Career
He played college basketball at Wright State University and was selected 12th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1996 National Basketball Association Draft. Nicknamed "The Ukraine Train", he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association, as well as MMT Estudiantes in the Spanish ACB. Since retiring as a player, Potapenko has served as an assistant coach with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Indiana Pacers, the Dakota Wizards, and the Santa Cruz Warriors. In June 2013, it was reported that Potapenko would become the assistant director of player development for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
September 27, 1995 - 1996 first-round draft pick that was eventually used to draft him traded by the Washington Bullets to the Cavaliers for Mark Price.
March 11, 1999 - Traded by the Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics for Andrew DeClercq and a 1999 first-round draft pick (used on Andre Miller). July 22, 2002 - Traded by the Celtics with Kenny Anderson and Joseph Forte to the Seattle SuperSonics for Vin Baker and Shammond Williams.
Potapenko was a sociology major at Wright State.