Andris Biedriņš (; born April 2, 1986) is a Latvian former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. He was drafted by the
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
with the 11th overall pick in the
2004 NBA draft
The 2004 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm ( EDT). In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur colle ...
.
Professional career
Skonto (2002–2004)
Biedriņš's professional career started at the Latvian team
BK Skonto
BK Skonto is the name of a former professional basketball club that was based in Riga, Latvia.
History
BK Skonto was founded in 2001 as a basketball section of FC Skonto. Basketball club was created by FC Skonto president Guntis Indriksons and ...
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
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an 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.
Golden State Warriors (2004–2013)
2004–05 season
Biedriņš was drafted as the 11th pick in the first round by the Golden State Warriors. In his
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
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.
2005–06 season
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)
[Andris Biedrins Career Stats Page](_blank)
. NBA.com (1986-04-02). Retrieved on 2011-07-26. 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
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
. His
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...
Cayenne Turbo was totalled in the accident, and he missed that night's game and the next game due to
back spasm
Back pain is pain felt in the back. It may be classified as neck pain (cervical), middle back pain (thoracic), lower back pain (lumbar) or coccydynia (tailbone or sacral pain) based on the segment affected. The lumbar area is the most common ...
s.
2006–07 season
In his third year, Biedriņš got a lucky break when the Warriors decided to replace coach
Mike Montgomery
Michael John Montgomery (born February 27, 1947) is a retired American basketball coach. He is best known for his 18-year tenure at Stanford (1986–2004), where he led the program to 12 NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 199 ...
with ex-
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...
coach
Don Nelson
Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...
, elected one of the
NBA's "Greatest Coaches of All Time." Nelson needed just five games to bench the Warriors' center
Adonal Foyle
Adonal David Foyle (born March 9, 1975) is a Vincentian-American former professional basketball center. He was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the eighth overall selection of the 1997 NBA draft. Foyle played ten seasons with the Warri ...
and give Biedriņš the starting spot at center, calling him "the best big man I've got." Biedriņš thrived in his new role, posting impressive averages of 10.3 points on an incredible .621 field goal percentage (1st in the NBA), 9.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game and earning himself 28.9 minutes of playing time.
[Andris Biedrins Info Page](_blank)
NBA.com (1986-04-02). Retrieved on 2011-07-26. His breakthrough game came in November 2006, when the Warriors beat the title favorites
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...
119–111. In this game, Biedriņš asserted himself against Spurs superstar
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...
, only being narrowly outscored 18–22 and outrebounded 15–16, but did block six shots, including three straight shot attempts by Duncan in the third quarter. During this season he set career highs in points (31 vs Denver 24 November 2006), rebounds (18 vs Charlotte 2 March 2007), blocks (7 vs Denver 22 November 2006), assists (5 vs Washington 23 March 2007) and steals (5 vs Lakers 22 January 2007). He also finished fifth in
Most Improved Player voting, losing to teammate
Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis ( ; born October 26, 1985) is a former American professional basketball player. Ellis attended Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was a McDonald's All-American and first-team ''Parade'' All-American. He entered the ...
.
2008–09 season
In July 2008, Biedriņš agreed to a new six-year contract for $54 million ($62 million including incentives) with the Golden State Warriors. The final year was a player option, which if exercised would keep him a Warrior until 2014. Biedriņš was named co-captain alongside Stephen Jackson. On January 27, Biedriņš pulled down a career high 26 rebounds against
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. He had set a career high in assists on December 19 against
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
with six. For the season, Biedriņš set career highs in points (11.9), rebounds (11.2), assists (two) and blocked shots (1.6) per game, starting in 58 of the 62 games in which he appeared.
2009–10 season
In the 2009–10 season, Biedriņš appeared in only 33 games, starting 29, and was limited to 23.1 minutes per game, his lowest since his second season in the league (2005–2006). Injuries played a big role, as he was derailed with back and groin ailments that made him miss weeks at a time before he finally had groin surgery on March 10, ending his season. Biedriņš' free-throw percentage had dropped from 62% in 2007–08 to 55.1% in 2008–09; in 2009–10, he shot an appalling four-for-25 (16%). His other numbers dropped precipitously as well—five points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game after career highs in all these stats in 2008–09. Additionally, Warriors coach Don Nelson repeatedly criticized Biedriņš for his lack of intensity and aggressiveness in his time on the floor. Biedriņš capped of the off-season by criticizing the team during an interview in his native Latvia.
2010–11 season
The 2010–2011 season may have begun with some renewed hope for a resurgence of Biedriņš, as 2009–10 coach Don Nelson was fired and the potential existed for new head coach
Keith Smart
Jonathan Keith Smart (born September 21, 1964) is an American collegiate basketball coach and former player.
Playing career
He is perhaps best remembered for hitting the game-winning shot in the 1987 NCAA championship game that gave the Indian ...
to unleash and reinvigorate the center's fragile confidence. Early returns were promising, as Biedriņš had several games in the early season with rebounding numbers at or around double-digits while averaging around thirty minutes per game, including 20 rebounds in a November 5 victory over the
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
, 28 points and 20 rebounds in a November 26 loss to the
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
, and 18 rebounds in a November 30 loss to the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...
. However, the injury bug bit again, derailing Biedriņš from mid-December 2010 to early January 2011, and once again he found it difficult to regain his previous form. Biedriņš's slumping play and persistent foul issues convinced Smart to bench him in favor of rookie
Ekpe Udoh
Ekpedeme Friday "Ekpe" Udoh ( ; born May 20, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for Shimane Susanoo Magic of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and the Baylor Bears. In the 201 ...
for four games in March. He was reinstated into the starting lineup for five games until spraining his ankle on March 16, resulting in his being sidelined for the remainder of the season. Biedriņš's averages for the 2010–11 season amounted to five points, 7.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks (both a drop from 2009–10) on 53.4% field goal shooting and a modestly improved 32.3% free throw accuracy.
2011–12 season
In the wake of the lockout which took away much of the 2011 NBA offseason and shortened the league's schedule considerably, the Warriors made a push to acquire restricted free agent
DeAndre Jordan
Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. (born July 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Jordan was sel ...
, who would have automatically taken over as the starting center for Golden State. Biedriņš might have been a logical amnesty candidate under the provisions of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, but the Warriors instead chose to amnesty
Charlie Bell while retaining Biedriņš. The Warriors' push to acquire Jordan fell through when the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
matched the Warriors' offer sheet to Jordan, so they instead signed free agent center
Kwame Brown
Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown was the first No. ...
. Biedriņš won the starting job to begin the year before being sidelined for three games with an ankle injury. When Brown was lost for the season with a torn
pectoralis major
The pectoralis major () is a thick, fan-shaped or triangular convergent muscle, situated at the chest of the human body. It makes up the bulk of the chest muscles and lies under the breast. Beneath the pectoralis major is the pectoralis minor, a ...
muscle in the third of those games, Biedriņš once again took over as starter, where he remained until his continued ineffectiveness prompted first-year coach
Mark Jackson to insert
Ekpe Udoh
Ekpedeme Friday "Ekpe" Udoh ( ; born May 20, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for Shimane Susanoo Magic of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and the Baylor Bears. In the 201 ...
in as starter. A March 13 trade which shipped Udoh, Brown and
Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis ( ; born October 26, 1985) is a former American professional basketball player. Ellis attended Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was a McDonald's All-American and first-team ''Parade'' All-American. He entered the ...
to the
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
for
Stephen Jackson
Stephen Jesse Jackson (born April 5, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Mi ...
and the out-for-the-season
Andrew Bogut
Andrew Michael Bogut (born 28 November 1984) is an Australian former basketball player who spent the majority of his professional career playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tall center was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks ...
thrust Biedriņš back into the starting lineup, where he remained until Jackson decided to give rookie
Jeremy Tyler
Jeremy Miles Tyler (born June 21, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Piratas de Quebradillas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). Tyler was drafted with the 39th pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Charlotte Bobcats b ...
a chance to prove himself at the beginning of April. For the season, Biedriņš averaged 15.7 minutes (the lowest since his second year in the league), 1.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists (all career lows), 1.0 blocks and 0.5 steals while shooting 60.9% from the floor and 11.1% from the free throw line (admittedly with the small sample size of one make in nine free throw attempts).
2012–13 season
Biedriņš's struggles intensified during the 2012–13 season. Relatively healthy, he appeared in 53 games for 9.3 minutes per game, but attempted a grand total of only 21 shots (making 10, a 47.6% mark) and 13 free throws (making four, a 30.8% mark). For the season, Biedriņš averaged 0.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.8 blocks.
Utah Jazz (2013–2014)
On July 5, 2013, the Warriors reportedly agreed to trade Biedriņš to the
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
along with teammates
Brandon Rush
Brandon Leray Rush (born July 7, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, before being traded to the Indiana Pacers on draft day, after pl ...
and
Richard Jefferson
Richard Allen Jefferson Jr. (born June 21, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on ESPN. He played college basketball with the Arizona Wildcats. Jefferson was drafted in the first round of the 200 ...
in an attempt to clear salary cap space to acquire coveted free agent
Andre Iguodala
Andre Tyler Iguodala ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and has been named to t ...
. The trade became official on July 10. On April 5, 2014, Biedriņš was waived by the Jazz.
National team career
Biedriņš has been active for his native
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
since his teenage years. In 2001, the then-15-year-old Biedriņš was a member of the Latvian national team at the Euro Cadet Championship, where he finished 4th in scoring (16.3 ppg) and 3rd in rebounding (8.5 rpg). In 2002, Biedriņš participated in the Euro Junior Championship, where he averaged 6.6 points and 7.3 rebounds. He then competed in the 2004 Under-18 European Championship, averaging 21.8 points, 14.4 rebounds, 4.4 blocks and 3.8 steals. In a match against France, he played against fellow future NBA player
Johan Petro
Johan Petro (born January 27, 1986) is a French former professional basketball player of Guadeloupean descent, who last played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. He was selected by the SuperSonics with the 25th overall pic ...
, and Biedriņš scored 21 points and 16 rebounds. Other notable games were against Georgia (28 points, 11 rebounds) and Italy (26 points, 20 rebounds).
International stats
Personal life
Biedriņš has one son, named Emīls.
Biedriņš is well known for his involvement in several charities. He was active in Warriors community programs during his rookie season, participated in the team's Thanksgiving Food Serving at Patrick David's Cafe in
Danville, California
The Town of Danville is located in the San Ramon Valley in Contra Costa County, California. It is one of the incorporated municipalities in California that use "town" in their names instead of "city". The population was 43,582 at the 2020 census ...
, hosted a half-time holiday party for underprivileged children at the Warriors game versus
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
on December 22, attended the Warriors Kids Day celebration, as well as the Run With TMC Fantasy Camp reception, and also visited injured American troops just back from Iraq at the
National Naval Medical Center
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
outside of
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, when the team was in the area in early March.
His English language skills were poor when he came to the U.S., but he taught himself to speak English in six months while training in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
prior to the 2004 NBA draft.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 30 , , 1 , , 12.8 , , .577 , , .000 , , .475 , , 3.9 , , .4 , , .4 , , .8 , , 3.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 68 , , 2 , , 14.7 , , .638 , , .000 , , .306 , , 4.2 , , .4 , , .3 , , .7 , , 3.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 82 , , 63 , , 29.0 , , .599 , , .000 , , .521 , , 9.3 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 1.7 , , 9.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 76 , , 59 , , 27.3 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .626* , , .000 , , .620 , , 9.8 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 1.2 , , 10.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 62 , , 58 , , 30.0 , , .578 , , .000 , , .551 , , 11.2 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , 11.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 33 , , 29 , , 23.1 , , .591 , , .000 , , .160 , , 7.8 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , 1.3 , , 5.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 59 , , 55 , , 23.7 , , .534 , , .000 , , .323 , , 7.2 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , .9 , , 5.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 47 , , 35 , , 15.7 , , .609 , , .000 , , .111 , , 3.7 , , .3 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 1.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 53 , , 9 , , 9.3 , , .476 , , .000 , , .308 , , 2.9 , , .3 , , .3 , , .8 , , .5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, 6 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .167 , , 2.8 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .5
, -
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career
, 516 , , 311 , , 21.6 , , .594 , , .000 , , .500 , , 7.0 , , .9 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , 6.3
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 11 , , 8 , , 24.3 , , .730 , , .000 , , .533 , , 6.3 , , .5 , , .7 , , 1.5 , , 6.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 3 , , 0 , , 5.7 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.3 , , .3 , , .0 , , .7 , , .0
, -
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career
, 14 , , 8 , , 20.3 , , .730 , , .000 , , .533 , , 5.4 , , .4 , , .6 , , 1.4 , , 5.0
See also
*
List of National Basketball Association annual field goal percentage leaders
*
List of European basketball players in the United States
This is a list of European basketball players who have played in the United States at either professional or NCAA Division I level. It is intended to include players who are currently active, whether inside or outside the U.S., and former player ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biedrins, Andris
1986 births
Living people
Centers (basketball)
Golden State Warriors draft picks
Golden State Warriors players
Latvian men's basketball players
Latvian expatriate basketball people in the United States
National Basketball Association players from Latvia
Basketball players from Riga
Utah Jazz players