Margo Dydek
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Małgorzata Dydek (born on 28 April 1974 in Poznań, Poland), known as Margo Dydek in the United States, is a Polish international professional basketball player. At least 7'2" (2.18 m) tall, she is famous for being the tallest active professional female basketball player in the world. She currently plays the center position for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA.
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[edit] Personal
Dydek started playing basketball at age 12 when she was 6ft-0in (183 cm). She considers Magic Johnson to be her basketball role model. Dydek was 21.7in (60 cm ) tall at birth. Dydek speaks Polish, French, Spanish, English, and Russian.
[edit] WNBA career
Standing at 2.18 m (7'2"), Dydek is the tallest player in WNBA history, and stands even taller than Shaquille O'Neal.
Dydek made her first trip to the United States in May of 1998 for WNBA pre-draft camp. She made her American national television debut on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on June 12, 1998. Dydek was drafted 1st overall in the 1998 WNBA Draft by the Utah Starzz.
On April 16, 2005, during the 2005 WNBA Draft, the San Antonio Silver Stars traded Dydek to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for the Sun's first-round draft pick, Katie Feenstra from Liberty University.
Dydek currently holds the Guinness World Record for most blocks in a WNBA career, with 811 blocks in 289 games.
Dydek's WNBA career is up in the air due to the mid October news that she is pregnant.[citation needed]
[edit] European career
Dydek played for Olimpia Poznań from 1992 to 1994, before playing for Valenciennes Ochies in France from 1994 to 1996. She then moved to Spain and played for Pool Getafe from 1996 to 1998, and moved back to Poland to play for Foto Porta Gdynia starting with the 1998-99 season. She continued to play with the club through several sponsorship changes; since then, the club has taken the names Polpharma and Lotos.
In 1999-2001, she averaged 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds for Gdynia in FIBA Euroleague play (note that the men's competition of the same name is operated by a different body). She was named Most Valuable Player of the Polish League Finals of the 1999-2000 season. She was also named the best female basketball player in Europe by the Italian sports magazine La Gazzetta dello Sport. Dydek was chosen as Poland's Sports Woman of the Year and has long been a member of the Polish National Team. She helped lead Gdynia to runner-up finishes in the FIBA Euroleague in 2002 and 2004.
[edit] Vital statistics
- Position: Center
- Height: 7 ft-2 in (2.18 m)
- College: Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego (University School of Physical Education), in Wrocław. (Polish)
- Team: Connecticut Sun
- National Team(s): (12), Olimpia Poznan' (Poland), Valenciennes Ochies (France), Pool Getafe (Spain), Fota Porta / Polpharma VBW Clima / Lotos VBW Clima / Lotos Gdynia (Poland)
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| Preceded by Tina Thompson |
1st Overall Pick in WNBA Draft 1998 |
Succeeded by Chamique Holdsclaw |
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