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Andrei Kirilenko to decide on basketball future over summer

Russ Isabella / USA TODAY Sports

It appears Andrei Kirilenko's basketball career has come to an end.

The 6-foot-9 Russian forward, who played the majority of his 13-year NBA career with the Utah Jazz, is retiring from professional hoops at the age of 34, after failing to secure an invite from the Russian national team to this summer's Eurobasket competition.

Kirilenko last played in the NBA this past November as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, before leaving the team after just seven games for undisclosed personal reasons. He was ultimately shipped to the Philadelphia 76ers in a tax-alleviating salary dump, and immediately waived.

He subsequently signed on to finish the year with Euroleague powerhouse CSKA Moscow, for whom he'd played (and captured league MVP honors) during the NBA's lockout-shortened 2011-12 season. He averaged 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in the 11 games he played in his return.

After being drafted 24th overall by the Jazz in 1999 and busting into the NBA in 2001, Kirilenko flourished for years as a hyper-athletic jack-of-all-trades, capable of running the floor, snagging rebounds, passing beautifully from the wing and post, scoring in multiple ways, and guarding every frontcourt position.

He nabbed his first and only All-Star selection in 2003-04, led the league in blocks in 2004-05, and was named to three All-Defensive teams (including a first team nod in 2005-06). He wraps his NBA career with averages of 11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.8 blocks across 797 games.

While his brief, career-capping stint with the Nets was a bust, Kirilenko had a fine run, and stands as one of the NBA's most successful international players to date.

For his part, Kirilenko wasn't ready to publicly commit to retirement, but it sounds as if it's on his mind, at the very least.

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