John Holden Russian and American basketball player. Date of Birth: 10.08.1976 Country: USA

1. Biography of John Holden
2. Early Career
3. European Career
4. CSKA Moscow and International Career
5. Awards and Honors

Biography of John Holden

John Holden is a Russian and American professional basketball player who played as a point guard. He earned the title of Honored Master of Sports of Russia in 2007. Holden spent four years at Bucknell University, where he played for the university's basketball team, the "Bucknell Bison." In his final two seasons, he averaged 17.8 and 18.1 points per game in the college championship.

Early Career

During the NBA Draft in 1998, Holden was not selected by any team. However, soon after, a Finnish agent arranged a tryout for him with the Riga club "Broceni" in Latvia. He signed a contract with the club, earning a modest salary of $400 per week. Holden admitted that initially, he couldn't even locate Latvia on a map and knew nothing about the country. His fellow countryman Larry Daniels, who also played for "Broceni," helped him settle in Riga. Holden performed well in his only season with the Riga club, helping them win the Latvian championship once again.

European Career

In 1999, Holden moved to the Belgian club "Telindus Oostende," where he played for two seasons. During the 2000/2001 season, his club faced the Belgrade-based team "Partizan" in the SuproLeague, and Holden caught the attention of Vlade Divac, who played for the NBA's Sacramento Kings but was also the president of "Partizan." Divac offered Holden a contract to join the Belgrade club, but the transfer did not materialize. While in Belgium, Holden became a national champion and won the national cup before leaving "Oostende" in the summer of 2001.

Holden's next European club was AEK Athens. Coach Dragan Sakota recalled that Holden was just one of the candidates for the team, but he was considered the most valuable acquisition due to his incredible speed and fighting spirit, which compensated for his lack of accuracy in long-distance shots and fewer assists. In the 2001/2002 season, AEK, with Holden on the team, managed to break the long-standing dominance of "Panathinaikos" and win the Greek championship.

CSKA Moscow and International Career

In 2002, four years after moving to Europe, Holden signed a multi-million dollar contract with CSKA Moscow. In his first season, he helped his new club reach the EuroLeague Final Four. Over the next seven years, CSKA, with Holden on the team, consistently reached this stage and won the main basketball tournament in Europe twice. On June 16, 2011, after winning another Russian championship, Holden announced his retirement.

Holden also represented the Russian national basketball team, becoming the first black player to do so. He played for Russia in the European Championships in 2005 and 2007 and the 2008 Olympic Games. On September 16, 2007, he scored the decisive two points in the final match of the 2007 European Championship against Spain, securing the title for Russia.

Awards and Honors

Holden received the title of Honored Master of Sports of Russia and was awarded the Order of Friendship on March 16, 2007, for his significant contribution to the development of physical culture and sports and his outstanding athletic achievements.