Herlander Coimbra

Herlander Coimbra

Personal information
Born	(1968-06-16) June 16, 1968 Luanda, Angola
Nationality	Angolan
Listed height	201 cm (6.59 ft)
Listed weight	78 kg (172 lb)
Position	Small forward
Career history
Primeiro de Agosto
Medals Men's Basketball Representing Angola AfroBasket Luanda 1989 Angola Cairo 1992 Angola Nairobi 1993 Angola Algiers 1995 Angola

Herlander Fernandes Silva Coimbra (born June 16, 1968 in Luanda) is a retired Angolan basketball player. A 6’7”, 172-pound forward, he played on Angola’s 1992, 1996, and 2000 Olympic basketball teams.

Coimbra is perhaps best known for his confrontation with American player Charles Barkley during the 1992 Barcelona games. Coimbra had hit Barkley while jockeying for position underneath the basket, and Barkley retaliated by elbowing Coimbra in the chest. Barkley later said, “Somebody hits me, I’m going to hit him back – even if it does look like he hasn’t eaten in a while”.

Though Barkley drew criticism for his actions and words, Coimbra took everything with good humor and actually struck up a friendship with his American opponent. Barkley later told reporters, “He came looking for me in 1996 in Atlanta to say hello. He said, ‘You made me a big star in my country.’ We’ve had a nice bond”. Coimbra’s two-time Olympic teammate Angelo Victoriano also said, “Every time we go to the States, we meet Charles Barkley. He’s very supportive of us”.

References

• Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Herlander Coimbra". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2011-05-19.
• Basketball Reference Profile
• AfricaBasket Profile