Basketball player Andrei Kirilenko: biography, personal life and interesting facts. Team achievements of Andrey Kirilenko

One of the highest paid athletes in Russia - his annual earnings in the Utah Jazz was about $ 15.3 million.

On August 8, 2008 Andrey was honored to carry the flag of Russia at the opening of summer Olympic Games in Pekin.

In 2011, Kirilenko received US citizenship.

Biography

early years

Andrei Kirilenko was born on February 18, 1981 in Izhevsk. He began playing basketball professionally in St. Petersburg. In 1995, as part of the city team, he became the champion of Russia among players born in 1981.

On January 18, 1997, as part of Spartak St. Petersburg, Kirilenko made his debut in the Russian Championship, becoming the youngest player in history at the age of less than 16. In the summer of 1998, the player moved to CSKA, with whom he won two Russian championships. In the 2000/01 season, Kirilenko, together with his team, reached the Final Four of the FIBA Supro League.

Utah Jazz

On June 30, 1999, Kirilenko was selected by the Utah Jazz NBA club under the 24th draft pick. At that time, the Russian was the youngest European basketball player drafted by the National Basketball Association team.

In Utah, Kirilenko made his debut in the 2001/02 season, following which he was included in the symbolic five. the best newcomers NBA. Before the start of the 2003/04 season, longtime leaders John Stockton (retired) and Karl Malone (moved to the Los Angeles Lakers) left the team. After that, Kirilenko became the leading player for the Utah Jazz.

In the middle of the 2004/05 season, Kirilenko received serious injury hands and returned to the site only in the fall of 2005. The 2005/06 season was the most successful for the Russian in his career. He became the NBA's leading player in total blocks (220) and also made two triple-doubles.

In the 2006/07 season, Kirilenko's performance deteriorated significantly: Main coach"Jazzmen" Jerry Sloan built the attacking game of the team through other players. The basketball player himself in an interview Russian media has repeatedly stated that if the Utah team play does not change, he does not rule out a transfer to another club. However, the Russian remained in the team.

In the 2007/08 season, Kirilenko played in the starting five in all games of the regular season and playoffs and scored an average of 11 points per game.

In the 2009/10 season, Kirilenko's performance was not as high due to injuries - he missed most of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets and managed to recover only by the second round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers. , where Kirilenko spent two games.

At the end of the 2010/11 season, Andrei Kirilenko became a free agent. In connection with the lockout in the NBA, on October 4, 2011, he signed a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow, if the lockout ended, he could return to the NBA. On December 31, 2011, it became known that Andrei Kirilenko would play for CSKA until the end of the season.

Russian team

Kirilenko made his debut for the national team in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics. Played at the European Championships 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, World Championship 2002.

Memorable for Kirilenko was the EuroBasket 2007 in Spain. The Russian national team for the first time in its history (excluding the achievements of the USSR team) became the winner of the championship of the continent. Kirilenko played several bright matches, the best of which was the semi-final with Lithuania (86:74). In this meeting, the striker scored 29 points, having implemented 9 of 11 shots from the game. As a result of the tournament, Andrey was included in the symbolic team of the tournament and was recognized as the MVP of the tournament. Andrei also competed at the Beijing Olympics and was the flag bearer for the Russian team at the opening ceremony of the Games.

In 2009, Kirilenko refused to take part in EuroBasket 2009 due to family reasons.

In 2010, Andrei Kirilenko decided not to participate in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

In 2011, he returned to the national team to participate in the European Championship, where the Russian team took 3rd place.

Achievements

Double champion Russia as part of CSKA: 1998/99 and 1999/2000.
The best player of the championship of Russia - 1999/2000.
Champion of Russia-1995 in the team of St. Petersburg in the age category not older than 1981 year of birth.
The youngest player in the history of the Russian Super League (15 years old).
Member of the "Star Games" of Russia in 1999 and 2000.
Top Duck Contest Winner - 1999.
Silver medalist at the 1997 European Youth Championship. Tournament MVP.
Silver medalist at the 1998 World Youth Games.
The youngest participant in the All-Star Games in Europe (18 years 10 months 10 days).
Member of the Final Four of the FIBA Euroleague - 2000/01.
The best European basketball player of the 2000/01 season according to Basket News.
2007 European Champion, MVP and Best Forward of the Tournament
Member of the NBA Rookie Games (2002, 2003).
NBA All-Rookie Team (2002)
Member of the NBA All-Star Game (2004)
NBA regular season leader in block shots - 2005
3 times included in the team of all NBA defense stars: 2006 (first team); 2004, 2005 (second team)
FIBA Europe Player of the Year - 2007

Professional quality

Andrey Kirilenko is a versatile player who can play as a small forward or power forward. Famous high level his games in both offense (12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in his NBA career at the end of the 2010/2011 season) and defense. Offensively, Kirilenko relies on his opponents picking up fouls, passing, and his quick first move. For his ability to play defensively, he was included in the NBA All-Defensive Team three times. Kirilenko's main defensive strengths are shot blocking and interception skills (2.0 blocks and 1.4 interceptions per game in his NBA career at the end of the 2010/2011 season).

Thanks to his versatility, Andrei has achieved a very rare statistic three times in his NBA career, which in North America is called “five-by-five” (eng. Five-by-five), when a basketball player scores at least 5 points per game for each statistic - points, assists, rebounds, steals and block shots. Andrei hit five-on-five twice in the same week in early December 2003, and on January 3, 2006, against the Los Angeles Lakers, he managed to hit five-on-six when he scored not less than 6 points for each indicator. In the entire history since the 1985/86 season, only Hakim Olajuwon managed to “make” five-for-six. Olajuwon is also the only basketball player, other than Kirilenko, who has managed to achieve more than one five-on-five record in his career - the famous center has 6 of them.

Statistics

Personal life

Andrei is married to Maria Lopatova, daughter of basketball player Andrei Lopatov. Maria is 8 years older than her husband. They have three children in their family - sons Fedor, Stepan and daughter Alexandra, who was adopted in 2009. The basketball player's wife recorded a music CD in 2002, and Kirilenko himself starred in his wife's video.

Andrei is the cousin of tennis player Maria Kirilenko.

During the NBA season, the Kirilenkos live in their own home in Salt Lake City, and during the off-season they live in Moscow and France. The Kirilenkos created the Kirilenko's Kids Charitable Foundation, which provides assistance to orphanages, boarding schools, hospitals and sports schools USA and Russia.

Political activity

On February 9, 2012, he was officially registered as a confidant of the candidate for the President of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Prokhorov.

Andrei Kirilenko is an illustrious basketball player who has been one of the most prominent representatives of the Russian basketball school for many years. There are many awards in his collection, but today we will try to push sports into the background and talk about our today's hero not only as an athlete, but also as an ordinary person.

Childhood and the family of Andrei Kirilenko

Andrei Kirilenko was born on February 18, 1981 in the Udmurt city of Izhevsk. The father of our today's hero - Gennady Kirilenko - was also a famous athlete in the past, and at the time of the birth of his son he had already trained one of football teams Leningrad region. As for basketball, Andrei's mother, Olga, was engaged in it. During professional career she managed to play in such teams as Spartak, Hammer and Sickle, Burevestnik and Skorokhod.

Andrei Kirilenko with his wife and daughter

The permanent place of residence for the family of the future athlete was the city of Leningrad. However, during pregnancy, Andrei's mother went to his mother in Izhevsk, and therefore our today's hero was born in Udmurtia. At the age of four months, the boy first appeared in the city above the Neva. It was there that the childhood and youth of the basketball player subsequently passed.

IN early years Andrei Kirilenko was fond of football, handball and swimming. However, already in the first grade, he decided to connect his life with basketball. He began to engage in this sport at the Youth Sports School of the Frunzensky District of Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Some time later, the guy got into the city team. It was in the composition of this team that our today's hero achieved his first successes, having won the Russian Basketball Cup in one of the younger age categories.

According to one of the coaches of the young basketball player, his talent was already visible from early childhood. This is probably why very soon our today's hero was part of his first professional club.

Professional career of basketball player Andrey Kirilenko

With his inspired game, Andrey managed to attract the attention of CSKA Moscow, which lured young player summer of 1998. The basketball player began to justify the trust placed in him in the first season. He scored an average of 12.5 points per game, and subsequently managed to win the Russian championship with the "soldiers". In the Euroleague, the team reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, which was also a good experience for the young player.

In the 1999/2000 season, Andrei Kirilenko began to score more than thirteen points per game, and therefore very soon became the recognized leader of CSKA. In that season, our today's hero again became the champion of Russia, and also won the title of the best player in the entire championship. At that moment, it became clear that the player would not stay in the Russian Championship.

Andrey Kirilenko in the NBA

The 2000/2001 season was the most difficult for CSKA in a long time. The team was left without medals, and the bright game of the young striker remained the only bright spot against the background of general despondency. As a result, in 2001, Andrei Kirilenko left the former team and joined the ranks of one of the clubs in the National Basketball League - the Utah Jazz.

As part of his new team, the Russian station wagon spent ten full seasons. During this time, he became one of the most notable players in his team, as well as one of its highest paid players. As part of a club from Utah, Andrei Kirilenko managed to achieve many significant victories, but he never managed to become an NBA champion. Despite this, our today's hero several times got into the symbolic team of this tournament, and also once participated in the league all-star match. In 2007 and 2012, Andrei Kirilenko was recognized as the best player in the Old World by the European Basketball Association.

These successes were interspersed with the successes of the player won at the national team level. Playing for the national team of Russia, the talented forward won the gold of the European Championship (Spain-2007), and also became bronze medalist this championship (Lithuania-2011). In addition, in 2012, Andrei Kirilenko, together with the Russian national team, managed to reach third place in the Olympic tournament on basketball. The player can also bring this success to his asset.

Andrei Kirilenko has an amazing tattoo

These victories brought our today's hero the title of Honored Master of Sports of Russia, as well as the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (second degree).

Due to the NBA lockout in 2011, the player spent the 2011/2012 season in Russia. As part of CSKA, he became the champion of the VTB United League, but later moved overseas again. Next steps the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Brooklyn Nets became star strikers in their careers. As part of the last of these clubs, the player still performs to this day.

Personal life, Sergey Kirilenko at present

In 2011, our today's hero married a girl named Maria Lopatova, who is the daughter of basketball player Andrei Lopatov. The girl is eight years older than her husband.

Today, the couple lives in Salt Lake City and has three children - two sons and a daughter. In addition, the spouses have real estate in Russia and France. On this moment Andrei, his wife and children are citizens of the United States of America.

Since 2003, Kirilenko has been active in charitable activities within the framework of the Kirilenko's Kids Foundation. This organization supports the development children's sports and also helps people with disabilities.

In 2012, Andrei Kirilenko supported Mikhail Prokhorov during the elections in the Russian Federation and was even officially his confidant.

Andrei Gennadievich Kirilenko. Born February 18, 1981 in Izhevsk. Russian basketball player Honored Master of Sports of Russia.

From the age of 15 professional basketball. Plays as a small or heavy forward.

He was the leader of CSKA Moscow - the most titled basketball club Russia.

In 2000 he became the best player in the Russian championship.

In 2001, at the age of 20, he received an invitation to play in the NBA as part of the Utah Jazz club. In the NBA, thanks to his versatility, he has proven himself both in attack and in defense.

As part of the Russian national basketball team, he is the owner of the gold medals of the European Championship in 2007, the bronze medals of the European Championship in 2011 and the bronze medalist of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Since August 2015 - President Russian Federation basketball.

Father is a former athlete, is the head coach of the women's football club"Iskra" (Leningrad region).

Olga Kirilenko played basketball herself and played for women's teams"Petrel", "Spartak", "Hammer and Sickle" and "Skorokhod". During Olga's pregnancy, Gennady Kirilenko served in the army, in a sports company, and Olga went to give birth to her mother in Izhevsk. Four months after the birth, the mother brought the future basketball player to St. Petersburg.

As a child, Andrei was fond of swimming, football, handball.

I started playing basketball at the Children's and Youth Sports School of the Frunzensky district of St. Petersburg from the 1st grade. The first coach is Alexey Vladimirovich Vasiliev. In 1995, as part of the city team, he became the Russian basketball champion among players born in 1981.

January 18, 1997 Kirilenko began his professional career as part of the St. Petersburg "Spartacus" in the 1996/97 season, becoming, at less than 16 years old, the youngest player in the championship of Russia in the history of the tournament. He only played in three games this season, but the next season he played in 41 games, averaging 11.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on a .521 shooting percentage from the field.

In 1997, Kirilenko took part in the European Championship among juniors, averaging 19.5 points and 10.2 rebounds, as well as making 3.9 steals per game, as a result of which he was recognized as the most valuable player of the tournament.

In the summer of 1998, Kirilenko moved to CSKA. In his first season with the capital, he averaged 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 26 games during the regular season, and 5.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in seven games from the opening minutes. in European club competition. Together with the team, Kirilenko won the gold medals of the Russian championship for the first time.

June 30, 1999 Kirilenko was selected by the NBA club "Utah Jazz" under the 24th draft pick. The Russian became at that time the youngest European basketball player drafted by the National Basketball Association team. Number 13 - Andrey's traditional number - was already taken by John Amaechi, who joined Utah, but by the time of the choice, the players in the team had already nicknamed Kirilenko AK-47 and, in accordance with this nickname, he was offered game number 47.

Kirilenko made his debut in Utah in the 2001/02 season, as a result of which he was included in the symbolic five of the best NBA rookies and took third place in the voting for the title of "rookie of the year". On average, Andrey scored 10.7 points per game (5th among all newcomers).

In the summer of 2005, the Jazz, who were third in the draft, selected Deron Williams in the first round and re-signed Andrei Kirilenko for the maximum amount. Thus, he became one of the highest paid athletes in Russia - his annual earnings in the Utah Jazz were about $ 15.3 million.

In the off-season, Andriy withdrew from playing for the national team in qualifying for the 2007 European Championship, devoting himself to intensive work on the throw, along with personal trainer Jeff Hornacek, but ended up having the worst season of his career.

At the end of the 2010/11 season, Andrei Kirilenko became a free agent. In connection with the NBA lockout, on October 4, 2011, Andrei signed a three-year contract with CSKA, if the lockout ended, he could return to the NBA. On December 31, 2011, Andrey Kirilenko made the final decision that he would play for CSKA until the end of the 2011/12 season. Together with the team, Andrey reached the final of the Euroleague, won the VTB United League and won the gold medals of the Russian championship.

On July 27, 2012, Andrei Kirilenko decided to take advantage of the contract option allowing him to return to the NBA and signed a contract with the club Minnesota Timberwolves. Kirilenko, playing for Minnesota, scored an average of 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. At the end of the season, Andrei decided to forgo his second year, not renew his contract with Minnesota, and became an unrestricted free agent.

In 2013, Kirilenko signed a one-year, $3.1 million contract with the club. Brooklyn Nets, owned by a Russian businessman, having previously refused a 10 millionth contract with Minnesota. On December 11, 2014, Brooklyn traded Kirilenko and Jorge Gutierrez to the Philadelphia 76ers. Due to Kirilenko's refusal to play for Philadelphia, the club disqualified the player and terminated his contract.

February 24, 2014 CSKA announced the signing of Andrei Kirilenko before the end of the season. On April 1, 2015, it was announced that Andrei Kirilenko had moved to coaching.

Having won the title of champion of Russia in the VTB United League with the team, Kirilenko announced the end of his sports career.

Andrey Kirilenko in the Russian national team:

Kirilenko made his debut with the national team in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics. He played at the European Championships 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, the 2002 World Championship. From the first appearances for the national team, Kirilenko became the leader of the Russian team, defining its game.

Memorable for Kirilenko was the EuroBasket 2007 in Spain. The Russian national team for the first time in its history (excluding the achievements of the USSR team) became the winner of the championship of the continent. Kirilenko played several bright matches, the best of which was the semi-final with Lithuania (86:74). In this meeting, the striker scored 29 points, having implemented 9 of 11 shots from the game. As a result of the tournament, Andrey was included in the symbolic team of the tournament and was recognized as the MVP of the tournament and received the title of Honored Master of Sports of the Russian Federation.

On August 8, 2008, Andrei was honored to carry the Russian flag at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The Russian team went to the Olympics the strongest squad. In the first match, the Russians confidently outplayed Iran, but then followed by defeats from Croatia, Lithuania, Australia and Argentina. The Russian team took fifth place in the group and did not advance to the next round.

In 2009, Kirilenko refused to take part in EuroBasket 2009 due to family reasons. He also missed the FIBA World Championship the following year.

In 2011, Kirilenko returned to the national team to participate in the European Championship in Lithuania. The Russians finished the tournament with only one defeat in eleven matches - against the French team in the semi-finals. In the match for third place, the Russian team beat the Macedonian team in a bitter struggle and won bronze medals. According to the results of the EuroBasket, Kirilenko entered the symbolic team of the tournament.

In 2012, he took part in the Summer Olympic Games in London, where the team won a bronze medal.

On August 13, 2012, he was awarded the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree, for his "great contribution to the development physical education and sports, high sports achivments at the Games of the XXX Olympiad 2012 in London (Great Britain)."

In September 2013, he announced his retirement from the national team.

Master class by Andrey Kirilenko

On February 9, 2012, Andrei Kirilenko was officially registered as a confidant of the candidate for the President of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Prokhorov.

In August 2015, he was elected President of the Basketball Federation of Russia.

Andrey Kirilenko's height: 208 centimeters.

Personal life of Andrei Kirilenko:

In the summer of 2001, he married the daughter of basketball player Andrei Lopatov. She is 8 years older than him.

The couple has 4 children - sons Fedor, Stepan, Andrey (born February 9, 2015) and daughter Alexandra, who was adopted in 2009.

In 2011, Kirilenko and his wife received US citizenship.

Andrey Kirilenko and Maria Lopatova

In 2003, the Kirilenkos in Salt Lake City created a charitable foundation Kirilenko's Kids ("Kirilenko - Children!").

The official status of a charitable organization was obtained in October 2004, and since 2006 the Foundation has been legally registered in Russia.

The organization helps children's hospitals, orphanages and boarding schools, sports schools, sports veterans and those basketball players who have become disabled, and is also engaged in the development of mass non-professional children's sports.

During its existence, the Foundation has implemented many projects, including the organization of basketball tournaments among schools.

In 2012, Kirilenko transferred all the money he earned under a contract with PBC CSKA (season 2011/12) to the children's fund "Kirilenko for Children!" for charity.

Team Achievements Andrey Kirilenko:

Champion of Russia in the team of St. Petersburg in the age category not older than 1981 year of birth (1995).
Three-time Russian champion with CSKA (1999, 2000, 2012).
Champion of the VTB United League (2012, 2015).

As part of the Russian team:

Bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics
2007 European Champion, MVP and Best Forward of the Tournament
Bronze medalist of Europe in 2011, symbolic team of the tournament
Silver medalist at the 1997 European Youth Championship. Most Valuable Player of the Tournament
Silver medalist at the 1998 World Youth Games.

Personal achievements of Andrey Kirilenko:

FIBA Europe Player of the Year (2007, 2012)
Euroleague regular season MVP (2012)
Euroleague Defensive Player of the Year (2012)
The best player of the championship of Russia (2000)
VTB United League regular season MVP (2012)
VTB United League Final Four MVP (2012)
Member of the NBA All-Star Game (2004)
Member of the NBA Rookie Games (2002, 2003)
NBA All-Rookie Team (2002)
NBA regular season leader in block shots (2005)
3 times included in the team of all NBA defense stars: 2006 (first team); 2004, 2005 (second team)
Member of the "Star Games" of Russia (1999, 2000)
Winner of the top throw competition at the Russian All-Star Game (1999)
The youngest participant in the European All-Star Games (18 years 10 months 10 days)
Member of the Final Four of the Euroleague (2001, 2012).

is an illustrious basketball player who has been one of the most prominent representatives of the Russian basketball school for many years. There are many awards in his collection, but today we will try to push sports into the background and talk about our today's hero not only as an athlete, but also as an ordinary person.

Childhood and the family of Andrei Kirilenko

Andrei Kirilenko was born on February 18, 1981 in the Udmurt city of Izhevsk. The father of our today's hero - Gennady Kirilenko - was also a famous athlete in the past, and at the time of his son's birth he was already coaching one of the football teams in the Leningrad Region. As for basketball, Andrei's mother, Olga, was engaged in it. During her professional career, she managed to play in such teams as Spartak, Hammer and Sickle, Burevestnik and Skorokhod.

Andrei Kirilenko with his wife and daughter

In his early years, Andrei Kirilenko was fond of football, handball and swimming. However, already in the first grade, he decided to connect his life with basketball. He began to engage in this sport at the Youth Sports School of the Frunzensky District of Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Some time later, the guy got into the city team. It was in the composition of this team that our today's hero achieved his first successes, having won the Russian Basketball Cup in one of the younger age categories.

According to one of the coaches of the young basketball player, his talent was visible from early childhood. This is probably why very soon our today's hero was part of his first professional club.

Professional career of basketball player Andrey Kirilenko

The first milestone in the sports path of Andrei Kirilenko was the St. Petersburg "Spartak". Having made his debut on the court in January 1997, our today's hero became the youngest player in the history of the Russian championship (at that time he was only sixteen years old). In his first season, Andrey played only three games on the floor, but the very next year he managed to become one of the team's main players. With his inspired play, Andrey managed to attract the attention of CSKA Moscow, who lured the young player to him in the summer of 1998. The basketball player began to justify the trust placed in him in the first season. He scored an average of 12.5 points per game, and subsequently managed to win the Russian championship with the "soldiers". In the Euroleague, the team reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, which was also a good experience for the young player.

Andrey Kirilenko in the NBA

These successes were interspersed with the successes of the player won at the national team level. Playing for the national team of Russia, the talented forward won the gold of the European Championship (Spain-2007), and also became the bronze medalist of this championship (Lithuania-2011). In addition, in 2012, Andrei Kirilenko, together with the Russian national team, managed to reach third place in the Olympic basketball tournament. The player can also bring this success to his asset.

Andrei Kirilenko has an amazing tattoo

These victories brought our today's hero the title of Honored Master of Sports of Russia, as well as the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (second degree).

Due to the NBA lockout in 2011, the player spent the 2011/2012 season in Russia. As part of CSKA, he became the champion of the VTB United League, but later moved overseas again. The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Brooklyn Nets became the next stages in the career of a star forward. As part of the last of these clubs, the player still performs to this day.

Personal life, Sergey Kirilenko at present

In 2011, our today's hero married a girl named Maria Lopatova, who is the daughter of basketball player Andrey Lopatov. The girl is eight years older than her husband.

Today, the couple lives in Salt Lake City and has three children - two sons and a daughter. In addition, the spouses have real estate in Russia and France. At the moment, Andrei, his wife and children are citizens of the United States of America.

Since 2003, Kirilenko has been active in charitable activities within the framework of the Kirilenko's Kids Foundation. This organization supports the development of children's sports, and also helps people with disabilities.

In 2012, Andrei Kirilenko supported Mikhail Prokhorov during the elections in the Russian Federation and was even officially his confidant.

Andrei Kirilenko is the undisputed number one in the recent history of Russian basketball. Having become the star of the Russian championship, he went to the NBA, where he soon earned an excellent reputation among colleagues, coaches and journalists.

Kirilenko Andrey Gennadievich

Born 02/18/1981

Player career:

Spartak St. Petersburg (1996-1998).
CSKA Moscow (1998-2001).
"Utah Jazz" (2001-2011).
CSKA Moscow (2011-2012).
Minnesota Timberwolves (2012-2013).
Brooklyn Nets (2013-2014).
CSKA Moscow (2015).

Team Achievements:

Bronze medalist at the 2012 Olympics.
European Champion 2007.
Bronze medalist at the 2011 European Championship.
Champion of Russia 1999, 2000, 2012.
Champion of the VTB United League 2012, 2015.

Personal achievements:

Most Valuable Player of the 2007 European Championship.
The best European basketball player in 2012.
2012 Euroleague Regular Championship Most Valuable Player.
Most Valuable Player of the 2012 VTB United League regular season and playoffs.
The best player of the championships of Russia in 2000, 2012.
3 NBA All-Star Defense Teams (2004-2006)
Member of the 2004 NBA All-Star Game.
2005 NBA regular season leader in blocks.

Later career:

President of the Russian Basketball Federation (2015-present).

Petersburg talent

Kirilenko was born in sports family In particular, his mother was a professional basketball player. In Leningrad, where Andrei was transferred shortly after the birth, he began to play basketball. The boy quickly made people talk about himself in the city, and soon became the champion of Russia as part of the St. Petersburg team among the guys of his year of birth.

Kirilenko made his debut for the local Spartak when he was 15 years old - this is a record in the history of the Russian championships. And if at first he was released only in order to "breathe" with the game, then from the next season Andrey firmly entrenched himself at the core of the team. At the age of 17, he already scored more than 10 points per game, becoming the subject of discussion of all specialists.

In 1997, Kirilenko became the most valuable player of the European Youth Championship and won silver medals together with the Russian team. A year later, he again becomes the second - this time at the World Youth Games in Moscow.

Just the same in the summer of 1998, Kirilenko moved to the capital - the St. Petersburg star was taken by the country's main club - CSKA. In the camp of the army, Andrey does not hesitate and, as in Spartak, becomes the most important part of the mechanism. Over the three seasons spent at CSKA, he brings his average performance to 14.5 points per game and leaves for the NBA as a two-time champion of Russia and the main hope of domestic basketball.

Kirilenko is a small forward, while he is good at rebounding and excels especially in defensive actions; his regular diet includes block shots, interceptions. And how Andrey flies over the ring, just a feast for the eyes. His dunks look no worse than their overseas counterparts. However, all this could turn out to be an ordinary illusion until Kirilenko shows himself in best league peace.

NBA career

Andrei went overseas at the age of 20. Utah, which drafted him in the summer of 1999, was in need of replenishment. The longtime leaders of the team were in pre-retirement basketball age and began to give up predictably.

Kirilenko's debut in the NBA can be considered successful. At the end of the first season, he got into the symbolic five of the League's newcomers, which meant one thing - Andrey was recognized. And although the first two years he mostly went to the floor from the bench, Jerry Sloan liked his game. Andrei disciplinedly followed the instructions of the coach and showed himself to be a real team player.

In the summer of 2003, Utah immediately lost its stars - Malone went to the Lakers to and, and Stockton ended his career. Thus, Kirilenko became the team's main attacking option. Of course, Andrei has never been a real sniper. Yes, he could attack both from behind the arc and after solo passes, but still he did it with not the highest percentage. But times have changed, and the initiative in the attack still had to be taken.

He finished three championships in a row with an excess of 15 points per match. But first of all, Kirilenko showed himself as a great all-rounder. He collected around 8 rebounds, made 3-4 assists, 2 interceptions and about 3 blocks per night. According to the latest indicator, he became the leader of the 2004/2005 season.

For three years in a row, Andrei was a member of the NBA All-Star Defense Team, and in the winter of 2004, he made it to the All-Star Game. In fact, Kirilenko was crowned. And if not for Andrey's excessive lack of egoism and not for the best natural throw, Kirilenko would have been a real superstar of the Association.

Unfortunately, Sloan realized that making the main bet in attacking our compatriot is not the best option. As a result, Kirilenko's playing time was reduced from 37 to 30 minutes per match, and the number of shots performed by Andrey has predictably decreased. Kirilenko spent the five remaining championships in Utah at the level of the first seasons - solid, but nothing more.

Having moved to Minnesota after the lockout in the summer of 2012, Andrei spent a good season in the camp of the Wolves, but at the end he made a mistake. Without renewing the agreement with his employer, Kirilenko moved to Mikhail Prokhorov's Brooklyn club, but lost both in money and in the game.

In the Nets, his statistics became the worst in all the years of his career in the NBA, and as a result, Andrei was sold to Philadelphia. However, Kirilenko refused to play for her, and he was put up for a waiver draft. On this, the career of our striker overseas ended.

European maestro

Despite the fact that Andrei failed to become a real star in the NBA, by European standards he grew up in big player. Between playing for Utah and Minnesota, Andrey played for CSKA for a year, for which Russian basketball fans can thank the lockout overseas.

Andrey Kirilenko is the leader of CSKA

Kirilenko of 2011/2012 is absolutely the best player in Europe. He was especially good in Euroleague matches, becoming its most valuable player in the regular season. Surely Andrey would have been recognized as the MVP of the Final Four, if not for the outright failure of CSKA in the fourth quarter of the decisive match, which allowed Olympiacos to catch up with the army team first, and snatch victory at the end of the meeting.

Despite numerous victories with CSKA and two bronze medals with the national team (European Championship 2011 and Olympics 2012), EuroBasket 2007 will forever remain the most important tournament in Kirilenko's career. Our team arrived in Spain in a status far from being a favorite. Nevertheless, from match to match, David Blatt's wards added, and it was Kirilenko who was the ringleader on the site.

Andrey, who missed the leading functions in Utah, took his soul away at this championship. Taking the lead in difficult moments, he, as a rule, did not let him down. It’s not worth talking about impeccable defensive actions - throughout his career they have been his forte. In the semi-finals and finals, Kirilenko became the most productive player in our team and at the end of the tournament was deservedly recognized as its most valuable player.

Andrey Kirilenko - European champion-2007

Hero of Russia

For Russia, Kirilenko is truly priceless. After the generation of Karasev, he became the first star of the new Russian basketball and our only compatriot who was able to make a decent career in the NBA. Yes, he failed to become a truly top player overseas, but among Europeans there are, in principle, only a few of them.

But in the national team, Andrey showed himself as befits the best basketball player in Russia. Kirilenko became a symbol of a generation that was able to reverse a series of long-term failures and win medals for the country at the largest competitions.

Andrei ended his career two years ago at the age of 34. He could well play in CSKA today and be one of the best among the army. But Kirilenko decided otherwise, and now he is the president of the Russian Basketball Federation, in which a few years ago there were more scandals than ever before.

barely finished playing career, Andrei Gennadievich almost immediately set to work for the benefit of his country. And if he manages to be as effective in this field as he is on the court, everything will be fine in Russian basketball.