Volkov in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1964-03-28)28 March 1964 (age 61) |
| Nationality | Ukrainian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 243 lb (110 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 1986: 6th round, 134th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Atlanta Hawks |
| Playing career | 1981–2002 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 8 |
| Career history | |
| 1981–1986 | Stroitel |
| 1986–1988 | CSKA Moscow |
| 1988–1989 | Stroitel |
| 1989–1992 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1992–1993 | Reggio Calabria |
| 1993–1994 | Panathinaikos |
| 1994–1995 | Olympiacos |
| 2000–2002 | Kyiv |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| FIBA Hall of Fame | |
Oleksandr Anatoliyovych Volkov (Ukrainian:Олександр Анатолійович Волков; born 29 March 1964), commonly known asSasha Volkov, is a Ukrainian former professionalbasketball player. He was born inOmsk,Russian SFSR,Soviet Union. At 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall, he played at thepower forward andcenter positions. He was versatile with the ball and quick on his feet, which made him a very sought after player.

Volkov played professionally forStroitel (1981–1986; 1988–1989),CSKA Moscow (1986–1988),Atlanta Hawks (1989–1992),Panasonic Reggio Calabria (1992–1993),Panathinaikos (1993–1994),Olympiacos (1994–1995), andKyiv (2000–2002).
In the USSR, he was also selected MVP in 1989, and was one of the key players on the Soviet national team since 1985, winning the gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Games.
In 1986, he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 6th round, together with CSKA Moscow teammateValeri Tikhonenko. Fellow Soviet playerArvydas Sabonis was also drafted late in the first round. This was the second NBA draft when Soviet players were selected, afterAlexander Belov was drafted in 1975. Volkov signed with the Hawks three years later on 1 August 1989. His brief career in NBA was hampered by injury as well as competition from several all-star front-men: Dominique Wilkins, Kevin Willis and Moses Malone. Volkov averaged 5 points and close to 2 rebounds per game during his first (89–90) season. After missing the whole next season, he came back stronger, roughly doubling his statistical output on the floor and even starting in 27 games. Afterwards, he chose to continue his career in Europe.
He was one of the founders ofBC Kyiv. Volkov, who had already retired from playing in 1995, returned to play several games, to help the newly found team in 2000. He later also served as the team's president.[1]
Volkov won agold medal at the1988 Summer Olympics, as a member of the seniorSoviet Union national basketball team. He also briefly came out of retirement, to play for the seniorUkrainian national basketball team, in 1998.[2]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | Atlanta | 72 | 4 | 13.0 | .482 | .382 | .583 | 1.7 | 1.2 | .5 | .3 | 5.0 |
| 1991–92 | Atlanta | 77 | 27 | 19.7 | .441 | .318 | .631 | 3.4 | 3.2 | .9 | .4 | 8.6 |
| Career | 149 | 31 | 16.5 | .455 | .333 | .613 | 2.6 | 2.2 | .7 | .3 | 6.8 | |
From 1999 to 2000, Volkov served as a chairman of the State Committee on Sports inUkraine. In June 2007, he was elected the head of theUkrainian Basketball Federation.[3]
Volkov was elected to theUkrainian Parliament in2006 on the party list of theOur Ukraine Bloc.[4] But against the will of his faction, he joined theAnti-Crisis Coalition, which prompted early elections.[4] Inthe early parliamentary elections in 2007 he was reelected to Parliament through theParty of Regions.[4] Volkov was again elected through the Party of Regions to theUkrainian Parliament in2012.[5] But left this party's faction in parliament on 17 April 2014.[6] and joined the (then new) factionEconomic Development one week later.[7] In the2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Volkov failed to get reelected into parliament; he was number 9 on the election list ofStrong Ukraine, but the party won only one constituency parliamentary seat.[8][9]
In 2022, following theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Volkov joined Ukrainian volunteers fighting against Russian forces. Volkov's family home inChernihiv was destroyed by the bombings.[10]