Jon Robert Holden

Jon Robert Holden (Russian Джон Роберт Холден; born August 10, 1976 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ) is a former Russian- American professional basketball player. In 2011, he finished his career.

Holden started his professional career in 1998 at ASK Brocēni - LMT Riga. He also won the national championship, as in 2001 in Belgium with Telindus Oostende and the following year in Greece with AEK Athens. He then moved to CSKA Moscow, where Holden since then every year won the Russian Championship three times and the Russian Cup. At international level, he was in 2006 and 2008 winner of the ULEB Euro League, 2007 and 2009, he reached the final of CSKA there.

Holden received in 2003 on the orders of Vladimir Putin, the Russian citizenship. Background were a new regime applicable to foreigners in the Super League Russia that allows only two Americans per team, and the lack of good point guards in the Russian national team. At this time, Holden hardly spoke a word of Russian, Holden also feels claims to continue as U.S. citizens. With the Russian national team, he participated in the European Championships in 2005 and 2007, while in 2007 the title succeeded and Holden scored the all-important two-point throw in the final 2.1 seconds before the end. Also at the Olympic players in 2008 he represented Russia.