Krišs Helmanis
 Helmanis in 2022 | |
| No. 9 – Diablos Rojos del México | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 7, 2002 Leverkusen, Germany |
| Nationality | Latvian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 2018–present |
| Career history | |
| 2018–2022 | Joventut Badalona |
| 2018–2022 | →CB Prat |
| 2022–2024 | Tigers Tübingen |
| 2024–2025 | Rīgas Zeļļi |
| 2025– | Diablos Rojos del México |
Krišs Helmanis (born April 7, 2002) is a Latvian professional basketball player who currently plays for the Rīgas Zeļļi. He plays at center position.
Professional career
During his youth, he trained and played in the DSN (Daugava Sports Hall) system of the Riga Basketball School (Basketbola skola "Rīga") in the Latvian Youth Basketball League (LJBL), where his coach was Raivo Otersons, who was also Andris Biedriņš' first coach.
In 2018, Krišs moved to Spain to join the youth system of Joventut Badalona, initially alongside another DSN player, Roberts Bērziņš.[1] At the senior level, he played for CB Prat in Spain's third and second divisions. He made a single appearance in the Liga ACB with Joventut Badalona on September 26, 2021, playing 28 seconds against Saski Baskonia.[2]
In 2022, Helmanis moved to Germany and represented the Tübingen Tigers for two seasons.[3] First season Helmanis played in the second division ProA, and then in the Basketball Bundesliga during the 2023–2024 season. In the Bundesliga season, he averaged 5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, appearing in 27 games.
In the summer of 2024, Helmanis joined Rīgas Zeļļi, a club competing in the Latvian–Estonian Basketball League and the Latvijas Basketbola līga.[4]
National team career
Helmanis represented various Latvian youth national teams, including the one which participated in 2021 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup.
He made his debut for Latvia men's national basketball team on 24 February 2023, playing half a minute in the game against Turkey.[5]
Personal life
Krišs is the son of former Latvian national team basketball player and now a coach Uvis Helmanis. His brother, Kārlis Helmanis, was also a basketball player, while his mother, Rūta, is the foster mother of a basketball player Artūrs Žagars.[6] Krišs was born in Germany, where his father was playing for a professional club Bayer Giants Leverkusen at the time.
References
- ^ "16 gadus vecais Helmanis un gadu vecākais Bērziņš pievienojas "Joventut"". Sportacentrs.com (in Latvian). 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "JORNADA 3 - Liga Endesa". www.acb.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ Fischer, Tobias (2022-07-15). "Aus Spanien zurück ins Geburtsland Deutschland – Europäisches Top-Talent Krišs Helmanis wechselt nach Tübingen". Tigers Tübingen (in German). Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "Rigas Zelli signs Kriss Helmanis, ex Tuebingen". www.eurobasket.com. 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "Turkey vs Latvia - Second Round - FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers | FIBA Basketball Events". www.fiba.basketball. 2023-02-25. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "Sudrabs kā zelts". IR.LV (in Latvian). 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2025-05-14.