Former European champion Welp dead at 51

German center Christian Welp, who won the European championship with Germany and also played in the NBA, has died of heart failure aged 51, the University of Washington said on Monday. He also played for the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs before returning to Europe to play in Greece, Germany and Italy, winning nine championships in as many seasons. Welp became a household name in Germany when he scored the last three points in their 71-70 European Championship win over Russia in the 1993 final, "This is an extremely sad loss," Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar said on the Huskies website.