Andris Biedriņš
Biedriņš with the Warriors
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 2, 1986 Riga, Latvia |
| Nationality | Latvian |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall |
| Selected by the Golden State Warriors | |
| Playing career | 2002–present |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 15, 11 |
| Career history | |
| 2002–2004 | BK Skonto |
| 2004–2013 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2013–2014 | Utah Jazz |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Andris Biedriņš (Latvian pronunciation: [ˈɐndris ˈbiædriɲʃ]; born April 2, 1986) is a Latvian professional basketball player who last played for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the 11th overall selection in the 2004 NBA draft.
Biedriņš's professional career started at the Latvian team BK Skonto in the 2002–03 season, when he joined at age 16. He soon established himself as an impact player, appearing in 41 LBL games, averaging 2.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.32 blocks, while shooting 59.8% from the field. For his feats, he was named Latvian League Newcomer of the Year. In eleven games for the FIBA European league (2003–2004), he averaged 18.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.82 blocks. In his second year, Biedriņš appeared in 28 LBL games, averaging 18.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.86 blocks, while shooting 61.5% from the field. After that season, Biedriņš made himself eligible for the 2004 NBA draft.
Biedriņš was drafted at the 11th position by the Golden State Warriors. In his rookie season (2004–05), Biedriņš got little playing time, and often quickly got into foul trouble (3.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.8 blocks and 2.9 fouls in 12.8 minutes, total 30 games). He also was the youngest player in the league during his rookie year as he was 18 years old at the time. In his second year, the 2005–06 season, Biedriņš played in 68 games, posting 3.8 points and 4.2 rebounds, with 14.1 minutes per game. However, he failed to improve much, and was ridiculed for his poor free throw percentage (.306) and his inability to stay out of foul trouble, committing 190 fouls in exactly 1,000 minutes of playing time. The Golden State fan base was not kind to the sophomore; he was called "The One Minute Man" by the Golden State Warriors blog for his alleged inability to play without a foul for longer than these 60 seconds. Biedriņš made some news when he was involved in a car accident on his way to a home game on the 880 freeway in Oakland. His Porsche Cayenne Turbo was totalled in the accident, and he missed that night's game and the next game due to back spasms.
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