Alexander Belov Soviet basketball player Date of Birth: 09.11.1951 Country: Russia

1. Alexander Belov: Soviet Basketball Player
2. Personal Life and Scandal
3. Illness and Death

Alexander Belov: Soviet Basketball Player

Alexander Belov was born on November 9, 1951. He started playing basketball in his school years and soon became a part of the main team of Leningrad's "Spartak". In the late 1960s, he won the Cup of Cup Winners with the team. His fame came in 1972 at the Munich Olympics. In the final match of the tournament, the USSR national team faced off against the United States. The match was intense, and with half a minute left, the score was 49-48 in favor of the USSR. The ball was passed to Belov, who was under the American's basket. He attempted a shot, but it hit the rim. However, the ball bounced back into Belov's hands, giving him another chance. Instead of shooting again, he passed the ball to his teammate, who failed to catch it. The American player Collins grabbed the ball and scored, leading to the USSR's defeat. Despite this, Belov's last-second shot became legendary and brought him fantastic fame.

In 1974, Belov was recognized as the best center at the World Championship. The following year, he became the country's champion, and another year later, he became the world champion. At the 1976 Montreal Olympics, he won a bronze medal. However, after the Olympics, Belov's health began to deteriorate. He constantly complained to his coach about chest pains, and in every match, the coach allowed him a minute or two to rest on the bench. At the end of 1977, his health rapidly deteriorated due to a scandalous incident.

Personal Life and Scandal

Despite his remarkable success in his sports career, Belov's personal life initially did not go so well. He was in a relationship with a woman he loved and even planned to marry her. However, she decided to have an abortion without informing him. When he found out, he made the difficult decision to end the relationship. Shortly after, in the spring of 1976, Belov found new love.

Alexandra Ovchinnikova, a young basketball player, had been in love with Belov for two years, but he couldn't respond to her feelings at the time because he was still with his first fiancée. However, after they broke up, he pursued a relationship with Ovchinnikova. They got married in April 1977.

After the Montreal Olympics, Belov's health began to deteriorate even more. He constantly complained about chest pains to his coach, who allowed him extra rest during matches to ease his suffering. In late 1977, Belov's health rapidly worsened due to a scandalous incident.

It was no longer a secret that many Soviet athletes, traveling abroad, would bring coveted goods that were scarce for Western buyers, such as caviar or vodka, and exchange them for items in short supply in their country, such as audio and video equipment, clothes, and shoes. In the ill-fated trip of Leningrad's "Spartak" to Italy, the players decided to entrust Belov with the contraband. Unbeknownst to him, the bag this time contained icons, not the usual goods. When Belov went through customs, his bag was unexpectedly checked, and the customs officers found the icons.

Later, it was revealed that this was not a coincidence. One of his teammates, who had hoped to be a starter on the team and saw Belov as an obstacle, orchestrated the whole thing. He reported that Belov had prohibited items in his bag. The scandal was blown out of proportion, and Belov was stripped of his titles, scholarships, and expelled from the national team and "Spartak". He was even forbidden to train. After this, Alexander's heart condition worsened, and he began to drink heavily.

Illness and Death

In August 1978, Belov was invited back to the national team, which was training in Talsi, Latvia, in preparation for the World Championship in the Philippines. According to eyewitnesses, the whole team enthusiastically welcomed Belov, even those players he was expected to replace in the team. It seemed that justice had triumphed, and new victories were not far away. However...

Just a few days after starting training, Belov began to feel unwell. Doctors examined him and diagnosed him with poisoning. He was sent to an infectious hospital, where the doctors prescribed him injections. However, the injections unexpectedly caused heart problems. He was soon transferred to the Institute of Advanced Medical Studies in Leningrad.

A group of renowned professors treated the famous athlete and determined the cause of his illness: calcification of the heart muscle. It was an incurable disease, and the doctors were well aware of it. According to one version, Belov himself knew about it but never showed it. His coach, Vladimir Kondrashin, even tried to find a doctor in the United States who could cure his talented student, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

Ironically, Belov died in the same institute where his father had passed away a few years earlier. He even lay on the same bed where his father spent his last moments.

Alexandra Ovchinnikova lived alone for several years after her husband's death. She later remarried and gave birth to a daughter named Polina. However, their relationship later deteriorated, and they divorced. Belov's mother, Maria Dmitrievna, considers Polina her granddaughter and helps raise her.