Małgorzata Dydek (known as Margo Dydek in the United States, 28 April 1974 – 27 May 2011) was a Polish professional basketball player. Standing tall, she was famous for being the tallest professional female basketball player in the world. She played
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
position for multiple teams in the
WNBA and was a coach for the Northside Wizards in the Queensland Basketball League. She was awarded the Polish Gold
Cross of Merit (1999).
She was inducted into the
FIBA Hall of Fame
The FIBA Hall of Fame, or FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honors players, coaches, teams, referees, and administrators who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA, in 1991. It includes the " Samar ...
in 2019.
Early life
Margo Dydek was born 28 April 1974 in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, Poland, to a father and a mother. She had two sisters, her elder sister,
Katarzyna
Katarzyna is a Polish given name, equivalent to English "Catherine". Its diminutive forms include Kasia, Katarzynka, Kasieńka, Kasiunia, Kasiulka; augmentative – Kaśka, Kacha, Kachna.
Individuals named Katarzyna may choose their name day ...
() used to play for the
Colorado Xplosion
The Colorado Xplosion was the first women's professional basketball franchise in Colorado, an American Basketball League (ABL) team based in Denver. Playing from 1996 through 1998, the team produced many memorable moments for Colorado sports fan ...
of the now defunct
ABL. Her younger sister (12 years younger),
Marta (), graduated from the
University of Texas–El Paso where she played basketball, and played in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
professionally in the 2000s.
WNBA career
Dydek made her first trip to the United States in May 1998 for
WNBA pre-draft camp. Dydek was drafted 1st overall in the
1998 WNBA draft by the
Utah Starzz
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 its we ...
(the franchise was subsequently transferred to San Antonio).
On 16 April 2005, during the
2005 WNBA draft, the
San Antonio Silver Stars
The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before the ...
traded Dydek to the
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The team was established ...
in exchange for the Sun's first-round draft pick,
Katie Feenstra
Katharen Ruth Mattera ( Feenstra; born November 17, 1982) is an American college basketball coach and former player for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Mattera is one of the tallest players in WNBA history. At 6 feet 7.5 inch ...
from
Liberty University
Liberty University (LU) is a private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns, Liberty i ...
.
Records held:
*All-time leader in blocks (877), in 323 games
*Leader in season total blocks nine times (
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
–
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
,
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
–
07)
*Leader in season blocks per game eight times (
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
–
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
,
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
,
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 ...
)
*Most defensive rebounds (214) in
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
On 3 June 2008, Dydek signed with the
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
, following time away from basketball due to her pregnancy. She gave birth to her son, David, in April that year.
European career
Dydek played for
Olimpia Poznań
Olimpia Poznań is a Polish multi-sport club from Poznań. It has athletics, archery, basketball, boxing, kendo, judo, swimming, tennis, and triathlon sections. The sections are formally independent of each other, sharing the history and name o ...
from 1992 to 1994, before playing for
Valenciennes Orchies in France from 1994 to 1996, where she met her future husband, David. She then moved to Spain and played for Pool Getafe from 1996 to 1998, and moved back to Poland to play for
Fota 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 1999–2000 she averaged 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds for Gdynia in
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 ...
EuroLeague play. She was named Most Valuable Player of the
Polish League Finals of the 1999–2000 season. In 1999, she was also named the best female basketball player in Europe by the Italian sports magazine ''
La Gazzetta dello Sport
''La Gazzetta dello Sport'' (; "The Sports Gazette") is an Italian daily newspaper dedicated to coverage of various sports. Founded in 1896, it is the most widely read daily newspaper of any kind in Italy (in 2018).
History and profile
''La ...
''. Dydek was chosen as Poland's Sports Woman of the Year and was a member of the
Poland women's national basketball team until 2007, winning the
EuroBasket Women 1999
The 1999 European Women Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket Women 1999, was the 27th regional championship held by FIBA Europe. The competition was held in Poland and took place from May 28 to June 6, 1999. Host Poland won the g ...
. She helped lead Gdynia to runner-up finishes in the FIBA EuroLeague in 2002 and 2004.
Career statistics
WNBA
Source
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
, 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 ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 30° , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 30° , , 28.0 , , .482 , , .143 , , .732 , , 7.8 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 3.8° , , 3.6 , , 12.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
, 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 ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 32° , , 28 , , 22.9 , , .498 , , .350 , , .857 , , 6.4 , , 1.8 , , 0.4 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 2.4° , , 2.8 , , 12.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, 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 ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 32° , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 32° , , 24.2 , , .445 , , .143 , , .796 , , 5.5 , , 1.6 , , 0.6 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 3.0° , , 2.6 , , 9.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
, 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 ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 32° , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 32° , , 30.3 , , .440 , , .400 , , .798 , , 7.6 , , 2.0 , , 0.8 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 3.5° , , 2.8 , , 10.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, 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 ...
, 30 , , 27 , , 29.2 , , .436 , , .250 , , .844 , , 8.7 , , 2.4 , , 0.8 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 3.6° , , 3.2 , , 13.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
, style="text-align:left;",
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , 27.2 , , .451 , , .000 , , .723 , , 7.4 , , 1.7 , , 0.6 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 2.9° , , 2.4 , , 11.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
, style="text-align:left;",
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , 24 , , 20.1 , , .433 , , .500 , , .759 , , 4.9 , , 1.8 , , 0.6 , , 1.4 , , 1.9 , , 6.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, 31 , , 30 , , 21.6 , , .537 , , .500 , , .769 , , 6.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 2.3 , , 1.5 , , 7.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , 21.9 , , .494 , , .250 , , .821 , , 6.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 2.5° , , 1.5 , , 9.4
, -
, 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;",
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, 32 , , 30 , , 20.1 , , .487 , , .400 , , .789 , , 6.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 2.1° , , 1.6 , , 6.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, style="text-align:left;",
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' ...
, 2 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .400 , , – , , – , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:left;", Career
, style="text-align:left;", 11 years, 3 teams
, 323 , , 301 , , 24.4 , , .467 , , .295 , , .791 , , 6.6 , , 1.6 , , 0.5 , , 2.7 , , 2.3 , , 10.0
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
, 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 ...
, 2 , , 2 , , 34.5 , , .429 , , – , , .769 , , 7.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.5 , , 3.5 , , 2.0 , , 14.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, 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 ...
, 5 , , 5 , , 34.2 , , .400 , , .600 , , .867 , , 8.8 , , 2.4 , , 0.2 , , 3.4 , , 3.2 , , 12.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, 8 , , 8 , , 18.3 , , .376 , , 1.000 , , .636 , , 5.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 1.6 , , 2.0 , , 4.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, 5 , , 5 , , 26.6 , , .458 , , .000 , , .846 , , 7.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 2.8 , , 1.6 , , 11.0
, -
, 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;",
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, 3 , , 3 , , 26.7 , , .400 , , .500 , , .000 , , 6.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , 7.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, style="text-align:left;",
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' ...
, 1 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , – , , – , , – , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:left;", Career
, style="text-align:left;", 6 years, 3 teams
, 24 , , 23 , , 25.0 , , .412 , , .556 , , .759 , , 6.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 2.5 , , 2.0 , , 8.3
Personal life
With husband David Twigg, Dydek had two sons, David (born 2008) and Alex (born 2010).
Death
On 19 May 2011, Dydek, at the time pregnant with her third child, collapsed at her home in Brisbane due to cardiac arrest. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital and placed in a medically
induced coma
An induced comaalso known as a medically induced coma (MIC), barbiturate-induced coma, or drug-induced comais a temporary coma (a deep state of unconsciousness) brought on by a controlled dose of an anesthetic drug, often a barbiturate such as ...
. She had been working as a coach for the Northside Wizards in the
Queensland Basketball League
NBL1 North, formerly the Queensland Basketball League (QBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Queensland partnered wit ...
. She never regained consciousness and died eight days later on 27 May 2011.
References
External links
*
Interbasket.net: Margo Dydek
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dydek, Margo
1974 births
2011 deaths
Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Basketball players from Warsaw
Centers (basketball)
Connecticut Sun players
FIBA Hall of Fame inductees
Los Angeles Sparks players
Olympic basketball players of Poland
Polish expatriate basketball people in the United States
Polish expatriate basketball people in France
Polish expatriate basketball people in Spain
Polish women's basketball players
Recipients of the Cross of Merit (Poland)
Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta
San Antonio Stars players
Sportspeople from Poznań
Utah Starzz draft picks
Utah Starzz players
Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars
Women's National Basketball Association first-overall draft picks