Pétur Karl Guðmundsson (born 30 October 1958) is an Icelandic 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 (appro ...

player and coach. Standing , weighing and playing the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

position, Pétur was the first Icelander and one of the first European players ever to play in the

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

(NBA). Often described as the greatest Icelandic basketball player of all time, he was named the Icelandic Basketball Player of the 20th century by the

Icelandic Basketball Association The Icelandic Basketball Association (''Icelandic:Körfuknattleikssamband Íslands - KKÍ'') is the national governing body of basketball in Iceland and is a member of the continental association FIBA Europe and the global International Basketbal ...

in 2001, and in 2015, he was inducted in to the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland Hall of Fame. Pétur was also a member of the

Icelandic national basketball team The Iceland men's national basketball team () represents Iceland in international basketball tournaments. The team is controlled by the Icelandic Basketball Association. Iceland has qualified for the EuroBasket three times in their history, wit ...

from 1978 to 1992 but missed several years of competition due to

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...

rules banning professional players from playing for national teams.

Early life

Pétur was born and raised in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

to an Icelandic father and a Faroese mother. He started practicing

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

at the age of 8 with Valur's junior teams but after breaking his right arm in a horse riding accident, which affected his ability to throw the ball with power, he turned to basketball at the behest of former national team player Sigurður Helgason. At the age of 12, he was 185 cm tall. Due to his size and skills, he was selected to the Icelandic junior national teams where he was noticed by

Marv Harshman Marvel Keith Harshman (October 4, 1917 – April 12, 2013) was an American college basketball coach. He served as a head coach for 41 years in the state of Washington at Pacific Lutheran University, Washington State University, and the Universit ...

, the head coach at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. Harshman arranged for Pétur to move to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and join

Mercer Island High School Mercer Island High School (MIHS) is a public high school located in Mercer Island, Washington, United States, as part of the Mercer Island School District. As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,524 students and 7 ...

at the age of 16.

Playing career

High school career

Pétur attended

from 1975 to 1977. He missed several games during his first year due to

anemia Anemia (also spelt anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin availabl ...

and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

and played limited minutes in several others but managed to average around 15 points per game. During his senior year, he averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds and was an All-State selection.

College career

Pétur played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

at the

from 1977 to 1980. His best season came in 1978–1979, when he averaged 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. On 8 February 1979, he scored a college career-high 37 points in a win against

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. On 22 February 1979, he led the Huskies with 17 points in an upset win against top-ranked

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

. In 81 career games for Washington, Pétur averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Club career

Leaving college (1980–1981)

After his third college season, Pétur signed with

Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city's estuary, Río de la Plata. ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

during the summer of 1980. Of his stay there, he said "In Argentina we really had no coaching; the refs were terrible; crowds were small but sometimes violent. They wouldn't even start a game down there unless the military was standing by." After the season ended in Argentina in November, Pétur briefly joined KR and played with the team in an unofficial continental tournament in England. Despite KR's heavy interest in signing him for the rest of the Úrvalsdeild karla season, Pétur signed with Valur at the end of December 1980. On 5 March 1981, he helped Valur win the Icelandic Cup after scoring a team high 20 points in a 90–84 victory against

Njarðvík Njarðvík () is a town in southwestern Iceland, on the peninsula of Reykjanes. As of 2009, its population was 4,400. History In 1995 it merged with the town of Keflavík and the village of Hafnir to form the new municipality of Reykjanesbær. ...

in the Cup finals. In 7 Úrvalsdeild games for Valur, Pétur averaged 16.7 points per game.

Drafted to the NBA (1981–1982)

Pétur was selected in the third round of the

1981 NBA draft The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual NBA draft, draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 NBA season, 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the NBA ...

by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

, for whom he played during the 1981–82 season. On 19 March 1982, he scored a season high 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a victory against 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 Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

. In 68 games for the Trail Blazers, he averaged 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds. He returned to the Blazers ahead of the 1982–83 season but did not make the 12-man roster following the preseason.

Back in Iceland (1982–1984)

After initially reaching an agreement to play in Italy for

Fabriano Basket Fabriano Basket was an Italian professional basketball club based in Fabriano, Marche. Established in 1966, it played in the professional first and second divisions from 1979 to 2008, the side disappeared in June 2008 when it sold its right to p ...

as an injury replacement for their American player, Pétur returned to Iceland and joined

Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur (, ), commonly known as ÍR, is an Icelandic multi-sport club, based in the suburb of Breiðholt in Reykjavík. It has teams in football, handball, basketball, athletics, tenpin bowling, skiing, karate, taekwondo and ...

in November 1982 after the injured player recovered quicker than expected. Prior to his arrival, ÍR was last in the league, having lost all 6 games. With Pétur, the team won 9 of its last 14 games, finishing third in the league, and made it to the Cup finals where it lost to Valur, 75–78, despite Pétur's game high 27 points. In 14 Úrvalsdeild games, Pétur averaged 28.0 points per game. In August 1983, the Blazers traded his rights to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in exchange for a 1984 third-round draft pick. He was waived by the Pistons on 25 October 1983, prior to the start of the season. In January 1984, Pétur returned to ÍR as a player-coach. At the time of his arrival, ÍR was dead last in the Úrvalsdeild with only two victories in its first 11 games. Behind stellar play of Pétur, who averaged 26.6 points per game, the team won seven of its remaining nine games, but missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker.

Season in England (1984–1985)

In October 1984, Pétur signed with the Sunderland Maestros for the

1984–85 National Basketball League season The 1984–85 Carlsberg National Basketball League season was the thirteenth season of the National Basketball League formed in 1972. The league was sponsored by Carlsberg Group, Carlsberg and the Kingston Kings completed a League & Cup double but ...

. On 12 November 1984, he scored 44 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in an 89–76 victory against Liverpool. Sunderland finished the season in 9th place but missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker.

Back to the USA and second NBA stint (1985–1990)

In September 1985, Pétur signed with the

Tampa Bay Thrillers The Tampa Bay Thrillers were a franchise in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1984–1987. They won back-to-back championships in 1984–85 and 1985–86. At the end of the 1986–87 CBA regular season the team relocated to Rapi ...

of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

. In 1986, Pétur was set to play for the CBA's Kansas City Sizzlers but was denied a work permit by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. On 19 March 1986, Pétur signed a 10-day contract with the

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

as a free agent. In his first game, he posted 14 points in 20 minutes in a victory against 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. After 10 days, he received another 10-day contract, and then was signed for the rest of the season. In 8 regular season games, he averaged 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds. In the summer of 1986, Pétur signed a 2-year contract extension with the Lakers. Prior to the season, during training camp, he suffered a back injury that was later diagnosed as a

slipped disc A disc herniation or spinal disc herniation is an injury to the intervertebral disc between two vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, ...

and eventually required surgery. While recovering, he was traded to the

along with

Frank Brickowski Francis Anthony Brickowski (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, who started his career playing 3 seasons overseas before playing 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). College and overse ...

, two draft picks and an undisclosed amount of money in exchange for

Mychal Thompson Mychal George Thompson (born January 30, 1955) is a Bahamian sports commentator and former professional basketball player. The top overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Thompson played the center position for the University of Minnesota and cen ...

on 13 February 1987. He appeared in a career high 69 games, including 9 starts, during the 1987–88 season. On 28 November 1987, Pétur scored an NBA career high 21 points against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. After being one of eight Spurs players protected in the 1988 NBA expansion draft, Pétur started the first game of the 1988–89 season, a 122–107 victory against his former team Lakers, where he scored 7 points in 21 minutes. He was again in the starting lineup during the second game of the season but suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter that required surgery. He returned to the court a month later, but struggled as the knee had not fully healed. The injury eventually forced him to miss the rest of the season. During the summer of 1989, Pétur joined the Lakers' summer league team but suffered an Achilles injury in practice before the season started. Later tests revealed a partial tear in his

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

. In October 1989, he signed a training camp contract with the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

. He was waived before the season's start. Pétur played with the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team has played its home games in the Sanford Pentagon since the 2013–14 ...

from January to March 1990, where he averaged 5.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in 22 appearances.

Return to the Úrvalsdeild and final stint in the USA (1990–1992)

In October 1990, Pétur returned to the Úrvalsdeild karla for the first time in six years and signed with Tindastóll for a reported 2.3 million ISK salary for the season. Tindastóll had a strong start, winning 12 of its first 14 games. In January, Pétur suffered an Achilles sprain and missed 7 games, 6 of which were losses. Due to Pétur's injury, Tindastóll's play faded in the second half of the season and the team lost 9 of its last 12 games, ending with a 15–11 record and finishing fifth, two victories out of the playoffs. For the season, Pétur averaged 19.5 points and 12.7 rebounds while shooting 69.4% from the field. In August 1991, Pétur signed a training camp contract with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. He was waived in October 1991, prior to the start of the season. The same month, he again signed with the

. In 4 games for the Skyforce, Pétur averaged 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. On 20 November, Pétur left the Skyforce and signed back with Tindastóll. Tindastóll had started the season poorly, with two victories in their first six games. After losing three of their first four games with Pétur, the team bounced back with three wins in a row. After a loss against KR on 5 January 1992, Tindastóll went on an 11-win run before losing to Skallagrímur in the last game of the season. The loss, along with a KR win on the same day, meant that Tindastóll missed out on the playoffs again. In 20 games for Tindastóll, Pétur averaged 20.0 points and 13.7 rebounds per game.

Final season and retirement (1992–1993)

After contemplating retirement due to a back injury, Pétur signed with a recently promoted Breiðablik in August 1992. In December 1992, with Breiðablik in last place, Pétur left the team for personal reasons. In 13 games, Pétur averaged 20.3 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. In January 1993, Pétur announced that he intended to join Valur for the rest of the season and end his career where it started. His transfer request was rejected by the

, as transfers between Icelandic teams between 16 December and 15 February were only allowed under special circumstances.

National team career

In his youth, Pétur played 24 games for the Iceland junior national teams. Between 1978 and 1992, he played 53 games for the Icelandic senior national team. Due to

rules banning professional players from playing for national teams, he was unable to play with the Icelandic national team for several years until the ban was lifted in 1989.

Coaching career

After failing to receive a playing contract in the United States, Pétur signed as a player-coach for ÍR in January 1984. At the time of his arrival, ÍR was dead last in the Úrvalsdeild with only two victories in the first 11 games. With Pétur at the helm, the team won seven of its remaining nine games but missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. In June 1993, Pétur was hired as the head coach of Valur, where he also intended to play. In August 1993, prior to the start of the season, he resigned from his post for personal reasons and moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Pétur returned to Valur in June 2000 and signed a three-year contract to coach the joint team of Valur/

Fjölnir Fjölnir ( ) is a List of legendary kings of Sweden, legendary king in Norse mythology said to have been the son of Freyr (Frey) and his consort Gerðr (Gertha). The name appears in a variety of forms, including Fiolnir, Fjölner, Fjolner, and F ...

in the Úrvalsdeild karla. He was fired at the end of October 2000, after four losses in the first five games. The following, Pétur was hired as the head coach of the

Kongsberg Penguins Basketligaen Norge, better known as BLNO, is a professional men's basketball league in Norway. It was established in 2000 following the rebranding of the former premier division Hovedserien (1974–2000). The competition is organised by the Norweg ...

ahead of the 2001–2002

BLNO Basketligaen Norge, better known as BLNO, is a professional men's basketball league in Norway. It was established in 2000 following the rebranding of the former premier division Hovedserien (1974–2000). The competition is organised by the Norweg ...

season. He led the team to 12 wins in 18 games during the regular season. In the playoffs, the Penguins reached the BLNO finals after defeating the

Oslo Kings Basketligaen Norge, better known as BLNO, is a professional men's basketball league in Norway. It was established in 2000 following the rebranding of the former premier division Hovedserien (1974–2000). The competition is organised by the Norweg ...

in the semi-finals 3–2. In the finals, the Penguins lost to the Asker Aliens, 3–0. He left the team after the season following a disagreement with the board. On 4 September 2002, Pétur was hired as the head coach and general manager of

Þór Akureyri Íþróttafélagið Þór (, ), commonly known as Þór Akureyri (), or simply Þór or Thór, is a multi-sport club in Akureyri, in the north of Iceland. It features departments in basketball, football, handball and taekwondo. Its main rival is ...

. On 17 September, he resigned due to the team's poor financial situation. A week later, Þór withdrew its team from the Úrvalsdeild. During the 2003–2004 season, Pétur coached

Grindavík Grindavík () is a fishing town in the Southern Peninsula district of Iceland, not far from Þorbjörn, a tuya (a type of flat-topped, steep-sided volcano). It is one of the few towns with a harbour on this coast. Most of the inhabitants work ...

in the Úrvalsdeild kvenna. After a poor start, the team finished strong and made the playoffs, where it was knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual champions

Keflavík Keflavík (pronounced , meaning ''Driftwood Bay'') is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. It is included in the municipality of Reykjanesbær whose population as of 2016 is 15,129. In 1995, Keflavík merged with nearby Njar ...

. In January 2004, he was selected as the head coach of Team

Suðurnes Southern Peninsula (, ) is an administrative unit and part of Reykjanesskagi (pronounced ), or Reykjanes Peninsula, a region in southwest Iceland. It was named after Reykjanes, the southwestern tip of Reykjanesskagi. The region has a populatio ...

in the Icelandic Women's All-Star Game. His team won the game against Team

99–78. He was released from his contract with Grindavík at his own request following the season.

Coaching record

Career statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, 68 , , 6 , , 12.4 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , .684 , , 2.7 , , .9 , , .2 , , .4 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 8 , , 2 , , 16.0 , , .541 , , – , , .667 , , 4.8 , , .4 , , .4 , , .5 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 69 , , 9 , , 14.7 , , .496 , , .000 , , .807 , , 4.7 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .9 , , 5.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 3 , , 14.0 , , .360 , , – , , .750 , , 3.2 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .2 , , 4.2 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 150 , , 20 , , 13.7 , , .494 , , .500 , , .754 , , 3.8 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .6 , , 4.6

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

, align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 12 , , 0 , , 9.3 , , .593 , , .000 , , .667 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.5 , - , align="left" ,

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

, align="left" ,

, 2 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .000 , , – , , – , , .0 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 14 , , 0 , , 8.4 , , .552 , , .000 , , .667 , , 1.9 , , .3 , , .2 , , .3 , , 3.0

Úrvalsdeild karla

Source

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1980–81 , align="left" , Valur , 7 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , .636 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , 16.7 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" , ÍR , 14 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , .720 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , 28.0 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" , ÍR , 9 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , .750 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , 26.6 , - , align="left" , 1990–91 , align="left" , Tindastóll , 19 , , - , , - , , .692 , , 1.000 , , .701 , , 12.7 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , - , , 19.5 , - , align="left" , 1991–92 , align="left" , Tindastóll , 20 , , - , , - , , .678 , , .500 , , .805 , , 13.7 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , - , , 20.0 , - , align="left" , 1992–93 , align="left" , Breiðablik , 13 , , - , , - , , .615 , , 1.000 , , .651 , , 14.5 , , 3.1 , , 1.6 , , - , , 20.3 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 82 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , .725 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , 21.7

Awards and accomplishments

Team of the 20th century

In 2001 Pétur was voted the Icelandic basketball Player of the Century and as one of the twelve players on the Icelandic Team of the 20th Century.

Club honours

* Icelandic Basketball Cup (1): 1981

Individual awards

* Icelandic Player of the 20th Century * Icelandic Team of the 20th Century * National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland Hall of Fame: 2015 * Úrvalsdeild Domestic Player of the Year (1): 1983 * Úrvalsdeild Domestic All-First Team (1): 1992

Notes

External links

Úrvalsdeild statistics
at

College statistics
at

Sports Reference Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey ...