Linas Kleiza
Linas Kleiza was born in Kaunas, Kaunas County on January 3rd, 1985 and is the Basketball Player. At the age of 39, Linas Kleiza biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 39 years old, Linas Kleiza has this physical status:
Linas Kleiza (born January 3, 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball executive and former player.
He played for both small forward and power forward positions until he hit 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m).
He was the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy winner and a member of the All-EuroLeague First Team in 2010 and was a member of the All-Europe First Team. Kleiza played for the senior Lithuanian national basketball team in international competitions.
He led them to a bronze medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship and was selected to the All-Tournament Team.
He also won a silver medal in the EuroBasket 2013 and a bronze medal in the EuroBasket 2007.
College career
Kleiza played college basketball at the University of Missouri. As a sophomore, he was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12 by the league coaches. , who also received All-Tournament recognition at the 2005 Big 12 tournament after averaging 29.5 points and 9 rebounds per game.
Professional career
Kleiza was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 27th pick of the 2005 NBA draft. In exchange for Jartt Jack, the Trail Blazers and Ricky Sanchez traded his draft rights to the Denver Nuggets. Kleiza was seldom used in his rookie season. He played 3.5 points and 8.5 minutes per game.
After only making two three-pointers in his rookie year, he improved on his three-point shooting in his sophomore year, shooting 83–221. He spent more time on the court and averaged 7.6 points on 42 percent shooting in 18.8 minutes per game. Denver picked up their team option on his deal for another season after the season.
Kleiza was a key member of Denver's rotation from 2007-08, mainly supporting Denver's starting small forward Carmelo Anthony. However, he was involved in a variety of trade discussions, most notably one involving Ron Artest of the Sacramento Kings. Kleiza scored a career high 41 points against the Utah Jazz on January 17, 2008. His scoring average climbed to 11.1 points per game, and his shooting percentage increased to 47 percent.
Many people expected Kleiza to make a similar leap in output in his fourth year in the league. However, the bulk of his season's figures were marginally off from the 2007-08 season. On a 45 percent shooting, he scored 9.9 points. In the playoffs, his minutes were cut down. Kleiza played fewer minutes because he is not a playmaker, according to Nuggets head coach George Karl.
Kleiza signed a two-year, $12.2 million (€8.6 million) gross income deal with the Greek League Olympiacos on August 10, 2009. In the EuroLeague, he5.2 points per game and grabbed 6.4 rebounds per game, leading the Reds to the EuroLeague Finals. Kleiza led the league in scoring and took the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy, becoming the first Lithuanian to do so.
Kleiza's deal with Olympiacos came to an end on July 7, 2010. He was signed by the Toronto Raptors to a four-year, $20 million gross income offer sheet. He sustained a serious meniscal tear in his right knee in January 2011 and was out for the remainder of the 2010–11 season. Kleiza underwent arthroscopic surgery on February 1, 2011. In a game against the Sacramento Kings on January 11, 2012, he returned to court. He scored ten points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and gave out an assist in 14 minutes of game action. The Raptors waived Kleiza on July 16, 2013, according to the amnesty clause.
Kleiza signed a two-year contract with Fenerbahçe on July 26, 2013. He officially left Fenerbahçe on July 1, 2014.
Kleiza signed a one-year deal with the Italian team Olimpia Milano on July 21, 2014. He withdrew from playing basketball for a long time due to knee pains, but did not reveal that he had withdrawn from the sport at the start of the season, but did not announce his retirement.
National team career
Kleiza has also competed with the Lithuanian national basketball team for senior men. He appeared at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and earned bronze medal at EuroBasket 2007 and the silver medal at the EuroBasket 2013. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, he competed with Lithuania. Kleiza led his team to a bronze medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship after a poor showing in EuroBasket 2009, averaging 19.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He was selected for the All-Tournament Team. He was unable to help Lithuania at EuroBasket 2011 due to his knee injury.
Executive career
Kleiza was listed on July 13, 2017 as part of Antanas Guoga's BC Rytas group. He was also named vice president and sports director of the club. Kleiza announced on February 8, 2020, that he had to leave BC Rytas due to differences with other team members. Kleiza sold his shares in the company to other shareholders in May 2020.
Awards and accomplishments
- FIBA Under-19 World Championship silver medal: 2003
- EuroBasket bronze medal: 2007
- Greek Cup winner: 2010
- Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy: 2010
- All-EuroLeague First Team: 2010
- FIBA World Championship bronze medal: 2010
- FIBA World Championship All-Tournament Team: 2010
- EuroBasket silver medal: 2013
- EuroBasket All-Tournament Team: 2013