Margo Dydek facts for kids
Dydek in September 2008
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | 28 April 1974 Warsaw, Poland |
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| Died | 27 May 2011 (aged 37) Brisbane, Australia |
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| Listed height | 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 223 lb (101 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1998 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Utah Starzz | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1998–2008 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–2004 | Utah Starzz / San Antonio Silver Stars | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Connecticut Sun | |||||||||||||
| 2008 | Los Angeles Sparks | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Małgorzata Teresa Dydek-Twigg, known as Margo Dydek, was a famous Polish professional basketball player. She was born on April 28, 1974, and passed away on May 27, 2011. Standing at 7 feet 2 inches tall, she was known as the tallest professional female basketball player in the world. Margo played the center position for many teams in the WNBA, which is the Women's National Basketball Association. Later, she became a coach for the Northside Wizards in Australia. She was honored with the Polish Gold Cross of Merit in 1999 for her achievements.
In 2019, Margo Dydek was added to the FIBA Hall of Fame, which is a special place for basketball legends.
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Margo Dydek's Early Life
Margo Dydek was born in Warsaw, Poland, on April 28, 1974. Her father was 6 feet 7 inches tall, and her mother was 6 feet 3 inches tall. Margo had two sisters who also played basketball. Her older sister, Katarzyna, was 6 feet 7 inches tall and played for the Colorado Xplosion. Her younger sister, Marta, was 6 feet 6 inches tall. Marta played basketball at the University of Texas–El Paso and then played professionally in Spain.
Margo Dydek's WNBA Career
Margo Dydek first came to the United States in May 1998 for the WNBA pre-draft camp. She was chosen as the very first player in the 1998 WNBA draft by the Utah Starzz team. This team later moved and became the San Antonio Silver Stars.
In 2005, the San Antonio Silver Stars traded Margo to the Connecticut Sun. This means she moved to a new team.
Margo Dydek holds several impressive records in the WNBA:
- She is the all-time leader in blocks, with 877 blocks in 323 games. A block is when a player stops an opponent's shot.
- She led the league in total blocks nine times.
- She led the league in blocks per game eight times.
- She had the most defensive rebounds (214) in the 2001 season. A defensive rebound is when a player gets the ball after an opponent misses a shot.
On June 3, 2008, Margo Dydek joined the Los Angeles Sparks. She had taken some time off from basketball because she had given birth to her son, David, in April of that year.
Margo Dydek's European Basketball Career
Before playing in the WNBA, Margo Dydek had a successful career in Europe.
- From 1992 to 1994, she played for Olimpia Poznań in Poland.
- From 1994 to 1996, she played for Valenciennes Orchies in France. This is where she met her future husband, David.
- From 1996 to 1998, she played for Pool Getafe in Spain.
- In 1998, she returned to Poland to play for Fota Porta Gdynia. She stayed with this club through several name changes.
In the 1999–2000 season, Margo averaged 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds for Gdynia in the FIBA EuroLeague. She was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Polish League Finals in 1999–2000. In 1999, an Italian sports magazine called La Gazzetta dello Sport named her the best female basketball player in Europe. Margo was also chosen as Poland's Sports Woman of the Year. She was a key player for the Poland women's national basketball team until 2007, helping them win the EuroBasket Women 1999. She also helped her club team, Gdynia, finish as runner-up in the FIBA EuroLeague in 2002 and 2004.
Margo Dydek's Personal Life
Margo Dydek was married and had two sons.
Margo Dydek's Passing
On May 19, 2011, Margo Dydek collapsed at her home in Brisbane, Australia. She was pregnant with her third child at the time. She was taken to a hospital and placed in a special sleep called a medically induced coma. She had been working as a coach for the Northside Wizards basketball team. Sadly, she never woke up and passed away eight days later, on May 27, 2011.
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