His son hates basketball. He himself can be a light and heavy forward (they say that at the same time). In terms of reliability and accuracy, it is compared to the AK-47 assault rifle. Well, everyone has already guessed that we are talking about Andrei Kirilenko, a professional basketball player who conquered the floor on both sides of the Atlantic. The face of Russian basketball, as is often called, is the now former leader of Utah. A good reason to talk about the career and life of basketball player Kirilenko in more detail.
The harsh everyday life of Andrei Kirilenko in the army
How was the childhood of basketball player Andrei Kirilenko
Andrey was born in Izhevsk on February 18, 1981. Parents, Olga and Gennady, are also athletes. My father is now a coach, my mother used to play basketball herself. Actually, Andrei was just born in Izhevsk. After only 4 months, the family moved to St. Petersburg, where the boy, as he grew, became interested in swimming, football, and handball, so Andrei Kirilenko’s childhood is inextricably linked with sports. Basketball appeared in the life of little Andryusha from the 1st grade. He entered the youth sports school of the Frunzensky district, where coach Alexey Vasiliev immediately recognized a promising basketball player in the boy. And already at 14 he received his first federal championship title!
As a 15-year-old teenager, he acquired the status of the youngest basketball player taking part in the championships of the Russian Federation. In the same year, the athlete performed at the European Championships, which was held among juniors. Based on the results of the tournament, he was recognized as its most valuable participant.
1998-2001: beginning of career at CSKA
Since 1997, Kirilenko has been playing basketball professionally. First playing for the St. Petersburg BC Spartak, and since 1998 he has been playing for the Army Men. CSKA have always been the most titled club in the USSR, a kind of basketball “Manchester United” of the Soviet Union. It was an honor to play for the “red-blues”. Kirilenko quickly showed talent. At the age of 19, he was named the best player of the 2000 Russian Championship. After this, the promising forward was noticed in the NBA.
The last year at CSKA was not particularly successful. The coach changed (Valery Tikhonenko came to the club), a lot of players left for Ural-Great from Perm, and in the Super League the Army Men were left without medals. There wasn’t much to lose, so the 20-year-old basketball player agreed to the Utah Jazz’s offer and flew overseas.
How the AK-47 came to be
They started calling Kirilenko AK-47 because of his initials and high reliability. "Reliable like a tank!" - Andrei’s teammates joked. This is despite the fact that the forward himself often complained about the need to practice his shots better. Because of his nickname, he also received 47 on the team. I wanted the 13th as usual, but John Amaechi had already taken it.
Kirilenko explained his refusal to play for the national team due to injuries and problems with throwing
Career of basketball player Andrei Kirilenko in the NBA
Since 2001, Kirilenko began playing for the American club Utah Jazz, part of the National Basketball Association. Following his performance in the 2001/02 season, the Russian was among the five best debutants in the league. In 2004, Andrei was honored to play on the team Western Conference at the All-Star Game, the NBA's most prestigious annual game. A year later, the club’s management re-signed a contract with the successful athlete, as a result of which the player’s annual earnings exceeded $15 million.
10 years later, by the 2010/11 season, which was Kirilenko’s last with the Jazz, this figure increased to 17.8 million, so Andrei Kirilenko entered the TOP 10 highest paid NBA players. However, Andrei never became arrogant in his career. In 2005, Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer appeared in Utah. The Russian forward has ceased to be a key player. The newcomers had more possession of the ball, and the game was built around them. Kirilenko did not start making noise and conflicting, as, for example, but simply adjusted to the new style of play. True, it was not easy to rebuild, especially considering the general situation. In 2007, the club finished the regular season in 5th place, and the following season it became last, suffering a crushing defeat from the Los Angeles Lakers. Still, the “jazz players” were in a hurry to bring Kirilenko out of the first roles!
In 2011, a lockout broke out in the NBA, and Kirilenko returned to CSKA for one season. In 2012, in European basketball, Andrei was recognized as the best player of 2012 for the second time, and also became the first Russian basketball player to be awarded the title “Best European Basketball Player”. The player was named MVP of the Euroleague and VTB United League.
Kirilenko returned to the USA in 2012, but already played for Minnesota. The basketball player himself said that everything suits him at CSKA, he likes playing for the club, but still the NBA remains the highest level and one should not miss the opportunity to play there. In the new team, Andrei played in tandem with another Russian,.
The season was quite successful for the team and Andrei, although there were a lot of injuries in Minnesota. As a result, successful matches alternated with defeats. As a result, 30 victories no matter what. However, Kirilenko did not renew his contract and chose the path of a free agent.
2013-2014 season: Brooklyn Nets
Last season Russian (owner Mikhail Prokhorov). Moreover, for the sake of the team of the Russian billionaire, Alexey agreed to a contract of 3.1 million dollars instead of a 10 million salary in the Minnesota Timberwolves (in the NBA even on this matter). It was believed that Kirilenko would do the same in the 2014/15 season, but already at the end of February the player announced that he had decided to return to the Russian CSKA.
Andrey Kirilenko with his wife and three children
Andrei Kirilenko's performances for the Russian national basketball team
Andrey played successfully for the Russian national team throughout his career. The only unpleasant episode occurred in the 2009/10 season, when the forward first refused to participate in EuroBasket 2009 and then missed the World Championship. and uncertainty in one’s own form, as well as family troubles, and not “arrogance and betrayal,” as evil tongues immediately dubbed the situation.
Everything is fine in Andrey’s personal life. Since 2001, he has been married to Maria Lopatova, the daughter of basketball player Andrei Lopatov. The wife, by the way, is 8 years older than her husband. The couple already has three children, sons Stepan and Fedor, daughter Alexandra. The Kirilenko family runs a charitable children's foundation. The basketball player donates part of his salary to the foundation, and in 2012 he transferred all the money from playing for CSKA to charity.
Andrey Gennadievich Kirilenko. Born on February 18, 1981 in Izhevsk. Russian basketball player. Honored Master of Sports of Russia.
Since the age of 15 in professional basketball. Plays in the positions of light or heavy forward.
He was the leader of CSKA Moscow, the most titled basketball club in 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 a member of the Utah Jazz club. In the NBA, thanks to his versatility, he established himself in both attack and defense.
As a member of the Russian national basketball team, he won gold medals at the 2007 European Championship, bronze medals European Championship 2011 and bronze medalist Olympic Games 2012.
Since August 2015 - President Russian Federation basketball.
The father is a former athlete and is the head coach of women's football club"Iskra" (Leningrad region).
Olga Kirilenko herself played basketball and played for the women's teams Burevestnik, Spartak, Hammer and Sickle and Skorokhod. During Olga’s pregnancy, Gennady Kirilenko served in the army, in a sports company, and Olga went to her mother in Izhevsk to give birth. Four months after giving birth, the mother brought the future basketball player to St. Petersburg.
As a child, Andrei was interested in swimming, football, and handball.
I started playing basketball at the youth sports school in 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.
On January 18, 1997, 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 Russian Championship in the history of the tournament. He played in only three games that season, but appeared in 41 games the following season, averaging 11.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game with a .521 field goal percentage.
In 1997, Kirilenko took part in the European Junior Championships, 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 club, starting from the beginning, 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 in a European club tournament. Together with the team, Kirilenko won gold medals at the Russian Championship for the first time.
On June 30, 1999, Kirilenko was selected by the NBA Utah Jazz No. 24 overall in the draft. The Russian became at that time the youngest European basketball player drafted by the National Basketball Association team. Number 13 - Andrei's traditional number - had already been taken by John Amaechi, who had moved to Utah, but by the time of the choice, the players on the team had already nicknamed Kirilenko AK-47 and, in accordance with this nickname, he was offered the game number 47.
Kirilenko made his debut in Utah in the 2001/02 season, following which he was included in the symbolic top five NBA rookies and took third place in voting for the title of “rookie of the year.” On average, Andrei scored 10.7 points per game (5th among all newcomers).
In the summer of 2005, the Jazz, 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 with the Utah Jazz were about $15.3 million.
In the off-season, Andrei refused to play for the national team in qualifying for the 2007 European Championship, devoting himself to intensive work on his throw together 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. Due to 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, Andrei 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 Euroleague final, won the VTB United League and won gold medals in the Russian Championship.
On July 27, 2012, Andrei Kirilenko decided to exercise the contract option allowing him to return to the NBA and signed a contract with the club Minnesota Timberwolves. Kirilenko averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while playing for Minnesota. At the end of the season, Andrei decided to forego the second year of his contract with Minnesota and became an unrestricted free agent.
In 2013, Kirilenko signed a one-year contract with a salary of $3.1 million with the club Brooklyn Nets, owned by a Russian businessman, having previously refused a 10 million 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 until the end of the season. On April 1, 2015, it was announced that Andrei Kirilenko would move to coaching.
Having won the Russian champion title 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 as a member of the national team in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics. He played at the European Championships 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and the 2002 World Championships. From his first performances for the national team, Kirilenko became the leader of the Russian national team, determining its game.
EuroBasket 2007 in Spain became memorable for Kirilenko. For the first time in its history (excluding the achievements of the USSR team), the Russian team became the winner of the continental championship. Kirilenko played several outstanding matches, the best of which was the semi-final with Lithuania (86:74). In this meeting, the forward scored 29 points, making 9 out of 11 field goals. Following the results of the tournament, Andrey was included in the symbolic team of the tournament and 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 given the honor of carrying 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 beat Iran, but then followed 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. The following year he also missed the World Basketball Championship.
In 2011, Kirilenko returned to the national team to participate in the European Championships in Lithuania. The Russians finished the tournament having suffered only one defeat in eleven matches - from 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. Following the results of EuroBasket, Kirilenko entered the symbolic team of the tournament.
In 2012, he took part in the Summer Olympics 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 of physical culture and sports, tall 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 proxy of Russian Presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov.
In August 2015, he was elected president of the Russian Basketball Federation.
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 Kirilenko couple created a charitable foundation in Salt Lake City "Kirilenko's Kids" ("Kirilenko - for Children!").
The official status of a charitable organization was received 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 involved in the development of mass children's non-professional sports.
During its existence, the Foundation has implemented many projects, including organizing basketball tournaments among schools.
In 2012, Kirilenko donated all the money he earned under the contract at PBC CSKA (season 2011/12) to the children's fund “Kirilenko for Children!” for charity.
Team achievements of Andrey Kirilenko:
Champion of Russia as part of the St. Petersburg team in the age category not older than 1981 (born in 1995).
Three-time Russian champion with CSKA (1999, 2000, 2012).
Champion of the VTB United League (2012, 2015).
As part of the Russian national team:
Bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics
European champion 2007, MVP and best striker of the tournament
European bronze medalist 2011, symbolic team of the tournament
Silver medalist at the 1997 European Youth Championship. Tournament Most Valuable Player
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 Best Defensive Player (2012)
Best player of the Russian Championship (2000)
VTB United League regular season MVP (2012)
VTB United League Final Four MVP (2012)
NBA All-Star Game (2004)
NBA Rookie Game participant (2002, 2003)
NBA All-Rookie Team (2002)
NBA regular season leader in blocked shots (2005)
3 times included in the NBA All-Defensive Team: 2006 (first team); 2004, 2005 (second team)
Participant in the Russian All-Star Game (1999, 2000)
Winner of the dunk competition at the Russian All-Star Game (1999)
The youngest participant in the All-Star Game in Europe (18 years 10 months 10 days)
Participant of the Euroleague Final Four (2001, 2012).
Andrey Kirilenko / Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgenia Novozhenina
– How did it happen that, even after retiring from his career, Andrei Kirilenko remains the main thing in Russian basketball?
“That’s how fate turned out, that’s how the stars aligned.” Indeed, I finished my career and in the summer I decided with my family what to do next. You could do nothing at all and leave, you could try something new related to basketball. And it so happened that this position also provides the opportunity to manage basketball in Russia.
– In addition, Andrei Kirilenko was number one for 10 years. There was no number two. At the Olympics you carried the flag, and everyone knew: Andrei Kirilenko was the standard bearer. No one else from basketball would have been allowed to carry the Russian flag.
- Not true! You just judge this way because there was a certain leader. If it weren’t for him, someone else would have been found. Viktor Khryapa was the leader at one time, now Lesha Shved is the leader. Before that there were Sergei Bazarevich, Vasily Karasev.
– Why did Kirilenko end his career? It would have been possible to play at a high level for a few more years. And win the Euroleague!
– I don’t agree that it was possible to play at a high level. He is different in your eyes and in mine. You’re used to seeing me in the “He’ll do just fine” style, but I’m used to seeing myself playing to a certain level.
– Did you end your career to become president of the Russian Basketball Federation?
- No. I would have finished it anyway.
– UMMC did not have a very successful start to the season. The club did not even reach the Final Four of the Russian Cup, and this is a failure for such a big team. If coach Olaf Lange is fired now, will it be a piquant situation for the RBF?
– Why should it depend on the club? Do we have doubts about the trainer's qualifications?
– The RFB coaching council has doubts.
- Fine. Let's try to put this on paper then. What options are there? Donskov, Vasin, what next?
- Sokolovsky.
- And Lange. Let's compare which teams they work with and how successful they are.
– At the moment, taking into account disputes, disagreements and other things, Andrei Kirilenko considers this choice optimal?
– I think this is the best choice.
– Head coach Russian men's national team Sergei Bazarevich has not worked very successfully with clubs in recent years.
– He won the Challenge Cup with the Red Wings – doesn’t that count? The question is simple. With Dynamo he took fourth place in the Russian Championship. See, you don't even have anything to say!
– You can argue as much as you like, but in fact, not a single club offered him a contract. He is unemployed.
– He has a job, just not at the club.
– Is this a problem regarding the national team?
“I don’t see that it’s a big problem, but I would like him to have practice.” Now there will be windows for national team games, so it will be easier. And if they played only in the summer, as before, the coach would now be out of work for a year.
– There should still be option B.
– Why, if there is a main option? For example, I’m not even considering the second candidate right now. If we have chosen a coach, let's trust him!
– There were a lot of subtle moments.
- Yes, in our entire country everything is on the thin side! You need to trust your people.
– The Swede says live in a time-out: “Coach, at least draw a combination.” Vorontsevich quarrels with Shved, Mozgov also fell out a couple of times.
– And when is there a fight in the locker room in the NBA? When does someone get kicked out of a game? It's part of the process. There is always conflict.
– And when the club president goes down to the locker room and talks with the coach – is this also part of the job?
– Each leader has his own approach. If the club president interferes in the process, then let him be ready to take responsibility for his actions. Then don’t ask the coach why he lost the match! If we played poorly, it will be easier for me to ask: “Sergey, why? What are your conclusions?
– Andrei Kirilenko is the leader of Minnesota. Plays in the starting five, makes $10 million a year. He leaves the club where he makes decisions for a team where he ends up on the reserve side and earns $3 million a year. Now how can this be explained?
“Of course, if I had known that this would happen, I would not have made such a decision now.” If you remember, then the management changed in Minnesota - Flip Saunders came instead of David Kahn. He didn’t see me in the lineup, he planned to create a young team, rebuild the core, which happened, we see it now. At that time, the money side was less important.
– More than 3 times! 10 – 3! 7 million dollars!
– I understand that this sounds very loud. But during my career I earned more than 100 million. Yes, this is a lot of money, but it will not affect my already formed life in any way. Here I have a chance to add something to my biography, to my career, to fight for something serious. I had the option of being traded, I think, to San Antonio. When the trade didn't happen, it was Saunders who didn't make it, and the Spurs won that year. And, naturally, then I already understood: yes, they will pay money, but your role is not counting on you. And in such conditions, for example, I am not interested in playing.
– A great career in the NBA – and such a faceless ending: Brooklyn’s bench and refusal to play for Philadelphia. It's a shame that it ended so poorly?
- A little. But we are adults, you can't do anything. If you are not included in the squad, it’s your own fault, you don’t have a specific position where he could put you.
– How much does the president of the RFB earn now?
- This is confidential information. We have a certain ethics. I will say this: I am not the highest paid in the federation. There is one person who earns more than me. Will this answer suit you?
- Marvelous. How many times less does the president of the Russian Federation earn than a professional basketball player?
– When I started at Spartak St. Petersburg, it was similar to what it is now. And when in the Utah Jazz... Millions of times.
- Let's write it down. At the European Championships we saw many federation presidents...
- In suits and ties?
- …Same former players. Andrei Kirilenko was wearing a T-shirt and shorts.
- This is a correct remark. At such events you should also appear in a T-shirt of the Russian national team.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeniya Novozhenina
Honest basketball: Andrey Kirilenko
He became Andrey Kirilenko. He was the only candidate for this post. According to the results of the secret ballot at the elective conference, Kirilenko received 215 votes after considering 215 valid ballots. As president of the RFB, he replaced Yulia Anikeeva, who announced her resignation this morning.
Kirilenko is a bronze medalist at the 2012 Olympics, he also won the 2007 European Championship and won bronze at the 2011 EuroBasket. He has four victories in the Russian Championship and two in the United League; he won these titles as a member of CSKA.
Andrey Kirilenko. Photo: www.russianlook.com
Dossier
Andrey Gennadievich Kirilenko was born on February 18, 1981 in Izhevsk, USSR. Andrey's father - Gennady Kirilenko- athlete, is the head coach of the women's football club "Iskra" (Leningrad region). Mother - Olga Kirilenko— played basketball and played for the women’s teams “Burevestnik”, “Spartak”, “Sickle and Hammer” and “Skorokhod”.
I started playing basketball at the youth sports school in the Frunzensky district of St. Petersburg from the 1st grade. At the age of 15 he began playing professional basketball.
In 1995, as part of the city team, he became the Russian basketball champion among players born in 1981.
In 1997, he began playing for Spartak St. Petersburg, becoming the youngest player in the Russian Championship in the history of the tournament.
In 1997, he took part in the European Junior Championships, as a result of which he was recognized as the most valuable player (MVP - from the English Most Valuable Player) of the tournament.
In 1998 he moved to CSKA. Together with the team, he won gold medals in 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 2000 he was recognized as the best player in the Russian Championship.
In 2001, he received an invitation to play in the NBA as part of the Utah Jazz club, where he soon managed to win a place in the starting lineup.
As a member of the Russian national basketball team, he won gold medals at the 2007 European Championship, bronze medals at the 2011 European Championship and bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games.
In the 2012/2013 season, he played in the United States under a 10 million contract for the Minnesota Timberwolves club, played 64 games, was one of the seniors on the team, and the team almost reached the playoffs of the NBA championship.
In recent years, he played for the Brooklyn Nets team (Brooklyn Nets, New York, owner Mikhail Prokhorov).
Charity
Kirilenko devotes a lot of time to charitable and social activities. In 2003, he created the charitable foundation “Kirilenko’s Kids” (“Kirilenko for children!”) in the USA, Salt Lake City; since 2006, the foundation has been operating in Russia. He helps children's hospitals, orphanages and boarding schools, sports schools, sports veterans and those basketball players with health problems, and is involved in the development of mass children's non-professional sports.
In 2012, Andrei Kirilenko donated to the fund everything he earned under the contract at PBC CSKA.
Ranks
Honored Master of Sports of Russia in basketball (2007).
Awards
- Russian champion in basketball among youth (as part of the St. Petersburg national team, 1995)
- Silver medalist of the European Youth Championship (as part of the Russian national team, 1997)
- Silver medalist of the first World Youth Games (as part of the Russian team, 1998, Moscow)
- European champion (as part of the Russian national basketball team, 2007)
- Standard bearer of the Russian Olympic team at the opening ceremony of the XXIX Summer Olympic Games (2008, Beijing)
- Bronze medalist of the European Championship (as part of the Russian national basketball team, 2011)
- Three-time champion of Russia (as part of the PBC CSKA team, 1999, 2000, 2012)
- International Basketball Federation/FIBA European Player of the Year (2007, 2012)
- Bronze medalist of the XXX Summer Olympic Games (as part of the Russian national basketball team, 2012, London)
- Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree, for “a great contribution to the development of physical culture and sports, high sporting achievements at the Games of the XXX Olympiad 2012 in London (Great Britain)” (2012)
- Champion of the VTB United League (as part of the PBC CSKA team, 2012)
- Participant of the Euroleague Final Four (2001, 2012)
- “Best European Basketball Player of 2012” according to the authoritative publication “La Gazzetta dello Sport” (2013)
- Most Valuable Player/MVP of the European Youth Championship (1997)
- The youngest participant in the All-Star Game in Europe (1999, 18 years 10 months 10 days)
- Best player of the Russian Championship (2000)
- All-Star Game participant, Russia (1999, 2000)
- Member of the NBA All-Rookie Team (2002)
- NBA Rookie Game participant (2002, 2003)
- NBA All-Star Game (2004)
- Member of the NBA All-Star Team, defensive player (2004-2006)
- NBA regular season leader in blocked shots (2005)
- Most Valuable Player/MVP and Best Forward of the European Championship (2007)
- Member of the symbolic team of the European Championship (2011)
- Euroleague Regular Season Most Valuable Player/MVP (2012)
- Euroleague Best Defensive Player (2012)
- Most Valuable Player/MVP of the VTB United League regular season (2012)
- Most Valuable Player/MVP of the VTB United League Final Four (2012), etc.
Family status
Married. Spouse - Maria Kirilenko (Lopatova), video director, advertiser, singer, businesswoman, philanthropist.
Son - Fedor (2002).
Son - Stepan (2007).
Daughter - Alexandra(2009), adopted by the Kirilenko family in 2009.
Andrey Kirilenko with his family. Photo: From personal archive
Andrei Kirilenko, a basketball player whose biography is inextricably linked with sports, has been one of the most successful representatives of the Russian school for many years. He has a huge number of awards - cups and medals. Moreover, it is he who has headed the basketball federation (RFB) since 2015. That's why many readers will be interested in knowing the biography and Interesting Facts from the life of this, although young, but already quite famous person.
Childhood
The future famous basketball player Andrei Kirilenko was born on February 18, 1981 in the city of Izhevsk. His father, also a famous athlete in the past, at the time of the birth of his first child was already a coach of one of the Leningrad football teams. Andrei’s mother played basketball. During her professional career, she performed in fairly well-known clubs: Hammer and Sickle, Spartak, Burevestnik, Skorokhod.
And although the family of the future athlete always lived in Leningrad, in the last months of pregnancy Andrei’s mother went to her relatives in Izhevsk. It was here that her son was born.
Only at the age of four months was the child transported back to his hometown on the Neva, where the famous basketball player spent his childhood and youth. Andrei Kirilenko became interested in football at an early age, then swimming and handball. However, he soon decided that he would connect his life only with basketball.
The boy first began to engage in this sport in the children's school of the Frunzensky district of his native Leningrad, present-day St. Petersburg. After some time, the guy was selected to the national team of his hometown. It was while playing in its composition that basketball player Andrei Kirilenko achieved his first triumph, winning the Russian Cup in one of the youngest age categories.
Professional career
According to his mentors, the boy’s talent was noticeable from early childhood. Apparently, that’s why he was soon accepted into the first professional club in his career. It became Spartak. Having made his debut in January 1997, basketball player Andrei Kirilenko was named the youngest player in the entire history of the national championship. At that time, the young man was only sixteen years old.
And although in the first season the athlete played only three games on the floor, the very next year he ensured that he was made the main player of the team. With his excellent play, Andrei Kirilenko managed to attract the attention of the coaches of CSKA Moscow, who in the summer of 1998 lured away a promising young player.
Recognized leader of the "army men"
The young basketball player proved that their choice was correct already in his first season. He began to score an average of twelve and a half points per game, and later, together with the “army team”, won the Russian championship. The CSKA team in the Euroleague reached the quarterfinals, and this was a very good experience for a novice player. The 1999/2000 season turned out to be a very successful start for Andrei Kirilenko. He began to score thirteen or more points per game and soon became the recognized leader of the Army team.
In the same year, the team again became the champion of Russia, and the athlete himself was awarded the title of best player of the championship. It was then that it became clear that the athlete would not stay in the Russian championship for long.
The 2000/2001 season turned out to be the most difficult for CSKA in recent years. The team, left without medals, lost its former enthusiasm. Its only bright spot, especially against a backdrop of general gloom, continued to be the brilliant performance of the young striker.
Transition to the NBA
As a result, at the end of 2001, the leader of the “army team”, having left his former team, moved to the overseas team “Utah Jazz”. Russian basketball player Andrei Kirilenko played ten full seasons as part of the new club. During this period, he managed to become one of the most prominent players in the starting five and, as a result, turned into one of the highest paid strikers.
It was in the team from Utah that Kirilenko managed to achieve his most significant victories. However, he was never able to become an NBA champion. Despite this, the Russian all-rounder several times found himself in the symbolic team of the overseas tournament, and once even played in the All-Star Game of this basketball league.
A series of successes
In 2007-2012, Andrei Kirilenko, according to the European international federation basketball player was recognized as the best striker in the Old World. His personal successes were complemented by successes as a national team player. Playing for Russia, this talented striker won gold at the European Championship in Spain (2007) and became a bronze medalist at the same championship in Lithuania (2011). In addition, Andrei Kirilenko in 2012, together with the Russian team, reached third place in the Olympic tournament in basketball.
Due to the NBA lockout in 2011, the player had to spend the 2011/2012 season in Russia. Here, as part of his home club CSKA, Kirilenko became the champion of the VTB United League, but subsequently moved overseas again. The next step in the career of this star forward was the Minnesota Timberwolves, followed by the Brooklyn Nets, where the famous player played until 2014. The end of his career took place in 2015 (CSKA).
Personal life
In 2001, at the age of twenty, Andrei married Maria Lopatova, her daughter is quite eight years older than her husband. However, the age difference does not in any way affect his family happiness, as Andrei Kirilenko himself says. The basketball player and his wife are raising their fourth children: three sons - Fedor, Stepan and Andrey, as well as daughter Alexandra, whom they adopted in 2009.
During NBA season games, the couple and their children lived in their home in Salt Lake City, and the rest of the time they lived in Moscow or France.
Despite the fact that the star athlete is always very busy, he surprisingly manages to do everything. Everyone who knows him speaks warmly about basketball player Andrei Kirilenko. He created a charitable foundation that operates simultaneously in both the USA and Russia. The purpose of this organization is to help disabled children. The Kirilenko Foundation also helps hospitals and sports schools, and veterans. Orphanages and nursing homes receive assistance from him.
Basketball player Andrei Kirilenko, whose height is two hundred and six centimeters, starred in his wife’s video in 2002.
Despite rumors, he is not related to the famous tennis player: she is simply his namesake. Although in one of the interviews, Maria Kirilenko said that she knows Andrei, and they have an agreement to jokingly call each other brother and sister, although cousins.
In 2012, the basketball player was a confidant of Mikhail Prokhorov.
