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Gerald Francis Kazanowski (born October 12, 1960) is a two-time Olympian and former professional basketball player.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | October 12, 1960 Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Canadian | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Nanaimo District Secondary School (Nanaimo, British Columbia) | ||||||||||||||
| College | University of Victoria (1979–1983) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1983: 7th round, 146th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |||||||||||||||
| Position | Power forward | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 24, 8, 15 | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Kazanowski played for the Canada men's national basketball team from 1979 - 1990,[1][2] representing Canada in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics,[3][4][5] three times in the World Student Games (1981, 1983, 1985)[5][6][7] and three times in the FIBA World Championships (1982, 1986, 1990).[4][5][7]
In 1983, Kazanowski was drafted in the seventh round by the Utah Jazz.[4][5][8] He later played professionally from 1984 to 1992[5][7][8] in Spain, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Argentina and Mexico.[3][4]
Kazanowski played for the University of Victoria from 1979 to 1983 where he won four consecutive CIAU national championships.[1][5][7] He was a two-time First Team CIAU All-Canadian (1982, 1983),[2][9] two-time recipient of the Premier's Athletic Award,[1][7][8] two-time CIAU Tournament All-star (1981, 1983)[2][10] and four-time Canada West All-Star.[2]
Kazanowski was a member of Canada's national basketball team from 1979 to 1990.[1][2] He began his tenure on the Canadian national team in 1979 while playing in the FIBA Junior World Championship.[4][5][7]
He represented Canada in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.[1][5][6] Kazanowski obtained the second-highest points-per-game average among Canada's roster in 1984.[1][2]
These 1984 Olympics were also notable given that Canada finished 4th overall, narrowly missing a medal.[4] Also, this 1984 bronze-medal game constituted the only time in the past 80+ years where Canada has had a legitimate chance of winning an Olympic medal in basketball.[11] This bronze medal game was highly competitive, being tied 18 times with 12 lead changes, with Canada being within one point with less than a minute of play remaining.[11] Kazanowski played well in this crucial game, scoring 8 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and playing his usual formidable defense.[11] Canada also performed well in the 1988 Olympics, where they finished 6th overall.[4]
Kazanowski also represented Canada in three World Student Games tournaments (1981, 1983 and 1985).[1][7][8] Canada won the gold medal in the 1983 games, defeating the US in the semi-final match (with the US being led by future NBA legends Charles Barkley and Karl Malone).[1][2][8] This constituted one of the finest moments in Canadian basketball history, being the only time in which Canada has won the gold medal in an international basketball tournament.[12] In the 1985 World Student Games, Canada won the bronze medal[13][14] and in 1981, Canada placed 5th.[15]
Kazanowski also represented Canada in 3 FIBA World Championships (1982, 1986, 1990)[2][4][7] and competed against the US's "Dream Team" in the 1992 FIBA Tournament of the Americas.[3][5]
In 1983, Kazanowski was drafted in the seventh round in the NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz.[3][4][8] From 1984 to 1992 he played professionally for international teams,[4][7][8] including in Spain (for Joventut and Baloncesto León), in Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Argentina and Mexico.[3][4]
Kazanowski played for the University of Victoria from 1979 to 1983.[1][2][3] He was a four-time national champion at UVic.[1][7][8] In his first year at UVic, he and his teammates placed second in the national tournament.[3] In the 1979–80 season, Kazanowski and his teammates had a 20–0 regular season record,[16] the first Canada West basketball team to achieve a perfect regular season record.[17]
During his time at UVic, Kazanowski was a two-time First Team CIAU All-Canadian (1981–1983),[2][9] two-time recipient of the Premier's Athletic Award,[1][7][8] two-time CIAU Tournament All-Star (1981, 1983)[2][10] and four-time Canada West All-Star.[1][2]
Kazanowski was inducted in the Canada Basketball Hall of Fame (2005),[3][5][7] the Basketball BC Sports Hall of Fame (2006),[1] the University of Victoria Sports Hall of Fame (2006),[2] the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame (2016),[3] the Nanaimo Sports Hall of Fame (2008)[4] and the Nanaimo District Secondary School Hall of Fame.[8] In 2011, the University of Victoria retired his number 24;[3][5] Kazanowski is only one of three athletes to have his jersey retired by the university.[14]
Also, the 1979-80 University of Victoria men's basketball team was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame (2020);[16] the 1979-86 UVic teams were inducted into the Canada West Hall of Fame;[17] and the 1982-83 UVic team was inducted into the UVic Sports Hall of Fame,[18] with Kazanowski being recognized as a team member in all of these inductions.[16][17][18]
Kazanowski was born on October 12, 1960[7] to polish immigrants.[3] He began playing basketball in his hometown of Nanaimo, B.C., in grade six.[2][3][5]
He graduated from UVic with a degree in economics[3][4][6] and is now a certified financial advisor.[5][6]
Kazanowski met his wife of 20+ years, Claudia, while he was playing professionally in Mexico.[3][5] He retired from professional basketball in 1992 and by 1993, he was immersed in the financial advisory industry.[3] His office is located in Sidney and he lives in North Saanich with his wife and their two daughters, Sarah and Grace.[3][4][5]
He now gives back to the community as much as he can; he often volunteers at local schools to provide speaking addresses on how sports can be a positive influence, while also providing advice to older students on how to start thinking about their finances early.[2][3][5] Additionally, Kazanowski and his family are involved with the ROCK home makeover project for disadvantaged homeowners on the Saanich Peninsula.[2][5]
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