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09.10.2008
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  06.08.2004 - Udrih Gives Slovenia A Lift
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 Beno Udrih

Career: Polzela (Slovenia-Division 1B, 1997-99), Polzela (Slovenia-Division 1A, 1999-2000), Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia-Division 1A, 2000-02), Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel-Premier League, 2002-03), Saratov (Russia, SuperLeague, 2003-04), Milano (Italy-Lega, 2004), San Antonio Spurs (NBA, 2004-07). Selected in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft (#28), by the San Antonio Spurs


There are not many European basketball players wearing an NBA championship ring, but Beno Udrih is one of them after helping the San Antonio Spurs win the title in his rookie season. That year, he used the experience he gained by playing in Slovenia, Russia, Italy and Israel. But his next two seasons were a bit more of a struggle as he had some problems with injuries and lost some of Gregg Popovich's trust. "Pop" made him his third choice at point guard behind Parker and Jacques Vaughn but strangely enough, whenever he got opportunities, he grabbed them with both hands. Especially with his left hand, which he is comfortable using and makes him even more difficult to guard.  Strangely enough, the 25-year-old dominated against the man who starts ahead of him, Tony Parker, when they were playing at the U18 level (35 points to Parker’s 18 in an April 2000 showdown). As a result, Udrih was considered by many scouts to be an even bigger prospect than Parker.