Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Ilgauskas with the Cavaliers in 2009
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 5, 1975 Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| Listed height | 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) |
| Listed weight | 260 lb (118 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20th overall |
| Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Playing career | 1993–2011 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 11 |
| Career history | |
| 1993–1996 | Atletas Kaunas |
| 1996–2010 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2010–2011 | Miami Heat |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 10,976 (13.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 6,191 (7.3 rpg) |
| Blocks | 1,327 (1.6 bpg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Lithuanian: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas; Lithuanian pronunciation: [ʒʲiːˈd̪rûːn̪ɐs̪ ɪɫˈɡɐ̂ˑʊ̯s̪kɐs̪]; born June 5, 1975) is a Lithuanian retired professional basketball center of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1996 to 2010, and is the team's career leader in games played, rebounds, and blocks. He also played for the Miami Heat during the 2010–11 season.
In 2012, Ilgauskas joined the Cavaliers' front office, becoming a special advisor for the team.
Ilgauskas made his professional debut in his birthplace of Kaunas, with local club Atletas in 1993. He averaged 20.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in the 1994–95 season.
Ilgauskas was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 20th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. On August 1, 1996, he signed a multi-year deal with the Cavaliers. In the earliest parts of his career he suffered through a myriad of foot and ankle injuries. He spent the entire 1996–97 season on the injured list due to a broken bone in his right foot.
Despite being selected to the All-Rookie First Team in 1997–98 and signing a contract extension in 1998 that was worth $70.9 million over 6 years, Ilgauskas played in only 5 games over the next two seasons. On January 26, 2000, he had a surgery on a fractured navicular bone in his left foot.
He re-gained the starting center spot for the Cavaliers in 2000–01. He was injured again in December 2000 and was out for the season. The injury dealt a blow to the Cavaliers. After winning 15 out of 23 games with Ilgauskas, they finished with a 30–52 record.
He returned in December 2001 and was mostly used as a backup to Chris Mihm for the rest of the season.
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