Former Brooklyn Nets Forward Named Best Russian Basketball Player Ever

A first-round pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, the Russian-born wing was selected No. 24 overall by the Utah Jazz, but would remain in Russia to spend two seasons with his CSKA Moscow team, winning a Russian League MVP before joining Utah in 2001.

For his first NBA season, he'd earn an NBA All-Rookie honor, showing fans flashes of an army-knife type player before taking a leap into the spotlight in 2004, where Kirilenko was nominated to his first and only All-Star game.

During that same season, he was named to the NBA's All-Defensive Second Team, and in his home country of Russia, Kirilenko won the first of his four Russian Player of the Year awards.

Regarded as one of, if not the most, decorated Russian basketball player to play in the NBA, Andrei Kirilenko was recently bestowed the honor of his country's greatest basketball player ever by HoopsHype's Frank Urbina in an article detailing every nation's best hooper.

"Andrei Kirilenko is easily the best Russian player ever in the NBA, where he was an All-Star once. With Russia, AK-47 was also the leader during its most successful post-Soviet years, winning the 2007 EuroBasket and the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics."

By the mid-2000's Kirlilenko established himself as one of the best defensive players in the league, leading the league in blocks and earning his second All-Defensive team honor in 2005.

The following year, he would finally earn a first team nod defensively en route to the 2007 EuroBasket where Kirilenko's Russian legend would grow even larger.

During the 2007's FIBA Championship, AK-47 led Russia to a gold medal in the competition and was named the MVP of the tournament.

For these efforts, he was also honored with his third Russian Player of the Year award and first of his two FIBA Europe Player of the Year awards.

Kirilenko would likely be a five-year Russian Player of the Year award winner from 2004 to 2008; however, in 2006, it was decided that after a fateful plane crash, Russian basketball player Alexander Petrenko was posthumously given the award.

Following that FIBA run, Kirilenko spent four more season in Utah before the NBA lockout struck and the Russian star returned to his home team of CSK Moscow for the 2011 season. He won the EuroLeague MVP, Best Defender Award and was first team All-Euro League.

After that year, he returned back to the NBA for a brief ru with the Minnesota Timberwolves before signing a two year deal with the Brooklyn Nets where he finished off his NBA career.

Now the president of the Russian Basketball Federation, Kirilenko remains close to the game and has become a mentor for Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Egor Demin, another Russian bred hooper.

Demin who sat down with the Salt Lake Tribune in May had some high praise for his countries star.

“He’s a big figure for Russian basketball. Obviously, for me, it’s an honor to be able to have a chance to talk to him and ask him for advice.”