Dāvis Bertāns (born 12 November 1992) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed the "Latvian Laser",[1] he also represents the Latvian national team. He was the 42nd pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers.

Dāvis Bertāns
Bertāns with the Washington Wizards in 2020
No. 9 – Charlotte Hornets
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1992-11-12) 12 November 1992 (age 31)
Valmiera, Latvia
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2011: 2nd round, 42nd overall pick
Selected by the Indiana Pacers
Playing career2007–present
Career history
2007–2008ASK Kadeti
2008–2010BAA Riga
2009ASK Riga
2009→Keizarmezs
2010Barons
2010–2012Olimpija Ljubljana
2012–2014Partizan
2014–2016Saski Baskonia
20162019San Antonio Spurs
2016–2017Austin Spurs
20192022Washington Wizards
20222023Dallas Mavericks
2023–2024Oklahoma City Thunder
2024–presentCharlotte Hornets
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Latvia
European U-18 Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Latvia U-18 Team

Professional career edit

Kadeti (2007–2008) edit

In 2007–08, Bertāns played for ASK Kadeti II.

Riga (2008–2010) edit

Between 2008 and 2010, Bertāns played for BAA Riga of Latvia's second division. During this time, he also had two stints in the top division with ASK Riga at the end of the 2008–09 season, and with BK Keizarmezs Riga at the start of the 2009–10 season.[2]

Barons (2010) edit

Bertāns started the 2010–11 season with BK Barons.

Olimpija (2010–2012) edit

In November 2010, Bertāns signed a multi-year deal with Slovenian club Union Olimpija.[3] Following the 2010–11 season, Bertāns was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 42nd overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. However, his rights were immediately traded to the San Antonio Spurs along with the rights to 15th overall pick Kawhi Leonard for George Hill.[4]

Partizan (2012–2014) edit

In January 2012, Bertāns left Olimpija and signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Serbian club Partizan Belgrade.[5]

In the Serbian League finals series against Crvena zvezda in June 2013, he tore the ACL in his right knee, which sidelined him for nine months.[6][7]

Bertāns returned to the court on 20 March 2014, against Maccabi Tel Aviv, helping his team get a hard-fought Euroleague Top 16 win against the favoured visitors by contributing two points, two rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes of action.[8] Eight days later, on 28 March 2014, Dāvis scored team-high 20 points in a road Euroleague Top 16 loss to Lokomotiv-Kuban.[9] Partizan ended the season by winning its 13th and Dāvis' third consecutive Serbian League title, defeating rivals Crvena zvezda 3–1 in the finals series.[10] On 3 July 2014, Bertāns terminated his contract with the club.[11]

Baskonia (2014–2016) edit

On 19 July 2014, Bertāns signed a three-year contract with Spanish club Laboral Kutxa Baskonia.[12][13]

On 26 March 2015, in a game against Emporio Armani Milano, Bertāns tore the ACL in his right knee, the same injury that sidelined him in 2013.[14] He was subsequently ruled out for six to eight months.[15] Over 22 Euroleague games, he averaged 11.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, while also averaging 11.4 points in 25 games of the Spanish League. In Laboral Kutxa Baskonia's very next game following Bertāns's injury, a Spanish League contest versus Valencia BC, each Baskonia player wore Bertāns's number 42 in a show of support for their sidelined teammate.[16]

On 14 July 2016, Bertāns and Baskonia agreed on a contract buyout.[17]

San Antonio Spurs (2016–2019) edit

On 14 July 2016, Bertāns signed with the San Antonio Spurs.[18] He made his debut for the Spurs in their season-opener on 25 October 2016, scoring five points in four minutes off the bench in a 129–100 win over the Golden State Warriors.[19] On 25 November 2016, he set a career high in scoring, pitching in 15 of the Spurs' 56 bench points to help San Antonio defeat the Boston Celtics 109–103.[20] On 7 January 2017, he scored 21 points in a 102–85 win over the Charlotte Hornets. He went 4-of-5 on three-pointers in leading the Spurs in scoring for the first time in 2016–17.[21] On 29 January 2017, against the Dallas Mavericks, Bertāns became just the fourth Spurs rookie with at least 35 three-pointers and 15 blocks in a season, joining Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginóbili and Lloyd Daniels.[22] On 11 March 2017, he had three three-pointers in a 107–85 win over Golden State to reach 51 three-pointers on the season. He became just the sixth Spurs rookie to hit 50 in a season.[23] During his rookie season, he had multiple assignments with the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League.[24]

Early on the 2017–18 season, Bertāns was twice assigned to the Austin Spurs.[25] On 8 January 2018, he scored a career-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting with six 3-pointers in a 107–100 win over the Sacramento Kings.[26] On 13 January 2018, he scored 18 points on a career-high six 3-pointers in a 112–80 win over the Denver Nuggets.[27]

On 11 July 2018, Bertāns re-signed with the Spurs for two years and $14 million.[28] On 27 January 2019, he scored a season-high 21 points in a 132–119 win over the Washington Wizards.[29]

Washington Wizards (2019–2022) edit

On 6 July 2019, Bertāns was traded from the San Antonio Spurs to the Washington Wizards in a three-team deal that also included the Brooklyn Nets, in which the Spurs received DeMarre Carroll via sign-and-trade.[30] In his first game against San Antonio following the trade, on 26 October 2019, Bertāns made all seven of his field goal attempts, including five three-pointers, and scored 23 points.[31] On 22 November, he made six three-pointers and scored 20 points against the Charlotte Hornets.[32]

On 22 June 2020, three months into the NBA's hiatus, Bertāns decided to pull out of the NBA's Orlando restart; he was the first player to do so. This decision was made due to personal reasons.[33] Bertāns was entering free agency and viewed sitting out as a preventative measure. Bertāns also had two previous ACL injuries. If the Wizards did not advance past the seeding games in Orlando, he stood to lose $520,000. The Washington Wizards fully supported Bertāns's decision and as anticipated did not ultimately qualify for the playoffs.

On 21 November 2020, Bertāns agreed to a five-year, $80 million deal with the Washington Wizards.[34]

On 17 February 2021, Bertāns scored a career-high 35 points in a 130–128 win over the Denver Nuggets. He logged a career-best nine 3-pointers becoming the third player in team history to do so.[35]

Dallas Mavericks (2022–2023) edit

On 10 February 2022, Bertāns, along with Spencer Dinwiddie, was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Kristaps Porziņģis.[36]

Oklahoma City Thunder (2023–2024) edit

On 6 July 2023, Bertāns, along with the 10th pick of the 2023 NBA draft, was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the 12th pick of the draft.[37]

Charlotte Hornets (2024–present) edit

On 8 February 2024, Bertāns was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, along with Tre Mann, Vasilije Micić, a 2024 second-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick and cash considerations, in exchange for Gordon Hayward.[38][39]

National team career edit

Bertāns represented Latvia at EuroBasket 2011, averaging 5.6 points and 2 rebounds per game.[40] He returned for EuroBasket 2017, now in a more prominent role, averaging 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game.[41]

Personal life edit

Bertāns' older brother, Dairis, is also a professional basketball player; he formerly played for the New Orleans Pelicans. Their father, Dainis, was a professional basketball player and is currently a youth coach. Their mother is a sports teacher and a former high-level rower. During his childhood, Bertāns was raised in Latvia's northernmost town, Rūjiena, until his parents moved to Rīga, Latvia's capital. Bertāns is fluent in the Serbian language.[42]

Due to a childhood wood-cutting accident, Bertāns is missing part of the ring finger on his right hand.[43]

Bertāns is a former vegan who currently eats a dairy-free pescatarian diet;[44] having difficulty with finding good vegan food when traveling with his team influenced Bertāns' decision to change his diet.[45]

Career statistics edit

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

NBA edit

Regular season edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 San Antonio 67 6 12.1 .440 .399 .824 1.5 .7 .3 .4 4.5
2017–18 San Antonio 77 10 14.1 .440 .373 .816 2.0 1.0 .3 .4 5.9
2018–19 San Antonio 76 12 21.5 .450 .429 .883 3.5 1.3 .5 .4 8.0
2019–20 Washington 54 4 29.3 .434 .424 .852 4.5 1.7 .7 .6 15.4
2020–21 Washington 57 7 25.7 .404 .395 .870 2.9 .9 .6 .2 11.5
2021–22 Washington 34 0 14.7 .351 .319 .933 1.8 .5 .3 .2 5.7
2021–22 Dallas 22 0 13.9 .375 .360 .800 2.5 .7 .3 .3 5.3
2022–23 Dallas 45 1 10.9 .431 .390 .867 1.2 .5 .2 .2 4.6
2023–24 Oklahoma City 15 0 6.1 .385 .417 .933 .7 .6 .2 .2 2.9
Career 447 40 17.8 .424 .398 .862 2.5 .9 .4 .4 7.6

Play-in edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 Washington 2 0 25.7 .267 .154 1.000 .5 .0 .5 .0 6.5
Career 2 0 25.7 .267 .154 1.000 .5 .0 .5 .0 6.5

Playoffs edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017 San Antonio 13 0 8.6 .444 .400 .667 1.5 .2 .2 .3 2.8
2018 San Antonio 5 0 16.4 .167 .188 .727 2.2 1.2 .4 .0 3.4
2019 San Antonio 5 0 15.8 .333 .273 .600 1.6 1.0 .0 .2 3.2
2021 Washington 4 2 26.5 .407 .348 1.000 2.8 .3 .3 .5 9.3
2022 Dallas 18 0 10.7 .400 .373 .833 1.4 .3 .4 .1 4.1
Career 45 2 12.7 .373 .339 .780 1.7 .5 .3 .2 4.0

Euroleague edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2011–12 Union Olimpija 10 1 15.6 .282 .217 1.000 2.2 .5 .1 .1 3.0 .6
2012–13 Partizan 10 1 20.0 .385 .471 .625 2.3 .7 1.1 .2 6.6 4.6
2013–14 4 2 21.9 .435 .435 .000 3.8 1.3 .8 .5 12.5 8.0
2014–15 Baskonia 22 18 21.9 .381 .355 .853 2.9 .9 .2 .5 11.0 6.5
2015–16 15 8 20.7 .514 .474 .905 1.9 .9 .4 .4 7.9 6.9
Career 61 30 20.2 .400 .388 .824 2.5 .8 .4 .4 8.3 5.4

References edit

  1. ^ "Wizards Featured: Davis Bertans". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Prospect Profile: Davis Bertans". National Basketball Association. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Union Olimpija signs top prospect Bertans". Euroleague.net. 14 November 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  4. ^ "Spurs Obtain Draft Rights To Kawhi Leonard". National Basketball Association. 23 June 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Partizan Belgrade lands Davis Bertans". Sportando.com. 4 January 2012. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Bertans pokidao ligamente kolena!". b92.net (in Serbian). 13 June 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  7. ^ "Partizan's Davis Bertans won't return before March". Sportando.com. 24 October 2013. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  8. ^ "Partizan rallies to beat Maccabi in closing seconds". Euroleague.net. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  9. ^ "Brown, Likhodey lead Lokomotiv to key home win". Euroleague.net. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Ništa novo, Partizan je šampion!". b92.net (in Serbian). 21 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  11. ^ "Agent: Bertans raskinuo ugovor". b92.net (in Serbian). 3 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Labor [sic] Kutxa signs up Latvian forward Davis Bertans". Baskonia.com. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  13. ^ "Laboral Kutxa Vitoria adds shooter Bertans". Euroleague.net. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Laboral's Bertans to miss rest of the season". Euroleague.net. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  15. ^ "Bertans definitivno pokidao ACL". b92.net (in Serbian). 27 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Dirljiv gest saigrača za Bertansa". b92.net (in Serbian). 29 March 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  17. ^ "Davis Bertans, Saski baskonia [sic] agree on contract buyout". Baskonia.com. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  18. ^ "SAN ANTONIO SIGNS DAVIS BERTANS". National Basketball Association. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  19. ^ "Spurs vs. Warriors – Box Score". ESPN. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  20. ^ "Spurs top Boston 109–103 on Leonard's 25 points, 10 rebounds". ESPN. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  21. ^ "Rookie Bertans' 21 points lead Spurs over Hornets, 102–85". ESPN. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  22. ^ "Curry's 24 points help Mavericks hold off Spurs, 105–101". ESPN. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  23. ^ "Mills leads Spurs past Warriors in game minus top stars". ESPN. 11 March 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  24. ^ "All-Time NBA Assignments". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  25. ^ "2017–18 NBA Assignments". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  26. ^ "Aldridge, Bertans lead Spurs to comeback win over Kings". ESPN. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  27. ^ "Leonard, Bertans lead Spurs to 112–80 win over Denver". ESPN. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  28. ^ "SPURS RE-SIGN DAVIS BERTANS". National Basketball Association. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  29. ^ "Aldridge leads Spurs past Wizards 132–119". ESPN. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  30. ^ "Wizards acquire Davis Bertans from Spurs". National Basketball Association. 6 July 2019.
  31. ^ Garcia, Jeff (28 October 2019). "Davis Bertans overcome with emotion in return to San Antonio". WOAI-TV. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  32. ^ DePrisco, Mike (22 November 2019). "Tying a career-high for threes in a game, Davis Bertans has yet to find a three too deep for him". NBC Sports Washington. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  33. ^ "Davis Bertans is first NBA player to pull out of restart". 22 June 2020.
  34. ^ "Bertans sticks with Wizards on 5-year, $80M deal". ESPN. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  35. ^ "Recap: Bertans scores career-high 35, leads Wizards in 130–128 win over Nuggets". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  36. ^ "Mavs trade Porzingis to Wizards for Dinwiddie and Bertans". National Basketball Association. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  37. ^ "Thunder Acquires Cason Wallace and Dāvis Bertāns". nba.com. 6 July 2023.
  38. ^ "Hornets Acquire Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic And Two Second-Round Picks From Oklahoma City". NBA.com. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  39. ^ Bontemps, Tim (8 February 2024). "Hornets trade Gordon Hayward to Thunder". ESPN.com. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  40. ^ "Latvia Roster". FIBA Europe. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  41. ^ "Davis BERTANS's profile". FIBA EuroBasket 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  42. ^ "Davis Bertans za Telegraf pred duel sa Srbijom #EuroBasket2017". Retrieved 7 September 2017 – via YouTube.
  43. ^ Rohlin, Melissa (30 January 2017). "Spurs' Bertans ignores childhood issue that cost him part of finger". mySA.
  44. ^ Buckner, Candace (16 January 2020). "An NBA player went pescatarian and became one of the league's best shooters". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 3 September 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  45. ^ "Davis Bertans credits pescatarian diet for helping him become top sharpshooter". 17 January 2020.

External links edit