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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors 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 Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. ...

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 nam ...

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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

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
. 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. His Porsche 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 ...

2006–07 season

In his third year, Biedriņš got a lucky break when the Warriors decided to replace coach Mike Montgomery with ex- Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson, 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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Vincentian-American former professional basketball Center (basketball), center. He was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the eighth overall selection of the 19 ...

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
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 Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

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.

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. 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

. 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 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 se ...

, 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 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 in as starter. A March 13 trade which shipped Udoh, Brown and Monta Ellis 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 Buck ...

thrust Biedriņš back into the starting lineup, where he remained until Jackson decided to give rookie Jeremy Tyler 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

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 pla ...

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 20 ...

in an attempt to clear salary cap space to acquire coveted free agent Andre Iguodala. 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 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, ...

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 List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

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 , 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 fa ...

, 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

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