A professional at 15 in Russia, Kirilenko was league MVP at CSKA Moscow by 2000 and the first Russian ever taken in the NBA's first round — 24th to Utah in 1999, the youngest European drafted to that point. Over ten Jazz seasons the man they called AK-47 made the 2004 All-Star Game and three All-Defensive teams, led the league in blocks in 2004–05, and carried the roster after Stockton retired and Malone left.
He went home during the 2011 lockout and was named EuroLeague MVP with CSKA, closed his NBA run with Minnesota and Brooklyn, and won EuroBasket 2007 as tournament MVP for Russia. In 2015 he was elected president of the Russian Basketball Federation.
HOW HE CAME & WENTUtah drafted him 24th overall in 1999, then waited two years and bought out CSKA Moscow to get him in September 2001. His contract expired after ten seasons, and with the 2011 lockout on he went home to CSKA rather than wait — by his own account he would have stayed but for the lockout.
No photograph of this signature is online yet.
| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | UTA | 82 | 26.2 | 10.7 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.9 | .450 | .250 | .768 |
| 2002–03 | UTA | 80 | 27.7 | 12.0 | 5.3 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 2.2 | .491 | .325 | .800 |
| 2003–04 | UTA | 78 | 37.1 | 16.5 | 8.1 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 2.8 | .443 | .338 | .790 |
| 2004–05 | UTA | 41 | 32.9 | 15.6 | 6.2 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 3.3 | .493 | .299 | .784 |
| 2005–06 | UTA | 69 | 37.7 | 15.3 | 8.0 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 3.2 | .460 | .308 | .699 |
| 2006–07 | UTA | 70 | 29.3 | 8.3 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 2.1 | .471 | .213 | .728 |
| 2007–08 | UTA | 72 | 30.8 | 11.0 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 1.5 | .506 | .379 | .770 |
| 2008–09 | UTA | 67 | 27.3 | 11.6 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.1 | .449 | .274 | .785 |
| 2009–10 | UTA | 58 | 29.0 | 11.9 | 4.6 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 | .506 | .292 | .744 |
| 2010–11 | UTA | 64 | 31.2 | 11.7 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.2 | .467 | .367 | .770 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 10 SEASONS | 681 | 30.8 | 12.4 | 5.6 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 2.0 | .470 | .312 | .763 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗