Žydrūnas Ilgauskas
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| Position | Center |
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| Height | 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) |
| Weight | 260 lb (120 kg) |
| League | NBA |
| Team | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Born | June 5, 1975 Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| Draft | 20th overall, 1996 Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Pro career | 1994–present |
| Former teams | Atletas Kaunas (1994–96) |
| Awards | Two-time NBA All-Star (2003, 2005) 1997-98 Schick All-Rookie First Team 1998 Schick Rookie Game MVP |
| Official profile | Info Page |
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (pronunciation zhee-DROO-nas ill-GAUS-kas) (born June 5, 1975 in Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.
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[edit] Player profile
Ilgauskas stands 7' 3", making him currently the second-tallest NBA player, after the Houston Rockets' Yao Ming[1], and he weighs 260 pounds. Ilgauskas has established himself as a consistent scorer, scoring 14.4 ppg over 627 career games (through February 2008). Ilgauskas is a good rebounder (7.9 rpg, 3.2 offensive) and shot-blocker (1.8 blocks per game). His assists-per-game average was at its highest at 1.6 during the 2006-2007 season. He is also an established mid-range and foul shooter.
[edit] Pre NBA
Ilgauskas played for his home club team Atletas Basketball Club in Kaunas, Lithuania.
[edit] 1994-1995
Ilgauskas played in 36 games that season and averaged 20.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He also shot 60% from the field. Ilgauskas led the league in rebounding, was second in blocked shots, third in field goal percentage and fourth in scoring.
He also played with the Lithuanian National Team in a game against the University of Kentucky at Rupp Arena on November 22, 1994 and was the leading scorer with 26 points and the leading rebounder with 19 rebounds.
[edit] 1995-1996
Due to an injury in his right foot, Ilgauskas did not play in the 1995-1996 season.
[edit] NBA career
[edit] Draft and Injury
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas was drafted in the 1st round (20th overall) by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1996.
Due to an injury in his right foot, Ilgauskas did not play in the 1996-97 NBA season.
[edit] 1997-1998
Ilgauskas' debut with the Cavaliers was a year late (and two years after his previous professional season), however, his debut was quite impressive. Starting at center in his first NBA game, Ilgauskas had 16 points and 16 rebounds against the Houston Rockets and their superstar center Hakeem Olajuwon. Ilgauskas played in all 82 games that season (starting 81) and averaged 13.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. His 82 games played, 51.8% shooting and 723 rebounds are still career highs. Ilgauskas had a season high 32 points on January 31, 1998 against the Detroit Pistons a season high 18 rebounds on January 12, 1998 against the Utah Jazz and twice blocked five shots in a game.
Ilgauskas' 279 offensive rebounds were fourth best in the NBA and best amongst rookies. He ranked second amongst rookies in rebounds and field goal percentage, third in blocks and fourth in scoring average. Ilgauskas was named to the All-Rookie first team and was a starter for the East and the MVP of the Schick Rookie Game after scoring a game high 18 points.
In four playoff games against the Indiana Pacers, Ilgauskas averaged 17.3 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game and he led the team by shooting 57.1% from the field. He had a playoff high 22 points in Game 2 and had 10 rebounds in each of the first two games.
[edit] 1998-1999
Coming off of a first-team all-rookie season and having just signed a six year $70.9 million contract extension, there were high expectations for Ilgauskas in the strike shortened 1998-99 season. Unfortunately, however, due to an injury to his left foot, Ilgauskas' season only lasted five games. he did score double digit points in each of the five games (he averaged 15.2) and had a 22 point 17 rebound game in the opener against the Atlanta Hawks.
[edit] 1999-2000
Due to an injury in his left foot, Ilgauskas did not play in the 1999-2000 season.
[edit] 2000-2001
Ilgauskas was the starting center for the Cavaliers in the 2000-01 season opener. It marked the first time he had played in a game in over 20 months. While he was held scoreless in just 12 minutes of action, the Cavs won the opener on the road against the New Jersey Nets 86-82. Unfortunately, Ilgauskas' season would once agin be cut short when he injured his left foot on December 22, 2000 against the Miami Heat and he missed the remainder of the season. In 24 games, Ilgauskas averaged 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.54 blocks in just only 25.7 minutes per game. Ilguaskas had a season high 24 points in back-to-back games just prior to his injury. He had a season high 13 rebounds against the Philadelphia 76ers on November, 15, 2000 and recorded six blocks on two separate occasions.
At the time Ilgauskas was injured, the Cavaliers' record stood at 15-8. Unfortunately, they would only win 15 more games for the remainder of the season and finished at 30-52.
[edit] 2001-2002
On December 4, 2001, Ilgauskas played for the first time in almost a year in a Cavaliers victory over the Detroit Pistons. He scored 11 points and blocked two shots in his return. Ilgauskas played in 62 games during the 2001-02 season primarily as a backup to Chris Mihm. On February 28, 2002, Ilgauskas was inserted into the starting lineup and was the starter for the remainder of the season. For the season he averaged 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
[edit] 2002-2003
The 2002-03 season was a complete rebirth for Ilgauskas. After missing 287 games in his first six seasons, Ilgauskas began a stretch where he only missed six games over the next three seasons. In 81 games (all starts), Ilgauskas set career highs in points per game (17.2); total points (1320); steals (56); assists (127); free throws attempted (512); field goals made (495) and field goals attempted (1122). He also averaged 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Ilgauskas set his career high with 35 points against the Orlando Magic on a career high 15 field goals made. In the second game of the season he set his career high with 22 rebounds (which was the most by a Cavalier in 12 seasons). Ilgauskas set his career high with seven blocks on December 14, 2002 against the Denver Nuggets. A month later he tied that record against the Toronto Raptors.
Ilgauskas was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the first time in his career. Ilgauskas played four minutes and was held scoreless on one field goal attempt.
[edit] 2003-2004
In 81 regular season games (all starts), Ilgauskas averaged 15.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Ilgauskas scored a season high 31 points on February 22, 2004 against the New York Knicks. He had a season high 17 rebounds on two occasions. He had a season high six blocked shots on February 1, 2004 against the Washington Wizards. Ilgauskas set his career high with seven assists on November 15, 2003 against the Philadelphia 76ers. In the regular season, Ilgauskas set his career high in blocked shots (201) and blocks per game (2.5). He was fourth in the NBA in total blocks and seventh in average. He ranked third in the NBA in offensive rebounds (279).
Ilgauskas was the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from March 7 to 13.[2]
[edit] 2004-2005
In 78 regular season games (all starts), Ilgauskas averaged 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Ilgauskas scored a season high 35 points (which also tied his career high) on November 3, 2004, in the season opener against the Indiana Pacers. He had a season high 18 rebounds on three occasions, one of which was the opener against the Pacers as well. He had a season high seven blocked shots on February 23, 2005 against the Chicago Bulls which also tied his career high. In the regular season, Ilgauskas set his career high in minutes played (2,615), free throws made (402), total offensive rebounds (299) and average per game (3.8). His 299 offensive rebounds also led the NBA in 2004-2005 and set the Cavs franchise record for offensive rebounds in a season. He ranked second in the NBA in offensive rebounds per game and sixth in blocked shots (165).
Ilgauskas was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the second time in his career. He had 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots in just 17 minutes played for the Eastern squad.
[edit] 2005-2006
On September 13, 2005, Ilgauskas signed a five-year approximately $50.6 million contract extension with the Cavaliers. The fifth year of the contract (worth approximately $11.5 million) is a player option.
In 78 regular season games (all starts), Ilgauskas averaged 15.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.74 blocks per game. Ilgauskas scored a regular season high of 29 points on two separate occasions, once against the Los Angeles Lakers and once against the Los Angeles Clippers. He had a season high 15 rebounds on February 27, 2006 against the Detroit Pistons. He had a season high five blocked shots on five separate occasions. In the regular season, Ilgauskas set his career high in free throw percentage by hitting 83.4% of his free throw attempts.
In 13 playoff games his scoring decreased to 10.4 points per game and rebounds to 6.3 per game, but his blocked shots were increased to just over two per game. In the second round against the Detroit Pistons, Ilgauskas had a playoff high of 16 points in a game six loss and a playoff high 10 rebounds in a game five victory.
[edit] 2006-2007
In 78 regular season games (all starts), Ilgauskas averaged 11.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Ilgauskas scored a regular season high of 27 points against the Boston Celtics on January 13, 2007. He his career high with 12 offensive rebounds versus the Philadelphia 76ers on November 25, 2006 and became the franchise leader in offensive rebounds against the Toronto Raptors on December 6, 2006. Ilgauskas tied his career high with seven assists on January 19, 2007 against the Denver Nuggets.
In 20 playoff games he upped his scoring to 12.6 points per game and rebounds to 9.7 per game, but his blocked shots were reduced to 0.80 per game. In the first round against the Washington Wizards, Ilgauskas averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds per game including a playoff high of 24 points in a game three victory and a playoff high 19 rebounds in a game four victory. Ilgauskas averaged a team high 10.3 rebounds in the 2007 Finals versus the San Antonio Spurs.
[edit] 2007-2008
In 73 regular season games (all starts) Ilgauskas averaged 14.1 points, a career high 9.3 rebounds (3.6 offensive), and 1.6 blocks. He had a season high 29 points on March 26, 2008 against the New Orleans Hornets and scored 20+ points in 16 games. Ilgauskas had a season high 18 rebounds in the season opener against the Dallas Mavericks and has had double-digit rebounds in 34 games. He had a season high six blocked shots against the Utah Jazz on November 16, 2007. On January 23, 2008, Ilgauskas scored 24 points on a perfect 10-for-10 from the field in a 121-85 win over the Washington Wizards.[3]
On March 16, 2008, Ilgauskas returned to action after missing seven games due to a back injury scoring 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a win over the Charlotte Bobcats.[4]
[edit] Records, milestones and honors
- NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1998.
- Ranked 4th in the NBA in offensive rebounds (279) in 1997-1998.
- 1998 Rookie Challenge MVP, becoming the only non-American player in history to earn the honor.
- 2003 All-Star for the East.
- NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from March 7, 2004-March 13, 2004.
- Ranked 7th in the NBA in blocked shots per game (2.48) and 4th in total blocks (201) in 2003-2004.
- Ranked 3rd in the NBA in offensive rebounds (279) in 2003-2004.
- 2005 All-Star for the East.
- Ranked 8th in the NBA in blocked shots per game (2.10) and 6th in total blocks (165) in 2004-2005.
- Led the NBA in offensive rebounds (299) in 2004-2005.
- Ranked 7th in the NBA in offensive rebounds (245) in 2005-2006.
- Ranked 9th in the NBA in offensive rebounds (242) in 2006-2007.
- Ranked 7 in top 10 players on defense in the 2006-2007 season by 82 games[5]
- On February 13, 2008, Ilgauskas blocked his 1,100th shot as a Cavalier (the 2nd Cavalier to reach that milestone).
- On February 20, 2008, Ilgauskas scored his 9,000th point as a Cavalier (the 6th Cavalier to reach that milestone).
- On March 26, 2008 Ilgauskas grabbed his 5,000th rebound as a Cavalier. (the 2nd Cavalier to reach that milestone).
- Ranked 7th in the NBA in offensive rebounds (265) in 2007-2008.
- Ranks 71st all-time in offensive rebounds (2065) in NBA history.[6]
- Ranks 54th all-time in blocked shots (1135) in NBA history.[7]
- Ilgauskas is the Cavaliers' all-time leader in offensive rebounds (2065).
- Ilgauskas is the Cavaliers' all-time leader in personal fouls (2225).
[edit] Personal life
Ilgauskas is an active member of the community in Cleveland. He and other teammates often visit sick children at the Cleveland Clinic, and he donates signed shoes, basketballs and other paraphernalia to good causes. Ilgauskas is also a fan of Manchester United FC.[8] On February 14, 2007 Ilgauskas' wife Jennifer went into early labor and delivered stillborn twins, a boy and a girl. Ilgauskas called it the toughest thing he had ever experienced.[9]
[edit] Notes
- ^ NBA.com 2007-08 Player Survey: Height
- ^ Zydrunas Ilgauskas NBA.com bio
- ^ - NBA.com
- ^ Big return for big men in Cavs' win over Bobcats
- ^ Revised Defensive Composite Score - NBA player defensive ratings
- ^ - Career Leaders and Records for Offensive Rebounds
- ^ - Career Leaders and Records for Blocks
- ^ Cavaliers Host a Special Holiday Party for Patients at the Children’s Hospital at The Cleveland Clinic
- ^ Ilgauskas returns to Cavs after family loss. NBCSports.com (2007-02-25). Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
[edit] External links
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ilgauskas, Žydrūnas |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ilgauskas, Zydrunas |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | NBA Cleveland Cavalier basketball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 5, 1975 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
