For the Greek audience if the question, "What do you know about Valery Goborov?" is asked, any answer will focus on the 1987 final and the foul by the Soviet center on Argyris Kampouris that eventually led to the winning free-throws and, moments later, to victory. At just 21 years old, Goborov took on the role of the fateful man for the "Bear," unaware of the tragic end that awaited him on the road two years later.

Valery was born on January 20, 1966, in Kherson, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, on the shores of the Black Sea. He grew up without the presence of his father, who abandoned his wife and newborn son, unable to take-up the responsibilities. Inevitably, Goborov 's bond with his mother, a worker in a plastic goods factory, was very strong. He began playing basketball at a young age, and by the time he was 14, already standing over 1.95 meters tall, he was offered the chance to move from Kherson to Kiev in order to continue his education at a sports school and train in more "professional" conditions. Initially, he refused. He didn't want to abandon his childhood home and his mother, but eventually she, wanting a better future for her son, convinced him to accept the offer. Indeed, the young man moved to the Ukrainian capital, and after settling in, he became the leader of his school's basketball team, leading them to the Kiev regional championship. However, he was often homesick and reminisced of his home and his mother. The frequent letters he sent her, often including poems of his own creation, give us a glimpse into his sensitivity and psychology during that time.

At just 17, the second-best team in Ukraine, the SKA Kiev, approached him and added him to their roster to strengthen their squad ahead of the upcoming championship, dominated primarily by CSKA Moscow and Zalgiris Kaunas. Around the same time, he met his teenage love, the woman who would become his wife, Natalia, who stood by him during their short life together. They moved from Kiev to Moscow when Valery transferred to CSKA, as a personal choice of the “Colonel” Alexander Gomelsky, and they got married in 1986, with Goborov being 20 and Natalia just 18 years old. Life for the young couple was not easy. Valery struggled to endure the tough daily training sessions under the "Colonel" and the pressure & expectations of professional sports, while Natalia worked on organizing their household, first in a hotel room and later in a 10-square-meter apartment in a working-class building in Moscow, where they shared a bathroom with the other residents of the floor. Despite these conditions, the loving Valery expressed his love for his wife, and Natalia remembered how, whenever he returned from international tournaments, he would always bring her a gift or a bouquet of flowers.

While life off the court was tough, on the court, Goborov managed to win Gomelsky's trust. Through his performances with CSKA, he earned a spot on the Soviet team for the 1987 European Championship as a replacement for the injured Sabonis. Arvydas’ return for the Seoul Olympics in 1988 did not affect Goborov 's participation with the national team. He found his place again in the Soviet squad, and by the end of the tournament, a gold medal was hanging around his neck. He had already caught the attention of NBA teams, particularly Atlanta. The Hawks had noticed him from a couple of friendly games in Tbilisi, Vilnius, and Moscow in July '88. Goborov was now considered as a key player for both CSKA and the national team. He was called again for the 1989 European Championship games in Zagreb, aiming for a return to the top, but all the Soviets managed was a bronze medal. The "revenge" for the loss in the Peace and Friendship Stadium never came, as Galis and the Greek national team had other plans.

In August of that same year, rumors regarding Goborov 's possible move abroad started circulating. Gomelsky had kept his promise to the internationals before the Seoul final: if they delivered him the only gold medal missing from his expansive collection, he would open the door for Soviet players to play in a foreign league. The rumors grew stronger in early September after Goborov 's performances against Sabonis in the friendlies played by CSKA in Spain against Fórum Valladolid, the team that "Sabas" had chosen for the continuation of his career. The Lithuanian giant spoke very highly of his former teammate on the Soviet national team, urging Spanish teams to sign him.

However, whatever plans were being made by foreign clubs or Gorbobrov himself no longer mattered after the early morning of September 7, 1989.

     Just after arriving from Spain, Valery, instead of going home where his wife Natalia and their one-year-old son Oleg were waiting, followed some friends' suggestions for a drink at a bar. He chose to drive 90 kilometers to Kaluga, south of Moscow. One drink led to another, and the bottles of vodka kept opening. Goborov got into his car just before 5 AM, nearly stumbling. He had driven only a few hundred meters when, under the influence of alcohol, he fell asleep at the wheel as he entered a tunnel, and his car crashed into the wall at high speed. The impact was so severe that the car traveled all the way to the exit, stopping next to a monument of Yuri Gagarin.

Valery Goborov was dead at just 23 years old...an athlete with a bright future ahead of him, a person who never had the chance to enjoy life...

He was buried at the Preobrazhenskoe cemetery in Moscow, and his marble tombstone features an image of him smiling happily, along with a few lines from a poem he once sent to his mother:

"Never give up mother, never stop fighting. As shall I".....