Latvian-born basketball professional Davis Bertans began his career in Europe before being drafted by the Indiana Pacers for the 2011 NBA Draft. Bertans’ draft rights were sold to the San Antonio Spurs, but he continued his career in Europe until 2016 when he finally joined the NBA.
Davis Bertans Bio, Age
Davis Bertans was born on 12 November 1992 in Valmiera, the largest city in the Republic of Latvia. He grew up playing various sports, including basketball, field hockey, and soccer. However, he developed a special interest in basketball after witnessing Michael Jordan’s golden era with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.
Bertans began his professional basketball career in his home country, where he played for clubs in various league divisions. He spent his first season in 2007-08 with ASK Kadeti II. Between 2008 and 2010 he played in the second division of BAA Riga, in the top division of ASK Riga, and with the basketball team of BK Keizarmezs Riga. At the beginning of the 2010/11 season, he moved to the Latvian top team BK Barons Riga but left the club in November 2010 after a multi-year contract with the Slovenian club Union Olimpija.
At the end of the 2010/11 season, Davis Bertans entered the 2011 NBA Draft and was selected as the second overall candidate in the second round by the Indiana Pacers. However, he was quickly exchanged for a draft-day contract with the San Antonio Spurs. Although he was drafted into the NBA, Bertans remained in Europe after that.
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In January 2012 he left Union Olimpija for another Serbian team, Partizan Belgrade. With Partizan, Bertans won three consecutive Serbian League titles (2012-2014), a Serbian Cup (2012), and a first division ABA League title (2013) during his almost three years with the team. He ended his contract with the team at the end of the 2013-14 season.
Davis Bertans joined the Spanish first division team Laboral Kutxa Baskonia in July 2014. Although his first season with the team was shortened by an injury, the talented player scored an average of 11.4 points in 25 appearances in the Spanish league, as well as 11.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in 22 Euroleague matches.
In his second season, he played 22 matches in the Spanish league with an average of 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per match, and 15 appearances in the Euroleague with an average of 7.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per match. Davis Bertans finally entered the NBA in July 2016 and signed a multi-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs.
Davis Bertans NBA Career
During his NBA rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs, Davis Bertans made a total of 67 appearances (6 starts) with an average of 4.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He has also served several times for the team’s NBA Development League subsidiary, the Austin Spurs.
Both Bertan’s playing time and performance improved slightly in the 2017-18 season. He played 77 games, including 10 starts, in which he averaged 5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 14.1 minutes per game. The NBA star signed a four-year contract extension worth $20 million with the Spurs in July 2018.
Family, Siblings
The parents of Davis Bertans are Dina and Dainis Bertans He grew up together with a sibling, an older brother named Dairies. They belonged to a lower-middle-class family as they could hardly afford any kind of luxury.
Apparently, Davis Bertans is not the only member of his family who does sports. His father, Dainis Bertans, was a professional basketball player in his prime and is currently coaching a youth team. His mother was a high-ranking rower in her heyday and is now a sports teacher.
His older brother, Dairies Bertans, is also a professional basketball player. He began his career in her hometown of Valmiera and now plays in Europe.
Is Davis Bertan Married? Wife
Davis Bertan is married to Anna Sonka, a Latvian countryman. The couple entered into the bond of marriage in the summer of 2017 after several years of relationship and lives in San Antonio, Texas.
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Just like her famous husband, Anna Sonka played high-class basketball. She spent the first two seasons of her college basketball career at Cowley County College in Mulvane, Kansas. In the junior season, she transferred to the University of Toledo, and in the senior season, she eventually played for Newman University. Sonka graduated from Newman University in 2013 with a major in economics.
Height and Other Body Measurements
Davis Bertans stands at an impressive height of 208 cm (6 feet 10 inches). He has a bodyweight of 95 kg (210 lbs). As a versatile player, Bertans is known as an excellent three-point shooter, who can easily shoot from the periphery due to his stature.
