2012 Euroleague Best Defender & MVP CSKA Moscow Andrei Kirilenko Jersey – Signed

: 2012 Euroleague Best Defender & MVP CSKA Moscow Andrei Kirilenko Jersey – Front

: Appearance in the FibaManiac Hall of Fame

: 2012 Euroleague Best Defender & MVP CSKA Moscow Andrei Kirilenko Jersey – Back

Kirilenko playing with the jersey

Retired since this June Andrei Kirilenko (1981) was the total player. It’s hard to find a player able to score, rebounder and blocker. Well, Andrei was of the bests and playing as outside player. But besides, he had a big passing vision and he could steal balls as a point guard being a big man. A good example that Kirilenko was the all-around player is the five-by-five. A five-by-five is defined as a performance in which a player accumulates a total of five in five statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) in a single game. Hakeem Olajuwon (six times) and Andrei Kirilenko (three times) are the only players to have recorded multiple five-by-fives since the NBA began recording blocks and steals in 1973. Both are also the only players to record five-by-sixes (at least six in five statistical categories). Other good examples: Andrei also was the NBA blocks leader (3,3) and the Eurobasket rebounds leader (11,8) in 2005.

Me and Andrei in Madrid during the 2015 Euroleague Final Four

About his career this started in 1997 when “AK-47” became the youngest player ever to compete in the Russian Superleague with the Spartak St. Petersburg. After two seasons he joined CSKA Moscow. On 1999, at age 18, Kirilenko was the youngest European player at the time to be drafted in the NBA, with the 24th pick. However, he remained with CSKA Moscow for the next two seasons. After Kirilenko joined the Utah Jazz in 2001 with John Stockton and Karl Malone in the team and doing career in the NBA for a long time, only paused in the season of the jersey when he led CSKA Moscow.

Definitely and in my opinion one of the best defenders of the history that besides he could be the first option in offense. So he could be the best defender and the best in the offense in a NBA game or Euroleague Season. The best sample of that is the season of the jersey: was named Euroleague MVP and Euroleague Defensive Player of the Year in the same season averaging 24.2 PIR and increasing it to 25 in the Euroleague Final Four. Unfortunately for him CSKA lost the final game versus Olympiacos. Later in summer he led his National Team to get the bronze medal in the Olympic Games. So this season could be considered the best moment in his career although maybe he reached his best performances in the Eurobasket 2003 with 23 points per game (only overcome by Pau Gasol) and in the Eurobasket 2007 when he scored 29 points in semifinals and 17 in the Final to become Europe Champion.