Andrei Kirilenko facts for kids
Andrei Kirilenko in 2024
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | February 18, 1981 Izhevsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
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| Nationality | Russian / American | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24th overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1997–2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Spartak St. Petersburg | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | CSKA Moscow | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Partizan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2011 | Utah Jazz | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | CSKA Moscow | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Brooklyn Nets | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | CSKA Moscow | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 9,431 (11.8 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 4,352 (5.5 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 2,169 (2.7 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko (Russian: Андрей Геннадьевич Кириленко; born February 18, 1981), known as AK-47, is a Russian basketball leader and former professional basketball player.
When he was fifteen, Kirilenko started playing professional basketball in Russia. He played for CSKA Moscow from 1998 to 2001. In 1999, the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA) chose Kirilenko in their draft. He was the first Russian player picked in the first round of an NBA draft. He was also the youngest European player ever chosen in the NBA draft.
Kirilenko joined the Jazz in 2001 and played for them until 2010. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He was also chosen for the NBA All-Defensive Team three times. He played in the 2004 All-Star Game and led the NBA in blocked shots in the 2004–2005 season.
During a break in the NBA season in 2011, Kirilenko went back to Russia to play for CSKA Moscow. He helped his team reach the 2012 EuroLeague Final. That year, he was named the EuroLeague MVP and won the EuroLeague Best Defender award. Kirilenko returned to the NBA in 2012 to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He finished his NBA career with the Brooklyn Nets in 2014.
Kirilenko became a regular player for the Russian national team at the 2000 Summer Olympics. With Russia, he won the EuroBasket title in 2007. He was named the MVP of that tournament. In 2011, he and his team won a bronze medal. Kirilenko was named FIBA Europe Men's Player of the Year twice. He also won a Euroscar Player of the Year award in 2012.
In 2015, Kirilenko was chosen to be the president of the Russian Basketball Federation.
Contents
Early Life & Start in Basketball
Kirilenko was born in Izhevsk, a city in Russia, when it was part of the Soviet Union. He started playing organized basketball when he was ten years old.
Professional Career
Spartak St. Petersburg (1997–1998)
In 1997, Kirilenko became the youngest player ever to play in the top Russian basketball league. He played for Spartak Saint Petersburg for two seasons.
CSKA Moscow (first stint: 1998–2001)
Kirilenko joined CSKA Moscow in 1998. In his first season, he helped his new team win the Russian league championship. He also took part in the Russian All-Star game. He helped the West team win and won the slam dunk contest.
Partizan (2001)
In August 2001, Kirilenko signed a contract with the Yugoslavian team Partizan ICN. This contract allowed him to leave if an NBA team wanted him.
Utah Jazz (2001–2011)
On June 30, 1999, when he was 18 years old, Kirilenko was drafted by the Utah Jazz. He was the youngest foreign player ever chosen in the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft at that time. He was also the first Russian player picked in the first round. However, he stayed with CSKA Moscow for two more seasons. In the 1999–2000 season, he helped his team win another Russian championship.
Kirilenko joined the Utah Jazz in 2001. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team, which honors the best new players. He became one of the NBA's top young players and a great defender. In 2004, he was chosen to play in the NBA All-Star Game. In the 2003–04 NBA season, he was third in the league for blocked shots and fourth for steals. He was only the second player in NBA history to be in the top five for both.
Kirilenko became a key player for the Jazz in 2003. He played in 78 of the team's 82 games. He led the Jazz in many areas:
- Total points: 1,284 (16.5 points per game)
- Total rebounds: 629 (8.1 rebounds per game)
- Blocks: 215 (2.8 blocks per game)
- Steals: 150 (1.9 steals per game)
In the middle of the 2004–05 NBA season, Kirilenko broke his right wrist. This injury kept him from playing for the rest of the season. Even though he only played in 41 games, he had enough blocked shots to be the league leader in blocks per game. He was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Team.
In the 2005–06 NBA season, Kirilenko was again one of the best shot blockers and defenders. He had a career-high 10 blocks in one game. He finished first in the league for total blocks (220) and second for blocks per game (3.2). He was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
The 2006–2007 season was tough for Kirilenko. His scoring went down as the team focused on other players. He was frustrated, but he bounced back. He led Russia to win the EuroBasket 2007 championship and was named the tournament's MVP.
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Despite rumors that he wanted to leave, he improved his game in the 2007–08 NBA season. His shooting also got much better.
Return to CSKA (second stint: 2011–2012)
During an NBA player lockout in 2011, Kirilenko went back to Russia to play for his old team, CSKA Moscow. He stayed with CSKA Moscow for the rest of the season. At the end of the season, he was named the 2011–12 EuroLeague MVP. He averaged 14.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the EuroLeague.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2012–2013)
On July 27, 2012, Kirilenko signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was the team's starting small forward. He played in 64 games during the 2012–13 NBA season. He missed some games due to injuries. He finished the season averaging 12.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Brooklyn Nets (2013–2014)
On July 12, 2013, Kirilenko signed a two-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets. He played for them until November 2014.
Third stint with CSKA (2015)
On December 11, 2014, Kirilenko was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. However, he did not play for them. On February 24, 2015, Kirilenko signed with CSKA Moscow again for the rest of the season. With Kirilenko, CSKA Moscow reached the 2015 EuroLeague Final Four. They won the VTB United League championship.
On June 23, 2015, Kirilenko announced he was retiring from playing professional basketball.
National Team Career
As a young player, Kirilenko was the MVP of the 1999 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. His first big international tournament with the senior Russia national basketball team was at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Russia finished 8th there.
He also played in four more EuroBasket tournaments. In EuroBasket 2007, he won the gold medal and was named the MVP of the tournament. This win helped Russia qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Kirilenko was chosen to carry Russia's flag at the opening ceremony of those games.
At the 2008 Olympics, Kirilenko scored 15 points in the first game against Iran. He scored his personal best of 23 points against Argentina.
Kirilenko won a bronze medal with Russia at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Career as Executive
In August 2015, Kirilenko was chosen as the president of the Russian Basketball Federation. He was re-elected to this role in August 2020.
Career Statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
NBA
| * | Led the league |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Utah | 82 | 40 | 26.2 | .450 | .250 | .768 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 10.7 |
| 2002–03 | Utah | 80 | 11 | 27.7 | .491 | .325 | .800 | 5.3 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 12.0 |
| 2003–04 | Utah | 78 | 78 | 37.1 | .443 | .338 | .790 | 8.1 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 16.5 |
| 2004–05 | Utah | 41 | 37 | 32.9 | .493 | .299 | .784 | 6.2 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 3.3* | 15.6 |
| 2005–06 | Utah | 69 | 63 | 37.7 | .460 | .308 | .699 | 8.0 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 15.3 |
| 2006–07 | Utah | 70 | 70 | 29.3 | .471 | .213 | .728 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 8.3 |
| 2007–08 | Utah | 72 | 72 | 30.8 | .506 | .379 | .770 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 11.0 |
| 2008–09 | Utah | 67 | 10 | 27.3 | .449 | .274 | .785 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 11.6 |
| 2009–10 | Utah | 58 | 35 | 29.0 | .506 | .292 | .744 | 4.6 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 11.9 |
| 2010–11 | Utah | 64 | 62 | 31.2 | .467 | .367 | .770 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 11.7 |
| 2012–13 | Minnesota | 64 | 64 | 31.8 | .507 | .292 | .752 | 5.7 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 12.4 |
| 2013–14 | Brooklyn | 45 | 4 | 19.0 | .513 | .200 | .513 | 3.2 | 1.6 | .9 | .4 | 5.0 |
| 2014–15 | Brooklyn | 7 | 0 | 5.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .750 | 1.1 | .1 | .1 | .0 | .4 |
| Career | 797 | 546 | 30.2 | .474 | .310 | .754 | 5.5 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 11.8 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 12.0 | .333 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Utah | 4 | 4 | 30.5 | .393 | .000 | .813 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 8.8 |
| 2003 | Utah | 5 | 0 | 29.0 | .419 | .143 | .875 | 4.8 | 1.4 | .6 | 2.0 | 11.6 |
| 2007 | Utah | 17 | 17 | 31.0 | .447 | .333 | .785 | 5.2 | 2.6 | .9 | 2.4 | 9.6 |
| 2008 | Utah | 12 | 12 | 32.3 | .447 | .227 | .714 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 11.0 |
| 2009 | Utah | 5 | 3 | 27.2 | .468 | .200 | .714 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 2.2 | .6 | 11.0 |
| 2010 | Utah | 2 | 0 | 15.0 | .500 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.0 | .0 | .5 | .5 | 5.5 |
| 2014 | Brooklyn | 10 | 0 | 14.4 | .467 | .000 | .647 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .3 | 2.5 |
| Career | 55 | 36 | 27.1 | .445 | .208 | .767 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 8.7 | |
EuroLeague
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | CSKA Moscow | 17 | 17 | 29.9 | .533 | .417 | .758 | 7.5* | 2.4 | 1.5 | 1.9* | 14.1 | 24.2* |
| 2014–15 | 11 | 9 | 19.3 | .518 | .462 | .682 | 5.3 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 8.5 | 13.9 | |
| Career | 28 | 26 | 25.8 | .529 | .426 | .734 | 6.6 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 11.9 | 20.2 | |
Player Profile
Kirilenko was a very flexible player who could play different positions. He was known for being great at both offense and defense. He averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in his NBA career. On defense, he was excellent at blocking shots (1.8 per game) and stealing the ball (1.4 per game). He was chosen for the NBA All-Defensive Team three times.
On January 3, 2006, Kirilenko had an amazing game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He scored 14 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, made 9 assists, got 6 steals, and blocked 7 shots. This was the third time in his career he achieved a "five-by-five". A "five-by-five" is when a player gets at least 5 in five different stats (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks). Only two players in NBA history have done this more than once: Kirilenko and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Kirilenko's nickname is "AK-47." This is because his initials are A.K., and he wore jersey number 47. It's also a fun coincidence that he was born in Izhevsk, Russia, where the famous AK-47 rifle was first made.
Personal Life
Kirilenko is married to Masha "Marina" Lopatova, a Russian pop singer. Her father, Andrey Lopatov, was also a basketball player. Kirilenko met his wife at a youth basketball camp in Moscow. They have three sons, Fedor, Stepan, and Andrey, and a daughter named Alexandra. They live in Los Angeles.
Some people say Kirilenko enjoyed playing the video game World of Warcraft (WoW) when he was in the NBA. Another NBA player, Channing Frye, once shared a story about being online playing WoW at 3 AM before a game. He saw Kirilenko was also online and asked if he was ready for the game. Kirilenko replied, "Yeah, probably."
See Also
In Spanish: Andréi Kirilenko para niños
- List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders
- List of National Basketball Association single-game blocks leaders
- 2008 Summer Olympics national flag bearers
- List of European basketball players in the United States
