Žydrūnas Ilgauskas

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Basketball player
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas
Player information
Nickname Big Z
birthday 5th June 1975
place of birth Kaunas , Lithuanian SSR , Soviet Union
size 221 cm
Weight 118 kg
position center
NBA draft 1996 , 20th Pick, Cleveland Cavaliers
Jersey number 11
Clubs as active
1994–1996 Atletas Kaunas 1996–2010 Cleveland Cavaliers 2010–2011 Miami HeatLithuaniaLithuania
United StatesUnited States
United StatesUnited States
National team
1994 00000 LithuaniaLithuania Lithuania 3 games

Audio file / audio sample Žydrūnas Ilgauskas ? / i (bornJune 5, 1975inKaunas,Lithuanian SSR,Soviet Union) is a formerLithuanian basketball playerwho played in the North AmericanprofessionalleagueNBAfrom 1996 to 2011.

Ilgauskas was used on the position of the center and wore the shirt number 11 throughout his time in the NBA. This is no longer awarded in honor of the player by the Cleveland Cavaliers . Ilgauskas has long been one of the best players in the NBA in his position and was also one of the tallest players in the league with a height of 2.21 meters.

His career was threatened early on by serious injuries, and his feet had to be operated on five times. Although he has been largely spared from protracted injuries since the end of 2001, the Cleveland Cavaliers no longer released him for the Lithuanian national team due to the risk of injury .

Career

NBA

Ilgauskas moved to the Cavaliers in 1996, but missed the entire first season due to injury. His injury problems persisted, and until 2001 he had only had one injury-free season (1997/98). In this, his technically second season, he was appointed to the NBA All-Rookie First Team . Since then he has developed into a regular player and was nominated for his achievements twice (2003 and 2005) for the NBA All-Star Game . The highlight of his career so far was winning the Eastern Conference in 2007. It was not until 2009, when Shaquille O'Neal was signed , that Ilgauskas lost his regular place in the starting lineup of the Cavaliers.

On February 17, 2010, he was traded for Antawn Jamison with the Washington Wizards .

Only a little later, on February 25, 2010, Washington bought himself out of the contract without playing a game for the Wizards and Ilgauskas became a free agent . After a 30-day waiting period stipulated in the NBA rules to return to his old club, he signed a contract with the Cavaliers until the end of the season. However, it would have been possible to switch to another team beforehand.

On July 17, 2010, Ilgauskas signed a contract with Miami Heat , after he had barely got any playing time at Cleveland, especially in the playoffs. His move was also heavily influenced by the new commitments to Chris Bosh and especially his long-time teammate LeBron James . He reached the 2011 NBA final with the Heat but was defeated by the Dallas Mavericks . After the season, Ilgauskas announced his resignation.

Ilgauskas at the Heat (March 2011)

In 2012 Ilgauskas was brought into management by the Cavaliers, where he works as a “Special Advisor”.

Before the start of the 2013/14 NBA season, the Cavaliers announced that Ilgauska's shirt number 11 would no longer be used and that it would be pulled under the ceiling of the Quicken Loans Arena on March 8, 2014 . This makes him the third European, after Vlade Divac and Dražen Petrović , to receive this honor.

National team

Ilgauskas made his debut for Lithuania in 1994 and helped the team qualify for the 1995 European Basketball Championship . Due to his injury history, however, he was no longer released for further international games by the Cavaliers and only made three games for Lithuania. Among other things, he decided not to take part in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Personal

Ilgauskas has been an American citizen since 2014. In the course of this he lost his Lithuanian passport, as Lithuanian law does not provide for dual citizenship.

Awards

Personal best

  • 35 points (2 ×)
  • 15 converted throws from the field against Orlando Magic on January 21, 2003
  • 28 attempted throws from the field against Orlando Magic on January 21
  • 3 converted 3-point throws against the Sacramento Kings on December 23, 2009
  • 3 attempted 3-point throws (4 ×)
  • 17 converted free throws against the Chicago Bulls on February 23, 2005
  • 19 attempted free throws against the Chicago Bulls on February 23, 2005
  • 12 offensive rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks on February 16, 2005
  • 16 defensive rebounds against the Phoenix Suns on November 1, 2002
  • 22 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns on November 1, 2002
  • 7 assists (2 ×)
  • 5 steals against the Detroit Pistons on November 24, 2004
  • 7 blocks (3 ×)
  • 48 minutes played against the Boston Celtics on December 18, 2004
  • two times Eastern Conference Champion (2007, 2011)

Web links

Commons : Žydrūnas Ilgauskas  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Roberts, Jeannie: Z Cleveland Magazine , May 2009, accessed February 9, 2010
  2. ^ Jamison goes to Cavs . In: ESPN.com . February 17, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  3. ↑ Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors: Zydrunas Ilgauskas making a comeback?
  4. ↑ Cavs Deny Zydrunas Ilgauskas a Chance to Play in Olympics ( Memento from July 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ NBA player Ilgauskas to be stripped of Lithuanian citizenship http://en.delfi.lt/lithuania/sports/nba-player-ilgauskas-to-be-stripped-of-lithuanian-citizenship.d?id=66292852
personal data
SURNAME Ilgauskas, Žydrūnas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lithuanian basketball player
DATE OF BIRTH 5th June 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH Kaunas , Lithuanian SSR , Soviet Union