On 17 June 2004, Müürsepp signed a one-year contract with Russian champions

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...

. In the 2004–05 season, he won the Russian championship and the Russian Cup. CSKA Moscow reached the 2005 Euroleague Final Four, losing 78–85 to Baskonia in the semifinal and 91–94 to Panathinaikos in the third place game. Over 24 Euroleague games, Müürsepp averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. On 11 July 2005, Müürsepp returned to UNICS Kazan for a second time, signing a one-year contract.

Late career (2006–2010)

On 27 June 2006, Müürsepp returned to Estonia by signing a one-year contract with

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

. He won his second Estonian championship in 2007. On 23 August 2007, Müürsepp signed a one-year contract with the Melbourne Tigers of the National Basketball League (NBL). He was released by the Tigers in December 2007 due to an ankle injury. On 28 February 2008, Müürsepp signed with Kalev/Cramo. He left Kalev/Cramo after the 2008–09 season without having played in an official game for the team. On 26 February 2010, Müürsepp joined Rakvere Tarvas, where he was reunited with Andres Sõber, his first coach. He retired after the 2009–10 season.

Coaching career

Müürsepp began his coaching career in August 2010 as an assistant coach for Kalev/Cramo under head coach

Aivar Kuusmaa Aivar Kuusmaa (born 12 June 1967) is an Estonian basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played mostly at the shooting guard position. He won the USSR Premier Basketball League in 1991 as a member of the Tallinn Kalev b ...

, a position he held for seven years. He won six Estonian championships ( 2011–

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

) and two Estonian Cups (2015, 2016) with Kalev/Cramo. In 2013, Müürsepp served as an assistant coach for the Belarus national team during the 2015 EuroBasket qualifying tournament. On 6 January 2018, Müürsepp became an assistant coach for Tallinna Kalev/TLÜ under head coach Gert Kullamäe. In January 2019, he became the head coach for Tallinna Kalev/TLÜ following Kullamäe's mid-season departure.

National team career

Müürsepp was a member of the Soviet Union junior national team that finished fifth at the 1991 European Championship for Cadets, averaging 10.6 points per game. He also represented the Estonia national junior team. Müürsepp began playing for the senior Estonian national team in 1993. He led Estonia at the 2001 European Championship, averaging 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game in three games. The team finished the tournament with a 0–3 record for 14th place. Müürsepp finished his national team career in 2007.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 10 , , 0 , , 2.9 , , .357 , , .250 , , .429 , , .5 , , .3 , , .0 , , .1 , , 1.7 , - , 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 ...

, 32 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .419 , , .150 , , .679 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .4 , , .3 , , 4.3 , - , align=left, , align=left,

, 41 , , 7 , , 14.7 , , .435 , , .421 , , .761 , , 2.8 , , .7 , , .7 , , .3 , , 5.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 83 , , 7 , , 11.5 , , .425 , , .323 , , .693 , , 2.2 , , .6 , , .5 , , .3 , , 4.7

Euroleague

, - , align="left" , 2000–01 , align="left" ,

, 17 , , 14 , , 21.5 , , .423 , , .235 , , .490 , , 4.9 , , .7 , , .9 , , .2 , , 8.6 , , 7.0 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , align="left" ,

, 24 , , 6 , , 17.5 , , .528 , , .462 , , .645 , , 3.3 , , .9 , , .7 , , .2 , , 8.0 , , 7.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 41 , , 20 , , 19.1 , , .475 , , .333 , , .575 , , 4.0 , , .8 , , .8 , , .2 , , 8.3 , , 7.4

Awards and accomplishments

Club career

;Andris *

winner: 1991 ;Kalev * Estonian League champion: 1996 *

winner: 1996 ;AEK *

champion:

* 2×

winner: 2000, 2001 ;UNICS Kazan * FIBA Europe League champion: 2004 ;CSKA Moscow * Russian League champion: 2005 * Russian Cup winner: 2005 ;University of Tartu * Estonian League champion: 2007

Individual

* FIBA Europe League Finals Most Valuable Player: 2004 * 4× Estonian Player of the Year: 1996, 2001, 2004, 2005

References

External links

Martin Müürsepp
at fiba.com
Martin Müürsepp
at basket.ee
Martin Müürsepp
at euroleague.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Muursepp, Martin 1974 births Living people AEK B.C. players Aris B.C. players BC Dynamo Moscow players BC Kalev/Cramo players BC Rakvere Tarvas players BC UNICS players Centers (basketball) Dallas Mavericks players Estonian basketball coaches Estonian expatriate basketball people in Australia Estonian expatriate basketball people in Belarus Estonian expatriate basketball people in Greece Estonian expatriate basketball people in Israel Estonian expatriate basketball people in Russia Estonian expatriate basketball people in Sweden Estonian expatriate basketball people in the United States Estonian men's basketball players Greek Basket League players Korvpalli Meistriliiga players Melbourne Tigers players Miami Heat players PBC CSKA Moscow players PBC Ural Great players Power forwards (basketball) Basketball players from Tallinn Tartu Ülikool/Rock players Utah Jazz draft picks KK Kalev players Alviks BK players