Petteri Koponen

Petteri Koponen John ( born April 13, 1988 in Helsinki) is a Finnish professional basketball player. The 1.94 m tall point guard is since 2012 the Russian BK Khimki under contract.

Career

Koponen was from 2004 to 2008 for Espoon Honka in the Finnish Korisliiga active. There he was a regular player already in the 2006/07 season, in August 2006, followed by the first use in the senior national team of Finland. 2007 Koponen, who had become with Honka Finnish champion, selected as the first fin in the first round of NBA Drafts, but gave the Philadelphia 76ers the rights to him to the Portland Trail Blazers on. Since it the Trail Blazers but offered no treaty remained Koponen for another year in Finland to do one's military service and be able to play for Honka simultaneously. Again he won the Finnish championship and was also selected as the MVP of the regular season, so he became the second youngest organization to win (after Teemu Rannikko 1999). In August 2008, Koponen joined the Italian Serie A for Virtus Bologna. He played four years for Bologna, at this time went in June 2011, the draft rights to Koponen in a three-way exchange with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets to the Dallas Mavericks on. After the Finnish national team had qualified for the first time back for a European Championship finals for 16 years, took Koponen in summer 2011 and the European Championship finals in 2011 in part, where the selection immediately reached the round of twelve best teams. Two years later, you could repeat this success and place again among the top ten national teams in Europe. At this time Koponen played already with the Russian club Khimki BK to the before he was changed in 2012.