Hildur Björg Kjartansdóttir Explained

Hildur Björhg Kjartansdóttir
Position:Forward
Height Cm:188
College:UTRGV (2014-2017)
Number:6
Birth Date:1994 11, df=y
Nationality:Icelandic
Career Start:2009
Career End:2024
Career Number:5, 6
Years1:2009–2014
Team1:Snæfell
Years2:2017–2018
Team2:Club Baloncesto Leganés
Years3:2018–2019
Team3:Celta de Vigo Baloncesto
Years4:2019–2020
Team4:KR
Years5:2020–2022
Team5:Valur
Years6:2022
Team6:BC Namur-Capitale
Years7:2022–2024
Team7:Valur
Highlights:

Hildur Björg Kjartansdóttir (born 18 November 1994) is an Icelandic former basketball player. She was named the Icelandic Women's Basketball Player of the Year twice, in 2017[1] and 2018, and was a four time selection to the Úrvalsdeild Domestic All-First Team. During her career, she won the Icelandic championship three times and the Icelandic Cup once.

Outside of Iceland, Hildur played college basketball for Texas–Rio Grande Valley and professionally in Spain and Belgium.

Career

After coming up the junior ranks of Snæfell, Hildur played her first game for the senior team during the 2009-10 Úrvalsdeild kvenna season. During the 2012–13 season, she was selected as a starter in Icelandic All-Star game, where she scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds.[2] She was a key member of the Snæfell's 2014 national championship team,[3] averaging 15.3 points and 9.9 rebounds during the season.[1]

In 2014, Hildur signed with University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and spent the next three years there. On 24 February 2017 she scored the game winning basket at the buzzer against Seattle University.[4] She played 100 games for UTRGV, with 82 starts, averaging 7.4 points and 6.4 rebounds over the three seasons.[5]

After graduating, Hildur signed with Breiðablik on 27 May 2017.[6] In August, she exercised an escape clause in her contract with Breiðablik and signed with Club Baloncesto Leganés of the Spanish Liga Femenina 2.[7] [8] For the season she averaged 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 40% from the three-point range.[9]

In June 2018, Hildur signed with rival LF2 club Celta de Vigo Baloncesto.[9]

In December 2018, Hildur was named the Icelandic Women's Basketball Player of the Year for the second straight year.[10]

On 13 May 2019, Hildur signed a one-year contract with Úrvalsdeild kvenna club KR.[11] On 13 February 2020 she led all scorers with 37 points in a victory against defending cup and national champions Valur in the Icelandic Cup final four, propelling KR to the Cup finals.[12] [13]

On 13 May 2020, Hildur signed with Valur[14] after KR failed to give her a contract offer or any answers on the future of the team in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic in Iceland.[15] On 2 June 2021, she won the national championship after Valur beat Haukar 3–0 in the Úrvalsdeild finals.[16] Following the season, she was named to the Úrvalsdeild Domestic All-First team.[17]

In July 2022, Hildur Björg signed with BC Namur-Capitale of the Belgian Women's Basketball League.[18]

In December 2022, Hildur returned to Iceland and signed back with Valur.[19] The same month, she came in second in the voting for the Icelandic Female Basketball Player of the Year.[20]

On 28 April 2023, she won her third Icelandic championship after Valur defeated top-seeded Keflavík in the Úrvalsdeild finals, 3–1.[21] Following the season, she was selected to the Úrvalsdeild Domestic All-First Team.[22]

On 24 January 2024, Hildur Björg announced her retirement from playing basketball[23] due to repetitive head injuries, including two during the season.[24]

Icelandic national team

Hildur Björg was first selected to the Icelandic national basketball team in 2013, at the age of seventeen,[25] and as of 2017 she has played 19 games for the team.[26] [27] In November 2017 she was selected to the team for the EuroBasket Women 2019 qualification.[28] [29]

Awards, titles and accomplishments

Individual awards

Titles

2014

2012

Accomplishments

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson. Hildur Björg og Martin eru körfuknattleiksfólk ársins 2017. 13 December 2017. Vísir.is. 13 December 2017. Icelandic.
  2. Web site: Hildur Björg Kjartansdóttir. goutrgv.com. Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros. 13 December 2017.
  3. News: Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson. Hildur í öðru veldi. 13 December 2017. Vísir.is. 28 February 2014. Icelandic.
  4. News: Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson. Flautukarfa Hildar réð úrslitum í Seattle í nótt. 13 December 2017. Vísir.is. 24 February 2017. Icelandic.
  5. Web site: Hildur Björg Kjartansdóttir Stats. herosports.com. 13 December 2017.
  6. News: Kristjana Arnarsdóttir. Landsliðskona til liðs við nýliða Breiðabliks. 13 December 2017. RÚV. 27 May 2017. Icelandic.
  7. News: Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson. Hildur Björg spilar á Spáni í vetur. 13 December 2017. Vísir.is. 24 August 2017. Icelandic.
  8. News: Andri Yrkill Valsson. Var í raun mjög óvænt. 13 December 2017. Morgunblaðið. 26 August 2017. Icelandic.
  9. News: Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson . Hildur spilar áfram á Spáni . 6 June 2018 . . 6 June 2018 . Icelandic.
  10. News: Jón Björn Ólafsson . Hildur og Martin körfuknattleiksfólk ársins annað árið í röð . 17 December 2018 . Karfan.is . 17 December 2018 . Icelandic . 23 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220123020801/https://www.karfan.is/2018/12/hildur-og-martin-korfuknattleiksfolk-arsins-annad-arid-i-rod/ . dead .
  11. News: Ólafur Þór Jónsson . Hildur Björg til KR . 13 May 2019 . Karfan.is . 13 May 2019 . Icelandic.
  12. News: Valur Páll Eiríksson . KR í bikarúrslit eftir ótrúlegan leik . 13 February 2020 . . 13 February 2020 . Icelandic.
  13. News: Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson . Hildur Björg sló bæði stiga- og framlagsmet Helenu í Höllinni í gær . 14 February 2020 . . 14 February 2020 . Icelandic.
  14. News: Davíð Eldur . Hildur Björg í Val . 13 May 2020 . Karfan.is . 13 May 2020 . Icelandic.
  15. News: Sindri Sverrisson . Hildur fékk ekkert á hreint hjá KR og leitaði annað . 14 May 2020 . . 14 May 2020 . Icelandic.
  16. News: Sæbjörn Þór Þórbergsson Steinke . Umfjöllun og viðtöl: Valur - Haukar 74-65 - Sópurinn á lofti og Valur Íslandsmeistari . 3 June 2021 . . 2 June 2021 . Icelandic.
  17. News: Hörður og Sara kjörin best . 29 June 2021 . . 29 June 2021 . Icelandic.
  18. News: Hjörtur Leó Guðjónsson . Hildur Björg semur við Namur í Belgíu . 26 July 2022 . . 26 July 2022 . Icelandic.
  19. News: Landsliðsfyrirliðinn semur við Val . 4 December 2022 . Karfan.is . 4 December 2022 . Icelandic.
  20. News: Sara og Elvar körfuknattleiksfólk ársins . 14 December 2022 . . 14 December 2022 . Icelandic.
  21. News: Þorkell Gunnar Sigurbjörnsson . Valskonur eru Íslandsmeistarar í körfubolta . 29 April 2023 . . 28 April 2023 . Icelandic.
  22. News: Kári og Eva bestu leikmenn tímabilsins . 19 May 2023 . . 19 May 2023 . Icelandic.
  23. News: Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson . Hildur Björg setur körfuboltaskóna á hilluna . 24 January 2024 . . 24 January 2024 . Icelandic.
  24. News: Valur Páll Eiríksson . Þakklæti og sorg í senn: „Búinn að móta líf mitt“ . 26 January 2024 . . 26 January 2024 . Icelandic.
  25. News: Kristján Jónsson. Þetta er aðalíþróttin í bænum. 13 December 2017. Morgunblaðið. 24 December 2011. 4. Icelandic.
  26. Web site: KKÍ | A landslið . kki.is. 2017-12-13.
  27. News: Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson. Uppteknar í bandaríska háskólaboltanum og missa af landsleikjunum. 13 December 2017. Vísir.is. 17 November 2015. Icelandic.
  28. News: Hans Steinar Bjarnason. Landsliðshópur valinn fyrir undankeppni EM. 11 December 2017. RÚV. 27 October 2017. Icelandic.
  29. News: Sindri Sverrisson. Munum finna fyrir því í teignum. 13 December 2017. Morgunblaðið. 9 November 2017. Icelandic.