Utah's Russian Roulette

Wanting to escape the serenity of Salt Lake City to celebrate the end of their first year in the U.S., Russian-born Jazz rookie Andrei Kirilenko and his wife, Masha, did it in high style: booking a suite at the Bellagio on the Vegas Strip, dancing to the sounds of Billy Idol at Mandalay Bay's House of Blues and testing their luck in the casinos. "Andrei is not a big gambler, but he does like roulette," Masha says. "Thirteen was his uniform number in Moscow, so we bet on 13. My birthday is September 26, so we bet on 26. Then we bet 24 since our baby boy is due the 24th of February, and that's when we finally won."

Twenty-four is turning out to be a lucky number for the Jazz as well. In June 1999 Utah selected the thin-as-a-wisp forward with the 24th pick in the draft, making him, at 18, the youngest European player ever chosen in the first round. The Jazz waited two years for his contract with CSKA Moscow to expire, and now the long shot is paying off. Unlike the stereotypically plodding Russian player, the 6'10", 210-pound Kirilenko runs the floor with abandon, and although he's not yet quite up to coach Jerry Sloan's hard-nosed standards for man defense, he ranked third among rookies in rebounds (5.3 a game) and blocked shots (1.73). "He's extremely long for a wingman, and he caught me off guard a couple of times when he drove to the basket," says Celtics forward Paul Pierce. "I was amazed by his quickness. He's a talent."

Which is sweet music to the ears of Jazz fans, who know their team needs fresh legs. "When Andrei's on the floor, it changes the tempo for us," says center John Amaechi. Normally reluctant to praise—or even play-rookies, Sloan told reporters before the season that Kirilenko reminded him of a young John Stockton. "I like him as coach," Kirilenko says of the stem Sloan in his spotty though improving English. "My principals in the game are, The coach must kill me. If he loves me, I just keep relaxing. If coach loves me every game, we have problems."

Kirilenko was the youngest player to compete in Russia's top pro league, beginning his pro career at 15 with Spartak St. Petersburg. Two years later he joined the more highly regarded CSKA Moscow. He spent two seasons with Moscow and won the league's slam-dunk contest. "I could be a star in Europe and make much more money," says Kirilenko, "but NBA is the best in the world, and I will grow up here."

With five years of pro hoops behind him, Kirilenko has fit in quickly in Utah, averaging 95 points in 23.1 minutes through Sunday. Off the court he is maturing as well. Last July he married Masha, eight years his senior and the daughter of Andrei Lopatov, one of Russia's most famous basketball players. "I'm trying to help myself be a star," says Kirilenko, "but I don't want be a star outside game. I want to be a star on my skills and my game. John Stockton is [like that]. I can take [him as an] example."