3,344 articles
Yury Klimov
Yury Klimov (Юрий Михайлович Климов), Soviet handball left back and coach, 1976 Olympic champion and USSR captain, 173 caps and 423 goals, seven-time Soviet champion with MAI, later world-champion 1982 assistant coach and Iran national team coach.
Yury Panchenko
Yury Panchenko (Юрий Петрович Панченко, born 1959, Kyiv) is a Ukrainian-born volleyball player who won Olympic gold for the USSR at Moscow 1980, silver at Seoul 1988, and later coached in Italy, Russia, and Kazakhstan.
Yury Shevtsov
Yury Shevtsov (Юрий Анатольевич Шевцов), Belarusian handball right wing, Olympic champion 1988 and world champion 1982 with USSR, SKA Minsk star, later coach of German clubs and Belarus national team.
Yury Vengerovsky
Yury Vengerovsky (Юрий Наумович Венгеровский), Soviet volleyball setter from Kharkiv, 1938–1998; Olympic gold at Tokyo 1964, world champion 1962, World Cup 1965, Soviet champion 1963 with CSKA; later coach in Belgorod.
Yuta Watanabe (渡邊雄太)
Yuta Watanabe (渡邊雄太), born 1994 in Kagawa, Japan, is a 206 cm forward, ex-George Washington, who played six NBA seasons (Grizzlies, Raptors, Nets, Suns) undrafted, then joined the Chiba Jets in the B.League and stars for Japan's national team.
Yuzo Nakamura
Yuzo Nakamura (中村祐造, 1942-2010), Japanese volleyball middle-blocker with Nippon Steel; non-starter at Tokyo 1964, then captain of Japan's gold-medal men's team at Munich 1972; later national head coach 1977-1980.
Yves Missi
Yves Missi, Cameroonian NBA center born 2004 in Belgium, Baylor one-and-done, drafted 21st overall 2024 by New Orleans Pelicans; All-Rookie rim protector, 9.1 ppg and 8.2 rpg as a rookie.
Zach Collins
Zach Collins (born 1997) is an American NBA forward-center from Gonzaga, drafted 10th overall in 2017 by Sacramento and traded to Portland; he later played for San Antonio and, from February 2025, the Chicago Bulls on a two-year, $17 million extension.
Zach Edey
Zach Edey, born 2002 in Toronto, is a 7'4" Canadian center drafted ninth overall in 2024 by the Memphis Grizzlies. Two-time national Player of the Year at Purdue; 2023 FIBA World Cup bronze medalist.
Zach LaVine
Zach LaVine, NBA shooting guard for the Sacramento Kings, born 1995; drafted 13th in 2014 by Minnesota, two-time All-Star with Chicago Bulls, traded to Kings February 2025 in the De'Aaron Fox deal.
Zach Randolph
Zach Randolph, born 1981 in Marion, Indiana, is a former NBA power forward (Z-Bo) who played 17 seasons for Portland, New York, the Clippers, Memphis, and Sacramento, totaling 18,578 points and leading the Grit and Grind Grizzlies.
Zaire Wade
Zaire Wade (born 2002), son of Dwyane Wade, is an American guard drafted 10th overall by the G League's Salt Lake City Stars in 2021, later with the BAL's Cape Town Tigers; charged with felony corporal injury in 2026.
Zavier Lucero
Zavier Vicente Lucero (born 1999), Filipino-American forward from Vallejo, California; UP Fighting Maroons UAAP champion, fifth pick of the 2023 PBA Draft, now with Magnolia Hotshots.
Zaza Pachulia (ზაზა ფაჩულია)
Zaza Pachulia (ზაზა ფაჩულია), Georgian NBA center born 1984 in Tbilisi, drafted 42nd in 2003 by Orlando; two-time champion with Golden State (2017, 2018) and first Georgian NBA title winner.
Zbigniew Lubiejewski
Zbigniew Lubiejewski, born 1949 in Bartoszyce, Polish volleyball player and coach, 1976 Montreal Olympic champion with Poland, 74-cap national team member 1972–1977, long-serving AZS Olsztyn player.
Zbigniew Zarzycki
Zbigniew Zarzycki, nicknamed Zuzu, is a Polish volleyball player who earned 159 caps, won gold at the 1976 Olympics and the 1974 World Championship, and later coached Poland.
Zdenko Zorko
Zdenko Zorko (Зденко Зорко), nicknamed Kokica, born 1950 in Zagreb, is a Croatian handball goalkeeper coach and former Yugoslavia goalkeeper, 1972 Olympic champion, 82 caps, and goalkeeper coach of Croatia's 1996 and 2004 Olympic gold teams.
Zdravko Miljak
Zdravko Miljak (Здравко Миљак), born 1950 in Vinkovci, is a Croatian former handball player who won Olympic gold with Yugoslavia at Munich 1972, finished fifth at Montreal 1976, and later starred in Italian and German club handball.
Zdravko Rađenović
Zdravko Rađenović (Здравко Рађеновић), born 1952 in Bačka Palanka, is a Serbian handball player who won Olympic gold with Yugoslavia at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
Zehra Güneş
Zehra Güneş (born 1999, Istanbul) is a Turkish middle blocker, 198 cm, for VakıfBank and Türkiye; 2023 VNL and EuroVolley gold, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympian, VakıfBank captain since 2024-25.
Zeljko Jerkov
Zeljko Jerkov (Željko Jerkov, Жељко Јерков), Croatian basketball center born 1953 in Pula; Yugoslav national team star who won Olympic gold 1980 and silver 1976, the 1978 World Championship, and three EuroBasket titles with Jugoplastika Split.
Željko Obradović
Željko Obradović (Želimir Obradović, born 1960, Čačak) is a Serbian basketball coach, record nine-time EuroLeague champion with five clubs, and coach of Yugoslavia's 1998 world champions.
Zeren SK
Zeren SK (Zeren Spor Kulübü), Turkish women's volleyball club founded 2022 in Ankara by Mustafa Yiğit Zeren; plays in Sultanlar Ligi, 2025-26 CEV Champions League quarterfinalist, colors white and purple.
Zhaire Smith
Zhaire Smith (born 1999) is an American guard from Garland, Texas; one-and-done Texas Tech star, 16th pick of the 2018 NBA draft traded for Mikal Bridges, whose NBA career was derailed by a foot fracture and a near-fatal sesame allergy; now a G League player.
Zhang Na
Zhang Na (张娜), born 1980 in Tianjin, is a retired Chinese volleyball libero, 2004 Athens Olympic champion and 2008 bronze medalist, nicknamed the "immortal bird," later executive vice dean of the Chinese Volleyball College.
Zhang Ping
Zhang Ping (张萍), Chinese women's volleyball middle blocker born 1982 in Tianjin; 2004 Athens Olympic gold medalist who scored 25 points in the 3-2 final comeback over Russia, won the 2003 World Cup, and later became a CUHK-Shenzhen physical education lecturer.
Zhang Rongfang
Zhang Rongfang (张蓉芳), born 1957 in Chengdu, Chinese volleyball main attacker and captain of the 1984 Olympic gold-medal team, later head coach of the 1986 world champion Chinese women's team.
Zhang Yuehong
Zhang Yuehong (张越红, born 1975, Shenyang) is a Chinese retired volleyball main attacker, 2004 Athens Olympic gold medalist who scored the match-winning spike against Russia, 2003 World Cup champion, later Liaoning head coach.
Zhang Ziyu (张子宇)
Zhang Ziyu (张子宇), born 2007 in Jinan, is a Chinese women's basketball center for Shandong and China; at 2.23-2.26 m she is the tallest women's player in history and a 2026 World Cup standout.
Zhao Ruirui
Zhao Ruirui (赵蕊蕊), born 1981 in Nanjing, Chinese middle blocker for Bayi and the national team; 2003 World Cup spiking leader, 2004 Athens Olympic gold medalist, 2008 bronze medalist, later a fantasy writer and TV analyst.