 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1954-04-07)7 April 1954 (age 71) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 1976–1986 |
| Coaching career | 1987–2025 |
Natália Hejková (born 7 April 1954)[1] is a former Slovak basketball coach and player. In 2019 she was inducted in theFIBA Hall of Fame.[2]
Hejková was born on 7 April 1954 to Vsevolod Hejk, a Russian-Czech engineer, who was posted to Slovakia to oversee road construction and a Slovak schoolteacher Mária Hejková (née Buociková). She was born and raised inŽilina, where she started playing basketball at the age of 14.[1]
Hejková is single and childless.[3]
In 1972, following her high school graduation, Hejková started to study law at theCharles University inPrague. During her studies, she played for the university basketball team Slávia VŠ Praha. Following her graduation in 1979, she joined the teamTJ SCP Ružomberok, where she remained until her retirement in 1986.[4]
Following the end of her playing career, Hejková was offered to become the head coach of TJ SCP Ružomberok, which was going through a rough time, as a temporary emergency measure. She stayed in the position from 1987 to 2003, winning Slovak title ten times in a row as well as two European Championships.[5]
Following her departure from Ružomberok, she coachedSopron Basket,WBC Sparta&K, which won 2 Russian Premier League Championship with Hejková as the head coach,MBC Dynamo Moscow andRos Casares Godella.[2]
In 2012 she returned to Prague to become the head coach ofUSK Praha. Under Hejková, the team won the national title ten times and achieved a record of 256 games without defeat in the row.[6] The team also achieved two EuroLeague titles under her leadership, those being in 2015 and also 10 years later in 2025. Following the 2025 EuroLeague victory, she ended her coaching career at the age of 71.[7]
She also coached Slovak and Russian National Women's Team.[2]
In 1998 Hejková received theOrder of Ľudovít Štúr, 3rd class from the presidentMichal Kováč.[8] In 2019 she was inducted in theFIBA Hall of Fame.[2]
