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 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
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 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.
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 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 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. 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 into a 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 to the main club of the country - 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 the best League in the world.
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 Sloane 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 had 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 into a 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.
Having barely finished his playing career, Andrey 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.
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, and in 1996 among players born in 1980 and younger.
On January 18, 1997, Kirilenko made his debut in the Russian Championship as part of Spartak St. Petersburg, becoming the youngest player in history at the age of less than 16. In the summer of 1998, the player moved to the best basketball club in the country, CSKA, with which he won two Russian championships (1999 and 2000). In the 2000/01 season, Kirilenko, together with his team, reached the FIBA Euroleague Final Four (at that time the most prestigious club tournament in Europe).
On June 30, 1999, Kirilenko was selected by the NBA's Utah Jazz with the 24th overall pick in the rookie draft. At that time, the Russian was the youngest European basketball player drafted by the US National Basketball Association team.
Kirilenko made his debut in Utah in the 2001/02 season, as a result of which he was included in the symbolic top five of the NBA's best newcomers. 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 a severe hand injury 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 best player in the NBA in terms of total number of covered shots of the opponent (220), and also made two triple-doubles: in one game, three of Kirilenko's five statistics (points, rebounds, assists, interceptions, blocked shots) were measured in double figures.
In the 2006/07 season, Kirilenko's performance deteriorated significantly due to the fact that Utah head coach Jerry Sloan built the team's attacking game through other players. The basketball player himself, in an interview with Russian media, has repeatedly stated that if the Utah team game does not change, he does not rule out his transfer to another club.
Kirilenko regularly plays for the Russian national team, played at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. According to the results of the European Championship - 2003, he was included in the symbolic team of the tournament. In early 2006, Kirilenko supported the appointment of David Blatt as head coach of the Russian team, with whom he is on friendly terms.
At the European Championships in Spain (September 2007), Kirilenko, who is the captain of the national team, again became the leader of the team. 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.
Best of the day
After the final match with Spain (60:59), Kirilenko was included in the symbolic team of the tournament, and also received the EuroBasket 2007 Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Andrei Kirilenko is married and has a son, Fedor. The wife of a basketball player, Maria, recorded a music disc in Russia in 2002, and the athlete himself starred in his wife's video. Kirilenko has the nicknames Kirya, AK-47 (brand of the Russian machine gun) and Ivan Drago (for the resemblance to the Soviet boxer - the character of the feature film "Rocky-4" performed by Dolph Lungren).
Kirilenko Andrei Gennadievich headed the Russian Basketball Federation in 2015.
17.02.2018
Kirilenko Andrey Gennadievich
President of the Basketball Federation
Russian basketball player
Master of Sport
Andrey Kirilenko was born on February 18, 1981 in the city of Izhevsk, Udmurt Republic. Was born in the family of Olga and Gennady Kirilenko. Andrei's father, himself a former athlete, is the head coach of the Iskra women's football club. Olga Kirilenko herself played basketball and played for the women's teams Burevestnik, Spartak, Hammer and Sickle and Skorokhod.
As a child, Andrei was fond of swimming, football, handball. He began to play basketball at the Children's and Youth Sports School of the Frunzensky District of Leningrad from the 1st grade; first coach - Alexey Vladimirovich Vasiliev. In 1995, as part of the city team, he became the Russian basketball champion among players born in 1981.
In 1997, on January 18, Kirilenko began his professional career as part of the St. Petersburg Spartak 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 played in only three games this season, but the following season he was 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 Kirilenko's team, he won the gold medals of the Russian championship for the first time, in the Euroleague the club finished the tournament ahead of schedule at the 1/8 final stage, losing in two matches to the Turkish Efes Pilsen. In the first match with the Turkish club, Kirilenko spent five minutes on the court, not showing up in the statistics in any other way, in the second he did not participate at all.
During the 1999-2000 regular season, Kirilenko became one of CSKA's leaders, averaging 13.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 37 games, and 11.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 19 European games. club championship, and then led the team to victories in the Russian championship and the NEBL championship. Like last year, the army team stopped fighting in the Euroleague at the 1/8 final stage, this time losing in three matches to the Croatian Cibona, although Kirilenko himself scored 45 points and 19 rebounds in three games. At the end of the season, Kirilenko was recognized as the best player in the Russian Championship.
On June 30, 1999, Kirilenko was selected by the Utah Jazz NBA club 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". Andrey averaged 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.94 blocks and 1.41 steals per game. Kirilenko played in all 82 games of the season, 40 of them in the starting five. For the first time in his NBA career, Kirilenko entered the court from the first minutes of the game on February 12, 2001 against the Indiana Pacers, making a double-double, after which he confidently established himself in the starting lineup. In the same season, Andrei took part in the rookie game at the NBA All-Star Weekend, scoring 4 points in 15 minutes. Kirilenko's team ended the season with a 3-1 series loss to the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the playoffs.
In the 2002-2003 season, Kirilenko played in 80 of 82 games, averaging 12.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game. Missed the first two games of his career due to lower back cramps. He made his second appearance in the Rookie Game at the NBA's All-Star Weekend, scoring 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and one block in 27 minutes. In the first round of the playoff series, Utah again met with the Sacramento Kings and in a series of five matches, the Kings again won: 4-1.
Before the start of the 2003-2004 season, Utah left its longtime leaders John Stockton and Karl Malone, in connection with which the restructuring of the team began. Kirilenko, who played in 78 games and missed four games due to a sprained right ankle, was the Utah Jazz's all-time leading player in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots. He finished third in the league in blocks and fourth in steals, and was fifth in the league's vote for Defensive Player of the Year. Kirilenko was named to the NBA Second All-Defensive Team. He was selected by the coaches as an alternate to the West for the 2004 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles, where he played 12 minutes, scoring 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 block. At the end of the season, Andrey's team did not make it to the playoffs.
In the off-season, the team took steps to strengthen the roster, signing Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur as free agents and re-signing Carlos Arroyo and Gordan Giricek. In the 2004-2005 season, Kirilenko played only 41 matches. He missed 26 games with a sprained right knee, a Feb. 15 game against Cleveland with a sprained right ankle, and another 14 games with a broken left hand against Washington on March 24. He returned to the site only in the fall of 2005.
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. Kirilenko managed to sign such a successful multi-million dollar contract thanks to a generational change in the Utah Jazz, when the Russian basketball player became the team leader, entered the NBA's first symbolic defensive team and even played in the All-Star Game.
The 2005-2006 season was the most successful for the Russian in his career. He played in 69 games, 63 of them coming from the open, and missed a total of 13 games due to injury. Kirilenko led the NBA in total blocks and blocked shots per game, and also made two triple-doubles. He was third on the team in scoring and rebounding, second in assists, led in blocked shots and steals, spending 37.7 minutes on the court on average per game. Okur and Kirilenko put in a good performance during the regular season, and Williams, despite a mid-season slump, made a significant contribution to Utah's play. However, club owner Larry Miller expressed dissatisfaction with the team's performance as the Jazz finished the season just 3 points outside the playoffs, with a 41-41 record.
In the off-season, Andriy withdrew from the national team in qualifying for the 2007 European Championship, devoting himself to hard work on the shot with personal trainer Jeff Hornacek, but ended up having the worst season of his career. Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan shifted his offensive focus to rookie Carlos Boozer and young Deron Williams. During his first two years on the team, Boozer struggled with injuries, but by the 2006-2007 season, he had become the most important player in the Utah front line.
Kirilenko found no place in the Jazz game schemes, and from a leader he turned into an ordinary role-playing basketball player. Playing in 70 games, he averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.06 steals and 2.06 blocks in an average of 29.3 minutes per game. The basketball player himself, in an interview with Russian media, has repeatedly stated that if the Utah team game does not change, he does not rule out his transfer to another club. However, the Russian remained on the team, and the Jazz team performance improved significantly compared to previous years, reaching a score of 51-31. Utah, having consistently beaten the Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors reached the conference finals, where they lost to the more experienced players of the San Antonio Spurs.
Despite controversy and trade talks during the off-season, Andriy remained with the team, showing the same level of play, improving statistics in all respects compared to the previous season, and seemed to be pleased with his new role as a defender and backup goalscorer. Kirilenko played all 72 regular season games and 12 playoff games in the starting five, averaging 11 points per game. Utah finished fifth in the Western Conference with a 54-28 record. In the first round of the playoffs, the Jazzmen beat the Houston Rockets, but then lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the 2008-2009 season, Kirilenko appeared in 67 games, averaging 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.24 steals and 1.15 blocks per game. The Jazz finished the season 48-34 in last place in the playoffs, after which they faced the Los Angeles Lakers again in the first round and were crushed.
In the 2009-2010 season, Kirilenko's performance was not so high due to injuries. He played in 58 games where he averaged 11.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.43 steals and 28.6 minutes per game. Kirilenko missed 13 of the last 15 games of the season with a left calf injury, flared the day before the first playoff game and missed the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets. He managed to recover only in the second round against the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played two games, but the Jazz lost for the third time in a row.
In terms of salary for his last season in 2010-2011 as part of the Utah, Andrei Kirilenko entered the top ten highest paid NBA players. At the same time, his contract was included in various ratings of the worst contracts or in the lists of the most overrated players. Andrei appeared on the court in 64 games of the season, averaging 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 31.2 minutes per game. On February 10, 2011, head coach Jerry Sloan resigned due to a conflict with the club's main star Deron Williams, who was then traded to the New Jersey Nets for two first-round draft picks Derrick Favors and Devin Harris. The Jazz continued to struggle for the remainder of the season, but only finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 39-43 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006. In the off-season, Andrei Kirilenko, due to the lockout, decided to continue his career in Russia.
At the end of the 2010-2011 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 2011-2012 season. February 6, 2013 Andrei Kirilenko was named the best European basketball player in 2012 according to the Italian edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport; this choice was made following a vote by players, coaches and journalists from 14 countries. This prestigious sports award was the second in his career - Andrei was previously awarded this honorary title in 2007.
In 2012, on July 27, Andrey Kirilenko decided to take advantage of the contract option allowing him to return to the NBA and signed a contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves club, in which he plays with another Russian, Alexei Shved, who also transferred from CSKA.
The Timberwolves got off to a pretty good start to the 2012-2013 season, even though players were plagued by injuries in the first few games. So, the key player Kevin Love was forced to watch the game from the stands, point guard Ricky Rubio returned to the floor only on December 15, 2012 in a match with the Dallas Mavericks, Nikola Pekovich and Jay-Jay Barea missed matches. Kirilenko started the season in the starting lineup, served as the main defense specialist and, being the most experienced player, became a mentor for the youth in the team.
After the 2013-2014 season, Kirilenko used the option to extend his contract with Brooklyn and play for the club in the 2014-2015 season.
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. Kirilenko was drafted for waivers on February 22, and received free agent status on February 24 after none of the NBA clubs claimed rights to him.
In February, CSKA announced the signing of Andrei Kirilenko before the end of the season.
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 became the winner of the championship of the continent. Kirilenko played several bright matches, the best of which was the semi-final with Lithuania. 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.
In 2008, on August 8, 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 with 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, Andrei Kirilenko took part in the Summer Olympic Games in London, where the team won a bronze medal. During the group stage, Kirilenko was one of the leading players on the team, spending the most playing time on the court, becoming the team leader in points and rebounds in average per game. In the opening match of the group stage, in the game against the UK team, Kirilenko scored a record 35 points.
At the group stage, the national team won 4 matches out of 5, including the Spaniards - the reigning European champions, and took first place in the group. In the victorious quarter-finals against the Lithuanian national team, Kirilenko became the top scorer in the national team. But in the semi-finals, in the game against the Spanish national team, the Russian team lost, and Kirilenko scored only 10 points.
In the game for bronze medals, the Russians defeated the Argentina national team, Andrei spent 36 minutes on the court and scored 20 points. Following the results of the championship, Andrey entered the symbolic team of the tournament according to the ESPN channel.
In 2012, on August 13, Andrey was awarded the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree, for "great contribution to the development of physical culture and sports, high sports achievements at the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012 in London."
In September 2013, he announced his retirement from the national team.
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 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.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 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.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 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.
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 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. 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.
