Andris Biedrins

Andris Biedrins is a professional Latvian basketball player who played as a power forward although he has been known to double-up as a center. A 16-year old Biedrins joined BK Skonto in 2002 to play at the Latvian basketball league. Soon, he was one of the most wanted players in the league, playing 41 games with an average of 2.9 points, 1.32 blocks and 4.6 rebounds per game. He was named as the Latvian League's Newcomer of the Year.

The following year, Biedrins played in the FIBA European League and had an average of 18.6 points with 8.2 rebounds and 1.82 blocks. The following year, his league average rose to 18.0 ppg with 8.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists. In 2004, Biedrrins decided to try and sell his wares in a new country – USA.

In the 2004 NBA Draft, Biedrins was picked at 11th overall by the Golden State Warriors. He began slowly, getting almost next to nothing in terms of playing time in his rookie year. The rare occasions when he did make it to the field, he would rush into foul trouble. His rookie season saw him get only 30 appearances and in his average 12.8 minutes playing time, he scored about 3.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg as well as 2.9 fouls per game. At 18, Biedrins was the youngest rookie in the NBA.

The following year, he saw much more action and had 3.8 points per game, on an average. His free throw percentage was a miserable 30% and almost always, meant humiliation for Biedrins, when he took to the line. His ability to foul opponents didn't really go down and got him the nickname, "The One Minute Man" which was basically aimed at his inability to go for 60 seconds without committing a foul.

His third year in the NBA saw Don Nelson coming in as coach for the Warriors. Biedrins was soon the starting center and he loved his new role. His points average increased to 10.3 per game while his shooting percentage jumped to 62.1% - the highest in the NBA. He also did well enough to earn himself 28.9 minutes of playing time while also recording 9.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Later in the year, against the San Antonio Spurs, Biedrins held his own against Tim Duncan and was narrowly left behind in scoring 18-22 and had just 1 rebound less than Duncan's tally of 16 for the game.

In 2008, Biedrins renewed his contract with the Warriors for 6-years, worth $54 million. He also received the honour of becoming the co-captain of the team.

At the International level, Biedrins has been a part of the Latvian basketball team since he was 15. He has been known to be heavily involved in charitable causes and has undertaken such events as the Kids Day Celebrations with a halftime holiday party for underprivileged kids during the game between the Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies.