Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko (; born February 18, 1981), is a Russian basketball executive and former professional player. Nicknamed AK-47, he played 10 seasons for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 2001 and 2011.
At age fifteen, Kirilenko began playing professional basketball in the Russian Basketball Super League. He played for CSKA Moscow from 1998 to 2001, winning league MVP honours in 2000. In 1999, he was selected by the Jazz with the 24th overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft. He became the first Russian player selected in the first round of an NBA draft and the youngest European player ever chosen in the NBA draft.
Kirilenko joined the Jazz in 2001 and played for the team until 2011. He made the NBA All-Rookie First Team, was an NBA All-Defensive Team pick three times, played in the 2004 All-Star Game, and led the NBA in blocked shots in the 2004–05 season. During the 2011 NBA lockout, Kirilenko returned to Russia to play for CSKA Moscow, leading the team to the 2012 EuroLeague Final. That year, he was named the EuroLeague MVP, earned an All-EuroLeague first team selection and won the EuroLeague Best Defender award. Kirilenko returned to the NBA for the 2012–13 season to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves before finishing his NBA career as a member of the Brooklyn Nets in 2013–14.
Kirilenko was a regular member of the Russian national team. He competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won the EuroBasket title in 2007, earning MVP honors in the process. At EuroBasket 2011, he and his team won a bronze medal. He was selected to the All-Tournament Team on both occasions. Kirilenko was named FIBA Europe Men's Player of the Year twice and won a Euroscar Player of the Year award in 2012.
Kirilenko was elected president of the Russian Basketball Federation in 2015.
Early life
Kirilenko was born in the Soviet city of Izhevsk, Russia. However, he remained with CSKA Moscow for the next two seasons. In the 1999–2000 season, he helped his team win the championship of the North European Basketball League and its second Russian Super League championship in a row. On April 23, 2000, he participated in his second Russian All-Star game, helping the West beat the East 122–111. Despite being the odds-on favorite to win the slam dunk contest, he finished second to Harold Deane of Lokomotiv Mineralnye Vody.
He showed off his all-around skills in the 2000–01 SuproLeague, finishing in the top ten in 7 out of 8 statistical categories.
Partizan
In August 2001, Kirilenko signed a contract with Yugoslav team Partizan ICN which included an NBA-out clause option.
Utah Jazz (2001–2011)
Kirilenko joined the Utah Jazz on a rookie-scale contract in September 2001. On March 15, 2002, when starting in place of injured teammate Karl Malone, Kirilenko scored a then-career-high 27 points during a 100–97 win over the Detroit Pistons. He was named to the first team on the NBA All-Rookie Team. He would emerge as one of the top young players in the NBA, and one of the league's top weak-side defenders. He was selected to play in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. In the 2003–04 NBA season, he ranked third in the league in blocked shots per game and fourth in the league in steals per game, Although the lockout was resolved in December, Kirilenko remained with CSKA Moscow for the rest of the season rather than pursuing an immediate return to the NBA. Over 17 games in the EuroLeague, he averaged 14.1 points and 7.5 rebounds in 29.9 minutes per game, leading the team to the 2012 EuroLeague Final. Kirilenko was named the EuroLeague MVP, earned an All-EuroLeague first team selection and won the EuroLeague Best Defender award.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2012–2013)
On July 27, 2012, Kirilenko signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was the team's starting small forward, playing in 64 games during the 2012–13 NBA season. Kirilenko missed 18 games because of back spasms, then a right quadriceps strain, and finally a calf strain. He finished the season with averages of 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and a 51% field goal percentage per game. He had his best game on November 14, 2012, when he had 26 points and 12 rebounds on an 89–87 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. On June 29, 2013, Kirilenko opted out of the final year of his contract with the Timberwolves (worth $10 million) to become a free agent.
Brooklyn Nets (2013–2014)
On July 12, 2013, Kirilenko signed a two-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets. On June 23, 2014, he exercised his $3.3 million player option, re-signing with the Nets for the 2014–15 season. On November 21, 2014, he took a leave of absence from the Nets for personal reasons.
On December 11, 2014, Kirilenko was traded, along with Jorge Gutiérrez, the Nets' second round draft pick in 2020 and the right to swap second round picks in 2018, to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Brandon Davies. The 76ers suspended Kirilenko without pay on January 9, 2015, for failing to report after the trade, and on February 21, he was waived by the 76ers before playing in a game for them.
Third stint with CSKA (2015)
On February 24, 2015, Kirilenko signed with CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League for the rest of the 2014–15 season, returning to the club for a third stint. With Kirilenko at the club for the second half of the season, CSKA Moscow managed to advance to the EuroLeague Final Four for the fourth straight season, after eliminating Panathinaikos for the second straight season in the quarterfinals, with a 3–1 series win. However, in the semi-final game, despite being dubbed by media as an absolute favorite to advance, Kirilenko's team, CSKA, once again lost to Olympiacos. The final score was 70–68, after a great Olympiacos comeback in the fourth quarter, led by Vassilis Spanoulis. CSKA Moscow eventually won the third place game, after defeating Fenerbahçe 86–80. Over 11 games played in the EuroLeague, he averaged 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. CSKA Moscow finished the season by winning the VTB United League, after eliminating Khimki with a 3–0 series win in the league's finals series.
On June 23, 2015, Kirilenko announced his retirement as a professional basketball player.
National team career
thumb|Kirilenko with some of his teammates from the [[Russia men's national basketball team|Russian national basketball team in 2011.]]
As a member of the Russian junior national team, Kirilenko was the MVP of the 1999 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. Kirilenko's first major international tournament with the senior Russian national basketball team was at the 2000 Summer Olympics, where Russia finished the games in 8th place. Later, he played at the EuroBasket 2001, where Russia finished 5th among 16 teams. The only time that Kirilenko played in a FIBA World Cup was at the 2002 FIBA World Championship, where the Russian team finished 10th out of 16 teams. Kirilenko has also played at 4 more EuroBaskets: the EuroBasket 2003, the EuroBasket 2005, the EuroBasket 2007, where he won the gold medal of the competition, and was named the MVP of the tournament, and the EuroBasket 2011. With the win in the 2007 EuroBasket, Russia qualified to the 2008 Summer Olympics, where Kirilenko also played for Russia, and he was also named Russia's flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony of the games.
In the first game of the 2008 Olympics tournament against Iran, Kirilenko scored 15 points, pulled down 5 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots. Against Croatia, he led his team in points scored with 18, and he scored his personal best in the games against Argentina, scoring 23.
Kirilenko won a bronze medal with Russia at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Executive career
In August 2015, Kirilenko was elected president of the Russian Basketball Federation. He was re-elected to the post in August 2020.
Career statistics
NBA
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="background:#CFECEC; width:1em"|*
| Led the league
|}
Regular season
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 82 || 40 || 26.2 || .450 || .250 || .768 || 4.9 || 1.1 || 1.4 || 1.9 || 10.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 80 || 11 || 27.7 || .491 || .325 || .800 || 5.3 || 1.7 || 1.5 || 2.2 || 12.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 78 || 78 || 37.1 || .443 || .338 || .790 || 8.1 || 3.1 || 1.9 || 2.8 || 16.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 41 || 37 || 32.9 || .493 || .299 || .784 || 6.2 || 3.2 || 1.6 || style="background:#CFECEC;"|3.3* || 15.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 69 || 63 || 37.7 || .460 || .308 || .699 || 8.0 || 4.3 || 1.5 || 3.2 || 15.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 70 || 70 || 29.3 || .471 || .213 || .728 || 4.7 || 2.9 || 1.1 || 2.1 || 8.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 72 || 72 || 30.8 || .506 || .379 || .770 || 4.7 || 4.0 || 1.2 || 1.5 || 11.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 67 || 10 || 27.3 || .449 || .274 || .785 || 4.8 || 2.6 || 1.2 || 1.1 || 11.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 58 || 35 || 29.0 || .506 || .292 || .744 || 4.6 || 2.7 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 11.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 64 || 62 || 31.2 || .467 || .367 || .770 || 5.1 || 3.0 || 1.3 || 1.2 || 11.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Minnesota
| 64 || 64 || 31.8 || .507 || .292 || .752 || 5.7 || 2.8 || 1.5 || 1.0 || 12.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Brooklyn
| 45 || 4 || 19.0 || .513 || .200 || .513 || 3.2 || 1.6 || .9 || .4 || 5.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Brooklyn
| 7 || 0 || 5.1 || 0.0 || 0.0 || .750 || 1.1 || .1 || .1 || .0 || .4
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 797 || 546 || 30.2 || .474 || .310 || .754 || 5.5 || 2.7 || 1.4 || 1.8 || 11.8
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| All-Star
| 1 || 0 || 12.0 || .333 || .000 || .000 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 1.0 || 2.0
Playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 4 || 4 || 30.5 || .393 || .000 || .813 || 3.8 || 1.0 || 1.8 || 2.5 || 8.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 5 || 0 || 29.0 || .419 || .143 || .875 || 4.8 || 1.4 || .6 || 2.0 || 11.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 17|| 17 || 31.0 || .447 || .333 || .785 || 5.2 || 2.6 || .9 || 2.4 || 9.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 12 || 12 || 32.3 || .447 || .227 || .714 || 3.4 || 2.5 || 1.5 || 1.7 || 11.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 5 || 3 || 27.2 || .468 || .200 || .714 || 2.8 || 2.0 || 2.2 || .6 || 11.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 2 || 0 || 15.0 || .500 || .000 || 1.000 || 3.0 || .0 || .5 || .5 || 5.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2014
| style="text-align:left;"| Brooklyn
| 10 || 0 || 14.4 || .467 || .000 || .647 || 2.3 || 1.0 || 1.0 || .3 || 2.5
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 55 || 36 || 27.1 || .445 || .208 || .767 || 3.9 || 1.9 || 1.2 || 1.6 || 8.7
EuroLeague
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="background:#CFECEC; width:1em"|*
| Led the league
|}
|-
! colspan="15" | FIBA EuroLeague
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1998–99
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| CSKA Moscow
| 7 || 0 || 9.0 || .625 || .000 || .773 || 1.4 || .1 || 1.1 || .0 || 5.3 || 9.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1999–00
| 19 || 19 || 26.9 || .579 || .200 || .646 || 6.2 || 1.8 || 2.5 || .5 || 11.5 || 21.1
|-
! colspan="15" | FIBA SuproLeague
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2000–01
| style="text-align:left;" | CSKA Moscow
| 22 || 22 || 33.7 || .575 || .281 || .647 || 9.2 || 2.6 || 2.0 || style="background:#CFECEC;"|2.1* || 13.9 || 27.0
|-
! colspan="14" | EuroLeague
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2011–12
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| CSKA Moscow
| 17 || 17 || 29.9 || .533 || .417 || .758 || style="background:#CFECEC;"|7.5* || 2.4 || 1.5 || style="background:#CFECEC;"|1.9* || 14.1 || style="background:#CFECEC;"|24.2*
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2014–15
| 11 || 9 || 19.3 || .518 || .462 || .682 || 5.3 || 1.2 || 1.1 || 1.2 || 8.5 || 13.9
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 76 || 67 || 26.8 || .561 || .342 || .687 || 6.8 || 1.9 || 1.8 || 1.4 || 11.8 || 21.3
Player profile
thumb|Kirilenko in 2006 as a member of the Utah Jazz.
Kirilenko was a versatile "big man" who could play either forward spot. He was noted for his high-level play in both offense (11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game NBA career averages) and defense (twice topping three blocks per game for a season). On offense, he was proficient in drawing fouls, passing, and possessed a quick first step. He was three times selected into the NBA All-Defensive First or Second Team. Staples of Kirilenko's defensive power were his shot blocking (with an NBA career average of 1.8 per game) and in stealing the ball (NBA career average of 1.4 per game).
On January 3, 2006, against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kirilenko posted a stat line of 14 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 steals, and 7 blocks. This was the third time in his career he achieved a five-by-five, making him one of only three players (the others being Hakeem Olajuwon and Victor Wembanyama) to achieve this feat more than once in NBA history. It was also the first-ever regulation "5×6" — a game in which a player registers at least 6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 blocks, and 6 steals — since the NBA began recording blocks and steals in the 1973–74 season. In 1987, Olajuwon had 38 points, 17 rebounds, 12 blocks, 7 steals, and 6 assists for the Houston Rockets, in a double-overtime win over the Seattle SuperSonics, the only other time a player has earned a 5×6.
In June 2015, FiveThirtyEight reviewed Kirilenko's statistics, finding that his efficiency in scoring, steals, blocks, assists, offensive rebounds, and all-around versatility would justify consideration for the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Kirilenko is nicknamed "AK-47" in reference to his initials, the jersey number he wore, and the AK-47 rifle. Coincidentally, Kirilenko was born in the city of Izhevsk, in the former Soviet Union (now in Russia) where the weapon was first manufactured.
Personal life
Kirilenko is married to Russian pop singer Masha "Marina" Lopatova, whose stage name is MaLo. Lopatova is the daughter of Russian basketball player Andrey Lopatov. Kirilenko met Lopatova at a youth basketball camp in Moscow, and Kirilenko appeared in one of Lopatova's music videos. In January 2011, Kirilenko and his wife acquired American citizenship. The couple have three sons, Fedor, Stepan and Andrey, and a daughter named Alexandra. They live in Los Angeles.
Sources suggest Kirilenko was a World of Warcraft (WoW) gamer while playing in the NBA. In the words of former NBA player Channing Frye, he shared a story about being up at 3 a.m. the night before an NBA game while playing WoW, when he noticed Kirilenko was online as well. Frye asked Kirilenko "Aren’t you playing tomorrow?", referring to the next day's NBA game, and Kirilenko replied "Yeah, probably."
See also
- List of NBA career blocks leaders
- List of NBA annual blocks leaders
- List of NBA single-game blocks leaders
- 2008 Summer Olympics national flag bearers
- List of European basketball players in the United States
References
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External links
- Andrei Kirilenko at euroleague.net
- Andrei Kirilenko at the Beijing 2008 Olympics (archived)