Willy Steveniers born Jan Willem Steveniers (Antwerp, December 12, 1938) is a Belgian former basketball player. He was considered in the media and public opinion as the best Belgian player of the (20th) century and is known as "the Emperor" of the Belgian basketball. 10,000 points
He played in Zaziko, Racing Mechelen, Standard Liège, Eural Goldfingers (Wilrijk), Aalst, Antwerp B.C. and Royal Fresh Air, each time in the Belgian league. Steveniers scored more than 10,000 points in the top class of the basket and became four times champion with Racing Mechelen (3x) and Standard Liège.
In addition, he was selected 54 times for the national team. With Standard, he reached the semi-finals for the European Cup champions and won the cup of Belgium. When he was 21 he got a chance to play in America, but he refused. He himself still considers it the greatest stupidity of his life. In 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1970 he was named player of the year in his country.
After his career, he remained a trainer and mentor in the basketball world and included the discoverer of Didier Ilunga Mbenga. Between these and Steveniers, a dispute over a percentage of the income earned by the NBA, which the Mbenga owed on the basis of a contract concluded at the beginning of his career, resulted in several legal cases. Externe link
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