Seventy-eight years ago, on August 11, 1947, Serhiy Kovalenko was born — a man who inscribed his name in the history of «Budivelnyk» in golden letters.
Serhiy Ivanovych Kovalenko (1947–2004) was one of the greatest centers in the history of our club and of Ukrainian and Soviet basketball as a whole.
He played for «Budivelnyk» from 1969 to 1975, and it was during this period that he achieved the greatest titles of his career. With the team, he won gold at EuroBasket 1969 and became an Olympic champion in Munich in 1972.
Interestingly, Kovalenko was the first foreign player in the history of «Budivelnyk», as he joined us not from a Ukrainian club. Born in Lushunkou, China (then Port Arthur), he played for the Georgian GPI team from Tbilisi before moving to Kyiv.
Today we remember Serhiy Ivanovych with deep respect and gratitude for his contribution to the proud history of our club.
