Joel Przybilla

Infobox NBA Player
nickname = "The Thrilla"


name = Joel Przybilla
nickname = Joel "the thrilla" Przybilla
position = Center
height_ft = 7 | height_in = 1
weight_lbs = 255
team = Portland Trail Blazers
number = 10
nationality = American
birth_date = birth date and age|1979|10|10
birth_place = Monticello, Minnesota
highschool = Monticello High School
college = Minnesota
draft = 9th overall
draft_year = 2000
draft_team = Houston Rockets
career_start = 2000
career_end =
former_teams = Milwaukee Bucks (2000–2004)
Atlanta Hawks (2004)
awards =

Joel Anthony Przybilla (born October 10, 1979) is an American professional basketball player. A 7'1" (2.16 m) center of Polish descent, he currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA.

High school career

Przybilla was born in Monticello, Minnesota, and attended Monticello High School, where he was coached by Max LaVelle of the Monticello Magic.

College career

He played two seasons at the University of Minnesota. He left Minnesota during the middle of his sophomore season due to differences with first-year coach Dan Monson.

NBA career

Przybilla was the 9th overall selection in the 2000 NBA Draft, chosen by the Houston Rockets, but traded the same day to the Milwaukee Bucks for their pick, Jason Collier. He has since played for the Bucks, the Atlanta Hawks and the Trail Blazers. Upon free agency, Phoenix and Toronto showed interest but Portland was the only team offering guaranteed money [ [http://www.nba.com/blazers/features/Joel_Przybilla_Rip_City_Featur-173045-41.html BLAZERS: Joel Przybilla Rip City Feature ] ] and he signed for a reported $3.35 million over two years on August 24, 2004. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=1867751 ESPN - Blazers sign Przybilla - NBA ] ] He made an immediate impact averaging 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in that 2004-2005 NBA season.

Przybilla became a free agent again at the end of the 2005-2006 season. After being pursued by several teams, he agreed to re-sign with the Blazers; the contract is reportedly for 5 years and US $32 million.cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/05/sports/basketball/05nba.html?ex=1152244800&en=909b3d994d7ede22&ei=5087%0A|title=Pistons Quickly Plug a Hole in the Middle With Mohammed|author=Liz Robbins|publisher=New York Times|date=2006-07-05|accessdate=2006-07-05] Among his suitors were the Chicago Bulls, and the Detroit Pistons, seeking to replace the outgoing Ben Wallace. Bill Duffy, Przybilla's agent, explained his reasons for re-signing with the Blazers as opposed to likely championship contenders this way: "He's extremely loyal, and they gave him an opportunity two years ago when no one else did." At the same time, the Blazers' offer was the most generous, surpassing the Pistons' $29 million offer and the $24 million offered by the Spurs.cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/115207351348260.xml&coll=7&thispage=1|title='Ours not to reason why' Przybilla stayed|author=John Canzano|publisher=The Oregonian|date=2006-07-05|accessdate=2006-07-05] On 22 March 2008, Przybilla pulled a career high 25 rebounds, two shy of the franchise record overall and one shy of franchise record in a regulation game.cite news|url=http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=nba/news/news.aspx?id=4140295]

Trivia

His nickname, dating back to his time at the University of Minnesota, is "The Vanilla Gorilla"

While in Portland, his nicknames have included: "Joel Dolla-Dolla-Billa", "Przybila the Thrilla", " Joel Daddy", "White Kong", "Joel Zilla", "Ghostface Pryzbilla," and many other nicknames that go with his aggressive playing style.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

-
align="left" | 2000–01
align="left" | Milwaukee
33 || 13 || 8.2 || .343 || .000 || .273 || 2.2 || .1 || .1 || .9 || .8
-
align="left" | 2001–02
align="left" | Milwaukee
71 || 62 || 15.9 || .535 || .000 || .422 || 4.0 || .3 || .3 || 1.7 || 2.7
-
align="left" | 2002–03
align="left" | Milwaukee
32 || 17 || 17.1 || .391 || .000 || .500 || 4.5 || .4 || .3 || 1.4 || 1.5
-
align="left" | 2003–04
align="left" | Milwaukee
5 || 0 || 6.6 || .000 || .000 || .500 || 2.0 || .6 || .0 || .0 || .2
-
align="left" | 2003–04
align="left" | Atlanta
12 || 12 || 26.2 || .360 || .000 || .414 || 8.4 || .3 || .4 || 1.4 || 4.0
-
align="left" | 2004–05
align="left" | Portland
76 || 50 || 24.4 || .598 || .000 || .517 || 7.7 || 1.0 || .3 || 2.1 || 6.4
-
align="left" | 2005–06
align="left" | Portland
56 || 52 || 24.9 || .548 || .000 || .532 || 7.0 || .8 || .4 || 2.3 || 6.1
-
align="left" | 2006–07
align="left" | Portland
43 || 43 || 16.3 || .474 || .000 || .370 || 3.9 || .3 || .2 || 1.6 || 2.0
-
align="left" | 2007–08
align="left" | Portland
77 || 67 || 23.6 || .576 || .000 || .680 || 8.4 || .4 || .2 || 1.2 || 4.8
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
405 || 316 || 19.9 || .541 || .000 || .523 || 5.9 || .5 || .3 || 1.6 || 4.0
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Playoffs

-
align="left" | 2000–01
align="left" | Milwaukee
1 || 0 || 2.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0
-
align="left" | 2002–03
align="left" | Milwaukee
4 || 3 || 8.3 || 1.000 || .000 || .000 || 2.5 || .3 || .0 || .5 || .5
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
5 || 3 || 7.0 || 1.000 || .000 || .000 || 2.0 || .2 || .0 || .4 || .4
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Notes

External links

* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/joel_przybilla/index.html?nav=page NBA.com Official Profile]