Brenton Joe Birmingham (born November 29, 1972) is an American and Icelandic former professional basketball player who for the majority of his career played in the Úrvalsdeild karla.[2] He won the Icelandic championship three times[3] and was voted the Icelandic Basketball Player of the Year in 2006[4] and Úrvalsdeild domestic player of the year in 2007.[5]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | November 29, 1972 New York, United States | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American / Icelandic | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 92 kg (203 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| College | Brooklyn (1990–1992) Manhattan (1992–1994) | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1995 1998–2016 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Guard | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1994–1998 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Tapiolan Honka | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Njarðvík | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Grindavík | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Njarðvík | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Rueil Pro Basket | ||||||||||||||
| 2003 | London Towers | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2008 | Njarðvík | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Grindavík | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Njarðvík | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2016 | Njarðvík-b | ||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||
| 1994–1998 | Manhattan College (assistant)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Basketball
editCollege career
editBirmingham started his college career with Brooklyn College but after it announced it was abandoning its basketball program in the spring of 1992, he transferred to Manhattan College.[6] In two seasons with the Jaspers he averaged 13.4 points per game.[7] He was elected to the Jaspers' Hall of Fame in 2010.[8]
Club career
editBirmingham started his professional career in 1995, when he was a late-season addition to Korisliiga club Tapiolan Honka. In 5 games for Honka, he averaged 22.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He spent the majority of his career in the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild karla with Njarðvík and Grindavík, but also played for Rueil Pro Basket in France and the London Towers in England.[9] He twice posted a quadruple-double in the Úrvalsdeild playoffs. On 16 March 2020, Birmingham had 17 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals for Grindavík in a first round victory against Keflavík.[10] A year later, on 17 April 2001, he had 28 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and 11 steals in the championship clinching victory against Tindastóll in the Úrvalsdeild finals.[11][12]
Icelandic national team
editBirmingham played 19 games for the Icelandic National Basketball team between 2002 and 2007.[13] In 2007, he helped Iceland winning gold in basketball at the Games of the Small States of Europe.[14]
Acting career
editIn the late nineties, Birmingham auditioned for He got game. In 1999, he appeared in Game Day, starring Richard Lewis.[3]
Personal life
editBirmingham lives in Njarðvík in southwestern Iceland with his wife and four children, and works as an air traffic controller at Keflavík Airport.[2]
References
edit- ^ Birmingham lands in Jaspers' Hall of Fame
- ^ a b Edda Sif Pálsdóttir (November 26, 2018). "Frá New York til Njarðvíkur". RÚV. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
- ^ a b "Íslendingur með bandarískt vegabréf". Víkurfréttir (in Icelandic). 25 December 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ Brenton og Helena leikmenn ársins hjá KKÍ
- ^ Brenton og Helena best
- ^ "Seton Hall Is Taught Humility By Rider". The New York Times. December 2, 1992. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ "Brenton Birmingham". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ Patel, Ronak (November 12, 2010). "Birmingham lands in Jaspers' Hall of Fame". gojaspers.com. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ Anton Ingi Leifsson (2 April 2020). "Jón Arnór segir Brenton besta útlendinginn sem spilað hefur á Íslandi". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ "UMFG – Keflavík". kki.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Association. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ Arnar Geir Halldórsson (10 October 2020). "Tæp 20 ár frá ótrúlegasta afreki í íslenskum körfubolta". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (18 April 2001). "Endursýning í Síkinu". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). p. 18. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ A-landslið karla
- ^ Kýpverjar réðust á allt og alla