Gergena Branzova

Gergena Branzova — Biography

Gergana "Gigi" Branzova was born on July 25, 1976, in Burgas, Bulgaria. Standing 1.93 meters tall, she began her playing career with her hometown club Nephtohimik. During the 1993-94 season she played for DZU Stara Zagora under her father, Bulgarian basketball legend Boycho Branzov, and was voted the season's MVP before attending Florida International University in Miami from 1994 to 1998.

After graduating, she was drafted by the Detroit Shock, becoming the first Bulgarian player to compete in the WNBA. Over her career she also played for Reims in France, Asteras Exarhion in Greece, Fenerbahçe and Migrosspor in Istanbul, Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi B.K., Kosice in Slovakia, and Beşiktaş Cola Turka in Turkey, alongside appearances for the Bulgarian national team, before retiring at Beşiktaş in 2010.

Branzova married Turkish basketball player Harun Erdenay in 2003 and divorced him in 2014; the couple have three children. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001.