Speaking of Zaidrunus Ilgoskas, many fans may not be familiar with him, but when it comes to his nickname, everyone may be familiar with him, and fans call him "Big Z". And for the familiarity of the big Z, many fans are because of the "little emperor" James.
He was once the most reliable "guard" around the emperor, and the two played a very good game hand in hand, and what everyone didn't know was that in fact, the shining point of big Z was not only to assist James, he himself was a very influential star.
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Lithuania's ace player</h1>
Speaking of big Z, we have to start with a game. The game couldn't be more ordinary because it wasn't a formal game at all. In 1994, the NCAA strong Kentucky Wildcats played against the Lithuanian Nationals, and it was clear that it was an exchange game.
At that time, American basketball dominated the world far more than it does now. Even a basketball team at an American university is a BOSS-like presence in other countries.
In the end, the Lithuanian National team lost the match 81:114, but a big Lithuanian named Zaydrunas Ilgoskas caught the attention of the American coach. At the time, The Cavaliers coach, Rosten, specifically retrieved the game statistics of the Lithuanian big man, which was really unbelievable: 26 points, 19 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals.
In this game, Ilgoskas is clearly the "big shark" O'Neal! Since then, the American basketball world has opened its doors to this young man, and this year, he is not yet 20 years old.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > basketball is big Z's dream</h1>
In fact, basketball is not the first sport of Big Z, he is also proficient in football and volleyball in addition to basketball. The reason for choosing basketball was his crazyly growing altitude — his height was too big to play soccer.
In addition, basketball is arguably the first sport in Lithuania, a country where the fanaticism is no less than in the United States. Only when they don't play basketball well will these athletes choose other sports. Obviously, big Z has also been influenced by basketball culture.
When Big Z was just starting his basketball career, no one could have imagined that he would one day be able to play in the NBA, despite his dream. For the path he wants to take, he has his own plans: to enter a high school in the United States, then to go to college, and finally through the draft to enter the coveted NBA.
Such a plan existed only in the ideal of Big Z, and the reality was that the economic conditions at home did not allow Big Z to go to school in the United States, so he had to abandon the overall plan and stay in the club at home to earn a salary for the family. There are gains and losses, and it is clear that the time spent with the family is also happy.
Big Z, who later became famous, also contrasted life in the United States and Lithuania: "In the United States, your life is like a trip, and your house looks like a hotel. And in Lithuania, where you come home halfway through work, the most important thing we do in the year is for the whole family to get together for the holidays. ”
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > pain from injuries</h1>
Big Z's ability on the court is unquestionable, he can score, grab rebounds, he can pass the ball, but his shortcomings are also exposed, that is, slow movement. Of course, the mobile problem can be compensated as much as possible through technical and tactical changes, but what has to make NBA clubs consider is that such a big Z, if under the strength of the NBA, will not cause serious injuries. The answer is yes, and later Chinese star Yao Ming faced the same problem.
Speaking of which, we are going to mention the Timberwolves, originally the big Z was selected by the Timberwolves in the 5th pick in 1995, but unfortunately he missed the 1995 draft due to a foot injury, and we are familiar with the latter things, the Timberwolves selected the "Wolf King" Garnett in the fifth place.
By 1996, Big Z was labeled an injury, and he was no longer considered in the top five or even the top ten picks, of course, this was also related to the gathering of superstars such as Kobe, Nash, Iverson, Ray Allen and so on that year, and the Cavaliers won the Lithuanian big man with 20 picks. Even with the 20th pick, the Cavaliers' manager used the word gambling. Big Z has his own chips, and his shots, passes and height are what made the Cavaliers decide to gamble, and it is this gamble that brings a legend to the Cavaliers.
After the start of his career in the NBA, Big Z spent a year recovering from a foot injury, and then did play some good games and won the MVP of the rookie game, but the injury did not leave him, and Big Z has been plagued by foot injuries. In the 1997–98 season, Big Z was injured again, and he still had a foot injury. This year, big Z only played 5 games.
We can't imagine what Big Z's career would have been like without a foot injury, but it's safe to say that a foot injury has somehow overshadowed his supposedly more brilliant career.
Recalling the 1997 injury, Big Z said: "I had my foot injured all year. In retrospect, I often worry that my foot will one day hurt. For the Miami game, I made a basket and I felt a sharp pain when my feet landed on the ground. My foot was completely unconscious for a few seconds, a situation that had never been seen before, and then I learned I was injured and I could only watch others play off the field. I didn't do an MRI or anything to check it out, I knew I was injured. ”
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > ushered in a turning point and achieved a knight legend</h1>
Later, Big Z had to fight the injury for a long time, and the turning point was not until 2001, after repeated surgeries and positive recovery, Big Z made a strong comeback in 2001. Since that year, he has not suffered any major injuries and has maintained a very good attendance. The big Z, who is not plagued by injuries, has gradually improved on the court, and in 2003 and 2005, big Z was on the All-Star roster, which is a very good honor.
It wasn't until 2009 that Big Z came off the bench in the Cavaliers' game against the Suns, becoming the player who made the most appearances for the Cavaliers at the time. This is an honor that will forever record the history of the Cavaliers, and james is also full of praise for his big brother, James said that it is his honor to be a teammate with Big Z, who is also his most trusted teammate. Obviously, this sentence is from the heart.
In 2010, James brought talent to Miami, along with talent, as well as Ilgoskas, who spent 14 years in Cleveland. The guilt-ridden James wanted to give the titleless big brother a taste of the championship, but unfortunately it backfired, and big Z did not wait for the day when the Heat won the championship. On October 1, 2011, at the age of 37, he officially retired.
In 2012, Big Z briefly joined the Cavaliers as special assistant to the general manager, but 2 years later he left cavalier management. On March 9, 2014, his Cavaliers No. 11 jersey was permanently retired, and he became the 7th star in Cavaliers history to retire a jersey.
In an interview, he also said: "James is the most physically talented player in history, it is difficult to compare players from different eras, people always ask me, what would happen if Michael Jordan and James were one-on-one? I said, 'If the two were at their peak, James might destroy Jordan.' 'Pure chat, ball quotient, professional attitude, physical fitness, I think James may be unprecedented, no one after that.
O'Neal is the hardest to defend, he is without a doubt, he is the best interior line I have ever played, he is both talented, tall, fast and has a lot of skills. Unless he's standing next to you, people don't realize how big he is and how wide his skeleton is. ”
The article is written out of interest, the content of the article has been carefully confirmed, but due to the age, some of the information is incomplete, it is inevitable that there will be omissions or errors, welcome to correct. If the error is correctly pointed out and the reference address can be attached, a $5 cash chat will be presented in thanks.