Armenian basketball player Daniel Kirakosyan to continue his career in the Russian Super League

20-year-old Armenian national team player Daniel Kirakosyan has signed a one-year contract with the reigning champion of the Russian Super League — Revda’s club “Temp-SUMZ.”

A dual citizen of Russia and Armenia, Kirakosyan already has international experience. This summer, he debuted for Armenia’s senior national team in the 2027 World Cup pre-qualifiers, having previously represented the country’s youth squad. Russian fans may remember him from a June friendly against Russia’s U20 team, where Kirakosyan became the star of the match, scoring 32 points in 32 minutes.

Despite holding an Armenian passport, Daniel grew up in the Russian basketball system. He began his career at Moscow’s “Trinta” under coach Yevgeny Gorbunov. With the team, he became both Moscow and Russian champion, and in the national championship final, he was named best point guard after scoring 19 points. That roster also included future basketball prospects such as Egor Demin and Kirakosyan’s current “Temp” teammate Nikolai Natsvlishvili.

Later, the athlete moved to the United States, studying and playing at Saint Monica Preparatory and Southern Coast Academy. Although he reached NCAA Division II, he never debuted due to bureaucratic issues with educational documents. Despite interest from several university programs, the season was lost.

Following his impressive summer performances for Armenia, Kirakosyan received offers from Russian clubs, but most had already finalized their rosters. The decisive opportunity came from “Temp.” The player admitted he had heard only positive feedback about the club and coaching staff, so he accepted without hesitation.

At his new club, Kirakosyan will compete for playing time with Vladislav Ilinov and Andrey Sopin.

It should be noted that the Super League is the second tier in the Russian league system.