Standing at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), he played at the shooting guard and small forward positions. He was the first Latvian to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 1992–1993.
After finishing his playing career, Vētra became a coach. He first started as head coach of Barons, leading them to their first ever LBL finals appearance in 2005. For the 2005-06 season he was an assistant to Sharon Drucker with Ural Great. Following a season in Russia, Vētra returned to Latvia, where he re-united with Barons. His second stint with Barons wasn't as good as expected, and Vētra left them to try his hand in women's basketball. After four seasons in Russia he went back to Latvia, joining BK Ventspils, where his team made the Latvian League finals.
Vētra has two daughters who played NCAA Division I college basketball. Laura played at Fairfield Stags from 2009-13. Ruta was a guard at NJIT Highlanders from 2013-17.

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