Veselin Temkov

Veselin Temkov was considered the patriarch of Bulgarian basketball. As a player, he represented Sportklub, Septemvri, Levski, and Slavia from 1926-49, playing for the Bulgarian national team from 1935-48. In 1947 he competed at the European Championship, where Bulgaria finished eighth.

Temkov was best known for his coaching career. He led the teams of Academic Sofia, VIF, and Pirin Blagoevgrad and the men’s and women’s national teams in Bulgaria, as well as those of Nigeria and Singapore. He led Academic Sofia to the Bulgarian Championship in 1972 and 1973 and helped VIF’s women win the Bulgarian Cup in 1962. Temkov led the Bulgarian men’s team at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, the European Championships in 1951, 1953, and 1961, and the Balkan Championships in 1961, where Bulgaria won a silver medal. He also led the Bulgarian women at the 1952 European Championship.