Valeri Tikhonenko


Valeri Tikhonenko is a retired Soviet and Russian professional basketball player and coach. During his playing career, he played at the small forward and power forward positions, with power forward being his main position. He represented both the Soviet Union and Russia in national team competitions. With the Soviet Union, he won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Professional career

Tikhonenko was selected by the Atlanta Hawks, in the 7th round of the 1986 NBA Draft, with the 157th overall draft pick. During his pro club career, Tikhonenko won three Russian Championships with CSKA Moscow.

National team career

With the senior Soviet Union national team, Tikhonenko won a gold medal at the 1984 Friendship Games.
As a member of Russia's national team, he played at the 1998 FIBA World Cup, where he won a silver medal, and at the 1999 EuroBasket.

Executive career

Tikhonenko became the general manager of the Kazakh League club Astana, in 2011.

Personal life

Tikhonenko was a lieutenant colonel in the Russian Army.

Orders won