Andrey Kirilenko biography of basketball player, photo, personal life and his wife 2021

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, played it. During her professional career, she managed to play in such teams as Spartak, Hammer and Sickle, Burevestnik and Skorokhod.

Andrey 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 stay with her mother in Izhevsk, and therefore our today’s hero was born in Udmurtia. At the age of four months, the boy first found himself in the city above the Neva. It was there that the basketball player subsequently spent his childhood and youth.

In his early years, Andrei Kirilenko was interested in football, handball and swimming. However, already in the first grade I decided to connect my life with basketball. He began to engage in this sport at the Children's and Youth Sports School of the Frunzensky district of Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Some time later, the guy joined the city team. It was as part of this team that our today's hero achieved his first successes, winning the Russian Basketball Cup in one of the younger age categories.

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

Andrey Kirilenko brief biography of basketball player

Andrei Gennadievich Kirilenko (1981) is a famous Russian basketball player, captain of the Russian national team.

Andrei Kirilenko was born on February 18, 1981 in the city of Izhevsk. I became interested in basketball professionally when I lived in St. Petersburg. There he began to participate in basketball competitions for the city team. And already in 1995, the first victory was won in the biography of Andrei Kirilenko. Then his team became the champion of Russia. In the entire history of the Russian Basketball Super League, Andrei was the youngest player (he was only 15 years old)..

In 1998, the athlete began playing for CSKA, the best basketball club in Russia. As a member of this team, Andrei Kirilenko became the champion of Russia twice: in 1999 and 2000. The 2000-2001 basketball season was remarkable for the basketball player as his team entered the FIBA Euroleague, the most prestigious competition in Europe, and reached the Final Four.

Professional sports qualities distinguish Andrei Kirilenko from other basketball players. The athlete combines excellent skills in defense, as well as in successfully passing passes. Andrey has highly developed team and individual skills. The basketball player plays in the positions of heavy and light forward.

Due to his high athletic performance, in June 1999 Andrei was selected to participate in the games of the NBA Utah Jazz club.

The debut game for this club in the biography of Andrei Kirilenko took place in the 2001-2002 season. The basketball player wore number 24. In his first season, Andrei showed a highly professional game, thanks to which he was included in the top five players among newcomers. A coincidence of circumstances, when the leading players of the Utah Jazz left, allowed Andrei Kirilenko to become the leading, best player of the team.

Having injured his hand in a game during the 2004-2005 season, the basketball player returned to the team the next season. In the biography of Andrei Kirilenko, the best season is, perhaps, 2005-2006. Having the highest performance indicators, such as the number of assists, steals, and shots made, Andrei was chosen as the best NBA player. But the very next season, the basketball player showed a less brilliant game. This was facilitated by the coach’s new strategy, in which Andrei was not part of the main attacking force. The athlete even announced a possible resignation if the situation does not change.

However, Kirilenko is the greatest Russian basketball player and often plays for the Russian national team. This was the case at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, the European Championship in 2007. The basketball player’s successful games with Lithuania and Spain contributed to Andrey winning the title of “Most Valuable Player” (MVP) in 2007.

In May 2008, a scandal broke out around the athlete because Andrei missed training in Utah on the eve of an important match, which, by the way, was lost. However, the team coach took all the blame upon himself.

In July 2008, Andrei Kirilenko was chosen as the standard bearer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Carrying the Russian flag at the Olympic opening parade is a great honor for an athlete.

Physical data of the athlete: height – 206 cm, weight – 103 kg.

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Professional career of basketball player Andrei Kirilenko

The first milestone in Andrei Kirilenko’s sports career was Spartak St. Petersburg.
Having made his debut on the court in January 1997, our today's hero became the youngest player in the entire history of the Russian championship (at that time he was only sixteen years old). In his first season, Andrei played only three games on the court, but the following year he managed to become one of the main players of the team. With his inspired play, Andrei managed to attract the attention of CSKA Moscow, which lured the young player to their side in the summer of 1998. The basketball player began to justify the trust placed in him already in the first season. He averaged 12.5 points per game, and subsequently managed to win the Russian championship with the CSKA team. 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. That season, our today's hero again became the champion of Russia, and also won the title of best player of the entire championship. At this moment it became clear that the player would not stay in the Russian Championship.

Professional career

While still a child, Andrei went in for sports. The parents took the boy to football and swimming. However, having become a schoolboy, in the first grade the boy enrolled in the basketball section and realized that this was his sport. Already in 1994, as part of the team, he became the champion of Russia in his age category. Alexey Vasiliev, Andrei’s first coach, noted that the guy’s talent in basketball was noticeable from a very early age, but, in addition, the athlete was distinguished by strong perseverance and a desire to work.

Spartak player

Andrei Kirilenko's debut in big-time sports occurred in 1997. Then, at the age of 15, he began playing for Spartak St. Petersburg, becoming the youngest player in the history of the Russian championship. His coach was Anatoly Andrushchenko. In the first season, the athlete appeared on the court in only three games of the club. Then he was just gaining experience and training. However, starting next year, Andrei became one of the team’s key players, playing in 42 club games. Then, at the age of seventeen, the guy already averaged 12 points per game, forcing specialists to start talking about himself.

In 1997, Andrei won silver at the European Championships as a member of the Russian youth team. At the competition, the athlete averaged 20 points per game and 10.3 rebounds. And, as a result, he became the most valuable player of the tournament.

A year later, the guy became a silver medalist at the World Youth Games in Moscow. By that time, the athlete’s height had already reached 2 meters.

Transfer to CSKA

In the off-season of 1998, at the age of twenty, Kirilenko moved to Moscow. He was invited to play for the main club of the country - CSKA.

Already during his first season with the team, the basketball player averaged 10.2 points per game. As a CSKA player, Andrei won the Russian Basketball Championship.

During the 1999/2000 season, Kirilenko became one of the club's leading players. With Kirilenko on board, the team won the Russian Championship. At the same time, the athlete was awarded the title of best player at the Russian Championship.

In 2000, significant changes took place at the club . Valery Tikhonenko replaced the old head of CSKA. As a result, most of the players left CSKA for the Ural Great club. Over the next year, the CSKA army team did not win medals among the Super League A teams. However, in the international championship, the club received the right to participate in the Final Four of the FIBA Super League, where it won bronze.

In the same year, the basketball player was included in the Russian national team, with which he competed at the Olympics in Australia. But the athletes could not help but reach the semi-finals and left without medals. Soon Kirilenko becomes the absolute leader in the Russian team.

NBA Utah Jazz

The achievements of the young athlete were noticed in America and Andrei was invited to play for the Utah Jazz NBA club. The once absolute leaders of the team and its best players, Karl Mallone and John Stocknom, began to lose ground due to their age and the club needed new players.

After his wedding, which took place in the summer of 2001, Kirilenko left CSKA and joined the ranks of the Utah Jazz. He became the youngest basketball player in Europe to be drafted by an NBA team at that time. Andrey’s usual number “13” was taken by John Amaechi and he was offered to perform under number “47”. The basketball player agreed. The athlete played for ten seasons as part of the club. During this period he became one of the club's most important and paid players:

The debut season with Utah was successful for Andrei and he entered the top five best newcomers in the League and became third in the championship among newcomers.
In the first two years, he played most of the time only from the bench, but experts considered his game impressive.
In the off-season, in the summer of 2003, its favorites Stocknom and Malone left the club. The consequence of this was the restructuring of the team, after which Andrei became the main forward of the club. The basketball player could attack from behind the arc, although he did not have the highest percentage. But a new time had come and Andrei had to take the initiative in playing the game as a striker.
Kirilenko was recognized as Utah's best player of the 2003/2004 season, taking part in 76 games of the season and missing 4 due to an injured right ankle. Based on season statistics, he became third in the NBA in blocked shots and fourth in steals, thereby rounding out the top five defensive players of the year. For the next three seasons, the athlete was a member of the NBA All-Star defensive teams, and in the winter he even performed at the All-Star Game.
During the 2004/2005 season, the athlete missed 27 games due to damage to his right shin and another 13 due to a fracture of his left forearm, received on the floor in the battle against Washington. But even with injuries, Andrei became the second NBA player in scoring and again entered the second symbolic defensive five of the NBA.
In August 2005, the contract between the club and Kirilenko was rewritten for a new, higher amount. And thus he became the most expensive athlete from Russia with earnings of 14.5 million dollars a year.
The next season was recognized as the most successful and productive in Kirilenko’s career. He led the NBA in total blocked shots and average blocked shots per game.
In 2006, the head of the club realized that focusing on attacking a Russian athlete was not the best option. And Sloan focused in subsequent matches on newcomers Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams. Since 2006/07, Boozer has become a key part of the forward line of the game. In the new schemes of the club, instead of a leading figure, Kirilenko becomes an ordinary basketball player. The result of the changes is that Andrei's playing time has decreased to 30 minutes per match, which is on average 6-7 minutes less than before. The number of throws performed has also decreased. Kirilenko spent the next five years as part of the team at the level of his first seasons.
The basketball player stated more than once while talking to the media that if his position in matches remains the same, then he may have to change the club after the expiration of his contract. However, despite statements about moving to other clubs in the off-season, Andrei remained with the club and gradually improved his playing statistics. During the 2010/2011 season, the athlete received a salary of $17.9 million, thereby becoming the eighth most valuable NBA player. At the same time, he was considered one of the most overrated players.

In the off-season, in the summer of 2011, Kirilenko decided to return to Russia and continue his career in his homeland.

Return to CSKA

On October 5, 2011, Kirilenko signed a contract with the Moscow club CSKA, according to which he had the opportunity to continue his career in the NBA at any time. Later, the athlete announced his decision to finish playing for CSKA until the end of the 2011/12 season.

As part of the team, Kirilenko won the Russian Championship . He was also recognized as the best basketball player in Europe in 2012 according to the Italian sports magazine Gazzetta della Sport; he was chosen based on voting results among journalists and players from 15 countries. Kirilenko became the first person in post-Soviet Russia to receive the award. In March 2013, FIBA Europe recognized Andrei Kirilenko as the best player of 2012.

Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets

In the summer of 2012, Andrei decided to return to the NBA, since his contract did not prohibit him from doing so:

He moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves sports club, where he played with another Russian, Alexei Shvedov, also a former CSKA player. The season was not the most successful for the team, the win-loss ratio was 31-51 and, as a result, the team did not make it to the playoffs.
At the end of the season in the summer of 2013, Andrei refused to sign a contract for another year and became a completely free agent.
After leaving Minnesota, Kirilenko signed a one-year contract with a salary of $4 million with the Brooklyn Nets, owned by Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov.
A year later, Kirilenko extended his contract for the 2014/15 season, but the season became the shortest for the athlete. Kirilenko was informed that on December 11 he will be required to play for the Philadelphia 76ers. The athlete refused to go on the court as part of Philadelphia, which is why the contract with him was terminated.
On February 24, Andrei became a free agent, since not a single NBA club began to apply for him.

Andrei 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 only bright spot against the background of general gloom was the bright play of the young striker. As a result, in 2001, Andrei Kirilenko left his previous team and joined the ranks of one of the clubs in the National Basketball League, the Utah Jazz. The Russian all-rounder spent ten full seasons as part of his new team. During this time, he became one of the most prominent players in his team, as well as one of its highest paid players. As part of the Utah club, Andrei Kirilenko managed to achieve many significant victories, but he never managed to become an NBA champion. Despite this, our today’s hero was included in the symbolic team of this tournament several times, and also once participated in the league’s all-star match. In 2007 and 2012, Andrei Kirilenko was recognized as the best player in the Old World according to the European Basketball Association.

These successes interspersed with the player’s successes achieved at the national team level. Playing for the Russian national team, the talented forward won gold at the European Championship (Spain 2007) and also became a bronze medalist at 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 count this success as an asset.

Andrey 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 next stages in the career of the star forward were the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Brooklyn Nets. The player still plays for the last named club to this day.

Andrey Kirilenko now

The basketball player is actively involved in charity work. In 2003, he created the Kirilenko Children Foundation in the USA. Since 2006, the fund has also been operating in Russia. The main direction of the fund is assistance to orphanages, sports veterans, and sports schools. Andrey also conducts charity basketball master classes and invites famous Russian basketball players, such as Viktor Khryapa, to them. And in 2012, the basketball player donated all the fees he earned under his contract with CSKA for the 2011/12 season to his charitable foundation.

In 2012, Andrey also acted as a confidant of the deputy and candidate for President of the Russian Federation Mikhail Prokhorov.

Having completed the 2014/15 season with CSKA, Andrei decided to end his sports career and on April 1, it was announced that he would move to coaching. Kirilenko also announced his intention to become president of the Russian Basketball Federation. In August of the same year, with the support of the Minister of Sports, Pavel Kolobkov, he was unanimously selected for the position.

As the head of the RFB, in one of his interviews Andrei admitted that his source of inspiration has always been the Soviet athlete Vladimir Tkachenko, who was included in the FIBA Hall of Fame, along with Michael Jordan and 7 other athletes.

Personal life, Sergei 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.

St. Petersburg talent

Kirilenko was born into a sports family - in particular, his mother was a professional basketball player. In Leningrad, where Andrei was transported shortly after giving birth, he began playing 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 national team among children 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 Russian championships. And if at first he was released only to “breathe” with the game, then from the next season Andrei firmly established himself in the core of the team. At the age of 17, he was already scoring more than 10 points per game, becoming the subject of discussion among all experts.

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

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

Andrey Kirilenko in his youth

Kirilenko is a small forward, but he is good at rebounding and is especially successful in defensive actions; His regular diet includes block shots and interceptions. And the way Andrey flies over the ring is simply a sight for sore 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, needed personnel additions. Long-time team leaders Karl Malone and John Stockton were approaching basketball retirement age and predictably began to decline.

Kirilenko's debut in the NBA can be considered successful. At the end of the first season, he was included in the symbolic five newcomers of the League, which meant one thing - Andrei was recognized. And even though for the first two years he mainly played on the floor from the bench, Jerry Sloan liked his game. Andrey followed the coach’s instructions with discipline and showed himself to be a true team player.

In the summer of 2003, Utah immediately lost its stars - Malone went to the Lakers to join Shaquille and Kobe, and Stockton retired. Thus, Kirilenko became the team’s main attacking option. Of course, Andrey was never a real sniper. Yes, he could attack from behind the arc and after solo passes, but he still 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 over 15 points per match. But first of all, Kirilenko proved himself to be an excellent all-rounder. He collected around 8 rebounds, made 3-4 assists, 2 steals and about 3 blocked shots per night. According to the latter indicator, he became the leader of the 2004/2005 season.

Andrey Kirilenko in the Utah Jazz

For three years in a row, Andrei was included in the NBA All-Star defensive teams, and in the winter of 2004 he was selected to the All-Star Game. In fact, Kirilenko was crowned. And if it weren’t for Andrey’s excessive lack of egoism and not the best natural throw, Kirilenko would have been a real superstar of the Association.

Unfortunately, Sloan realized that placing the main bet in attacking our compatriot was 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 taken by Andrey predictably decreased. Kirilenko spent the remaining five championships in Utah at the level of his first seasons - good, but nothing more.

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

With the Nets, his statistics became the worst in all the years of his NBA career, and as a result, Andrei was sold to Philadelphia. However, Kirilenko refused to play for her, and he was put up for the waiver draft. This was the end of our forward’s overseas career.