Recently re-elected president of the Russian basketball federation, Andrei Kirilenko is enjoying a peaceful retirement in his native country. The former Jazz All-Star winger has been retired from the courts since 2015, after finishing his career at home, at CSKA Moscow.
Drafted in 24th position in 2001 by the Utah Jazz, Andrei Kirilenko had participated in the transition between the end of the immense Stockton-Malone era and a new generation that would still end up in the conference finals in 2007, in the company of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, plus Mehmet “the fuse” Okur.
“Jerry Sloan helped me settle in well when I started out,” This is what Andrei Kirilenko says in the knuckleheads podcast” , because he gave me interesting playing time, between 20 and 25 minutes. And he alternated between starting minutes, where I defended big players like Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen or Jamal Mashburn and Allan Houston, and substitute minutes, so that I could adapt more easily to the level of play. I had sequences of 4 or 5 minutes against All-Stars to see what the real level expected was, and then minutes against the second knives to be able to breathe [rires]. »
All-Star at 22
Author of a very encouraging rookie season with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks on average, which earned him a place in the best five rookies, Andrei Kirilenko quickly found success in the NBA.
Since he would collect, at 22 years old, his first (and only) All-Star cap in his third season, in 2004.
“It was a weird feeling, like something was wrong, or when you know your life will never be the same again. Like when I first came into the league, actually. After that, I knew I was playing well, I had already been voted player of the week twice, I had had great games and the team was doing better than expected. I knew I could be in the top 25 players in the league, but at the same time, I was still a kid, in my third year. I remember, we were in San Antonio, and a ball boy or a guy from the Spurs staff came up to me before the game to congratulate me on being an All-Star. And I must have had one of the worst games of my career after that [13 points, 6 rebonds tout de même, à 5/11 aux tirs, ndlr] ! I was like, I'm an All-Star, I have to make crazy plays. And then Coach Sloan came to me to calm me down, to tell me to play my game. It was a little overwhelming!”
A precocious talent who turned pro at the age of 15 in Saint Petersburg, Andrei Kirilenko learned quickly at all levels. He quickly earned his letters of nobility with a nickname that quickly stuck to his skin: “AK47”. Perfect to embody his story and his journey.
“When I got to Utah, we were playing in the summer league and I had number 13, which was my mom’s number and the number I played most of my career with. But when we started training camp, we had John Amaechi, a veteran center. In the NBA, when a veteran comes into the team, he gets first crack at his number. He picked 13, so I had to find another one. And Quincy Lewis, who was the young guy I hung out with on the team (he’s also the director of alumni relations for the Jazz), suggested I get 47. Because with my initials, it made AK47, which is just one of the most famous Russian products in the world. I had no other idea, so I picked 47. Since then, it’s become a trademark. It fit perfectly with my career.” And even more so, because my hometown of Izhevsk is where the first AK47s were produced. It was a nickname that was predestined for me, so to speak!
Wemby fan
In the second defensive five in 2004 and 2005, and finally in the best in 2006, best blocker of the League in 2005, Andrei Kirilenko is simply the prototype of the defensive Swiss army knife in modern basketball. He is also the only player, with Hakeem Olajuwon, to have made several “5 by 5” in his career (three, against six for “The Dream”).
On this subject, Andrei Kirilenko predicts that the young French prodigy of the Spurs should follow in his footsteps on this statistical feat: “Victor Wembanyama is going to be a monster for a bunch of years to come. I can tell you right now, he's going to break my “5 by 5” record very quickly. [rires] ! »
Faced with the rugged Malone and Stockton, not the last to get their elbows out on screens, the Russian winger nevertheless remembered another lesser-known name from his early days in Utah. That of DeShawn Stevenson, a character in his own right in the 2000s.
“D-Steve was super explosive and very strong defensively. He was always on his feet and I couldn’t get past him one-on-one. I would start dribbling but the guy was always in front of me. He had incredible speed to react. And then, the explosiveness! As soon as he had the ball, he was Vince Carter. You couldn’t let him put his foot down near the rim. You had to be there too, otherwise, you were going to be posterized.”
Another name, equally unlikely in Utah, was Mark Jackson, the veteran point guard who briefly moved to Mormon country in 2002. “I really enjoyed playing with John Stockton but Stockton was always looking for Karl Malone to pass to. So I preferred to play with Mark Jackson, because he was looking for me on the field! As soon as I was open, boom, I had the ball in my hands!”
Close to being traded for Boris Diaw
Still productive for his return to the NBA in 2012 in Minnesota, where he will play the role of big brother to Nikola Pekovic and his compatriot Alexey Shved, Andrei Kirilenko will try one last adventure with a contender, in Brooklyn. So, as he reveals, he could have landed in San Antonio… against Boris Diaw!
“After Minnesota, I felt like my NBA career was on the downward path. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't avoid screens like Coach Sloan always told us. [rires]. I was still able to bring something but I wanted to try to find a team that was a title contender. Minnesota wanted to trade me for Boris Diaw. That was one of the rumors I heard and I liked it because San Antonio was a dynasty and I would have loved to play for Popovich. But that didn't happen because David Kahn was replaced by Flip Saunders and the franchise took another direction. And then Brooklyn was bought by a Russian owner, there was already D-Will who I knew, plus Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson. When they got KG, Paul Pierce and Jet Terry, it was a no-brainer for me to sign there! It was the last crusade, I wanted to try this experience, plus the experience of living in New York. We had a chance to win the title. We didn't succeed but it was a good try.
Flag bearer at the 2008 Olympics
The first major Russian player in the NBA, Andrei Kirilenko was then literally the flag-bearer of his nation on the Olympic stage in Beijing in 2008.
European champion to everyone's surprise in 2007 in Spain, and bronze medalist in 2011 at the Euro Baltic, then at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, he had a mammoth season in the Euroleague with CSKA Moscow during the year of the lockout. Unfortunately deprived of the title by a buzzer-beater shot from Giorgios Printezis for Olympiakos.
“In Europe, we grow up with the idea that the highest level of basketball is the international game, when you play for your country, and especially at the Olympic Games. It was really in my veins and in my blood. So, as soon as there was an international competition, I wanted to be there. To find the guys I grew up with, and to play for yourself, for your loved ones and your country. Because there is no story of money in the national team! I always recommend to players to play for their country if they can, it is such a strong experience. We managed to win the gold medal in 2007 at the Euro, then a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in 2012 but for me, the greatest memory is in 2008 when I was named flag bearer for my country. I don't think there is a greater honor than that.”
| Andrei Kirilenko | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2001-02 | UTH | 82 | 26 | 45.0 | 25.0 | 76.8 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 10.7 |
| 2002-03 | UTH | 80 | 28 | 49.1 | 32.5 | 80.0 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 12.0 |
| 2003-04 | UTH | 78 | 37 | 44.3 | 33.8 | 79.0 | 2.9 | 5.2 | 8.1 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 16.5 |
| 2004-05 | UTH | 41 | 33 | 49.3 | 29.9 | 78.4 | 2.2 | 4.1 | 6.2 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 15.6 |
| 2005-06 | UTH | 69 | 38 | 46.0 | 30.8 | 69.9 | 2.3 | 5.7 | 8.0 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 15.3 |
| 2006-07 | UTH | 70 | 29 | 47.1 | 21.3 | 72.8 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 8.3 |
| 2007-08 | UTH | 72 | 31 | 50.6 | 37.9 | 77.0 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 11.0 |
| 2008-09 | UTH | 67 | 27 | 44.9 | 27.4 | 78.5 | 1.3 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 11.6 |
| 2009-10 | UTH | 58 | 29 | 50.6 | 29.2 | 74.4 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 4.6 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 11.9 |
| 2010-11 | UTH | 64 | 31 | 46.7 | 36.7 | 77.0 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 11.7 |
| 2012-13 | MIN | 64 | 32 | 50.7 | 29.2 | 75.2 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 5.7 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 12.4 |
| 2013-14 | BRK | 45 | 19 | 51.3 | 20.0 | 51.3 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 5.0 |
| 2014-15 | BRK | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Total | 797 | 30 | 47.4 | 31.0 | 75.4 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 5.5 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 11.8 | |
How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.
