Career
A 6 ft 8 in (204 cm) forward, he was the first player from an Eastern bloc country to compete in the American National Basketball Association (National Basketball Association). Glouchkov began playing with Bulgaria"s national team as a teenager.After one successful season with Luskov Yambol junior side, he got promoted to their senior side by his junior coach Simeon Varchev. They also worked together in British Columbia Balkan Botevgrad and Akademik Varna.
By the mid-1980s, he had established a reputation as one of Europe"s top five players.
The Suns signed him to much fanfare on September 25, 1985, releasing a special press kit which included a history of Bulgaria and a glossary of Bulgarian phrases. Glouchkov knew very little English and was accompanied by Bozhidar Takev, a Bulgarian coach and trainer who translated for him.
Some Suns" staff members attributed his weight gain to his taste for American fast food and candy, but rumors also surfaced that he was experimenting with steroids. He ended the 1985-1986 National Basketball Association season with averages of 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
As the season came to a close, Glouchkov began losing weight at a dramatic pace.
When he reported to the Suns" 1986 summer league team, he weighed 25 pounds less than he had weighed when he first signed with the Suns. The Suns never determined the cause of his weight fluctuations, but after a poor performance in summer league competition, the Suns advised him to return to Europe. Glouchkov did return to his homeland and continued to play basketball in the European leagues.
Glouchkov began playing with the junior national teams of Bulgaria at the age of seventeen.
He began playing with the senior men"s Bulgarian national basketball team at the age of 19. He participated in 4 EuroBaskets.
He played at the EuroBasket 1979, the EuroBasket 1985, the EuroBasket 1989, and the EuroBasket 1991).