Wayne Donald Brabender Cole (born October 16, 1945) is an American-born Spanish retired 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 ...
player and coach. He acquired Spanish citizenship in 1968,
relinquishing his U.S. citizenship to qualify for the
Spanish national team. At a height of 6'4" (1.93 m), he could play at either the
shooting guard or
small forward
The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...
positions. He was named one of
FIBA's 50 Greatest Players
FIBA's 50 Greatest Players (1991) is the list of the 50 greatest players in the history of FIBA international basketball, as selected in the year 1991, by FIBA Magazine. The list was created in honor of the 100th anniversary of the creation of the ...
in 1991. On February 3, 2008, Brabender was chosen as one of the
50 most influential personalities to European professional
club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises ...
basketball, over the previous half-century, by the
EuroLeague Basketball Experts Committee.
College career
Born in
Montevideo, Minnesota
Montevideo is a city in Chippewa County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,383 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chippewa County. The town's mayor is Erich Winter and the Council President is Nathan Schmidt.
The area ...
, Brabender played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at Willmar Junior College (now
Ridgewater College) and the
University of Minnesota Morris
The University of Minnesota Morris (UMN Morris) is a public liberal arts college in Morris, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and was founded in 1960 as a public, co-educational, residential liberal arts college offering ...
after a high school career at Milan High School.
Club playing career
Brabender was drafted by the
Philadelphia 76ers in the 14th round (145th overall) of the
1967 NBA Draft, though he never played in the
NBA. Brabender came to Spain in order to gain experience, and he ended up contributing to four
EuroLeague titles won by
Real Madrid in 1968, 1974, 1978, and 1980. With Real Madrid, he also won 13
Spanish League championships, 7
Spanish Cups, and 4
Intercontinental Cups.
National team playing career
Brabender played for the senior men's
Spain national basketball team
The Spain men's national basketball team ( es, Selección Española de Baloncesto) represents Spain in international basketball competitions. They are managed by the Spanish Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Spain. Spa ...
, and he won the silver medal at the
EuroBasket 1973
The 1973 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1973, was the eighteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe.
Venues
Group stage Group A – Badalona
Group B – Barcelona
Knocko ...
, where he was also named
the MVP of the tournament. He also played at the
EuroBasket 1971
The 1971 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1971, was the seventeenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe.
Venues
First round
Group A – Essen
Group B – Böblingen
Knock ...
, the
1972 Summer Olympic Games
The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...
, the
1974 FIBA World Championship
The 1974 FIBA World Championship was the 7th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974. The tournament was won by the Soviet Union.
Venues
Comp ...
,
EuroBasket 1975
The 1975 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1975, was the nineteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe.
Venues
First round Group A – Split
Group B – Karlovac
Group C ...
, the
1975 Mediterranean Games
The 1975 Mediterranean Games, officially known as the VII Mediterranean Games, and commonly known as Algiers 1975, were the 7th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Algiers, Algeria, from 23 August to 6 September 1975, where 2,444 athletes ...
,
EuroBasket 1977
The 1977 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1977, was the twentieth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe.
Venues
Group stage Group A – Liège
Group B – Ostend
...
,
EuroBasket 1979
The 1979 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1979, was the 21st FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Twelve national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entere ...
, the
1980 Summer Olympic Games
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...
(where Spain achieved 4th place),
EuroBasket 1981
The 1981 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1981, was the 22nd FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Czechoslovakia and took place from 26 May to 5 June 1981 ...
, and the
1982 FIBA World Championship.
See also
*
References
External links
Euroleague.net ProfileLeyendasBaloncestoRealMadrid.es
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brabender, Wayne
1945 births
Living people
American emigrants to Spain
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from Minnesota
Basketball players at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Basketball players from Minnesota
Competitors at the 1975 Mediterranean Games
Junior college men's basketball players in the United States
Liga ACB players
Mediterranean Games competitors for Spain
Minnesota Morris Cougars men's basketball players
Olympic basketball players of Spain
People from Montevideo, Minnesota
Philadelphia 76ers draft picks
Real Madrid Baloncesto players
Real Madrid basketball coaches
Shooting guards
Small forwards
Spanish basketball coaches
Spanish men's basketball players
1974 FIBA World Championship players
1982 FIBA World Championship players