Bogdan Bliznyuk


Bogdan Aleksandrovich Bliznyuk is a Ukrainian basketball player for Kyiv-Basket of the Ukrainian SuperLeague. He played college basketball for the Eastern Washington Eagles, where he was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Year in 2018.

Early life

Bliznyuk was born in Lutsk, Ukraine. He was less than 2 years old when his father, a truck driver, died in an accident. Their mother moved them to Federal Way, Washington five years later to be closer to family. His older brother, Dima, and his mother, Lyudmila, helped raise Bogdan, while also caring for his grandmother.

College career

Bliznyuk played college basketball for the Eastern Washington University's Eagles.
On March 9, 2018, Bliznyuk became the Big Sky Conference’s all-time leading scorer, passing Orlando Lightfoot’s mark of 2,102 set in 1994. Earlier in the season, Bliznyuk claimed the school all-time scoring mark, passing Venky Jois’ total of 1,803. Bliznyuk's conference career scoring mark stood until the following season, when Montana State's Tyler Hall broke it.
Bliznyuk finished his senior year averaging 21.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. He was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Year and AP Honorable Mention.

Professional career

2018–19 season

After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Bliznyuk joined the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2018 NBA Summer League.
On July 5, 2018, Bliznyuk started his professional career with Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Premier League, signing a three-year deal. On January 21, 2019, Bliznyuk recorded a season-high 18 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field, in an 81–100 loss to Hapoel Eilat. That season, Bnei Herzliya have finished the season in the last place out of 12 teams and was relegated to the Israeli National League.

2019–20 season

On September 30, 2019, Bliznyuk signed with Kyiv-Basket of the Ukrainian SuperLeague.

National team career

Bliznyuk is a member of the Ukraine national team. On November 29, 2018, he made his debut in an 82–54 win over Slovenia, scoring 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Career statistics

College

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