Margo Dydek

Margo Dydek

Center
Born	28 April 1974(1974-04-28) Warsaw, Poland
Died	27 May 2011(2011-05-27) (aged 37) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Nationality	Polish
Height	7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Weight	223 lb (101 kg)
Draft	1st overall, 1998 Utah Starzz
Profile	WNBA Info Page
WNBA Teams
Utah Starzz (1998–2002) San Antonio Silver Stars (2003–2004) Connecticut Sun (2005–2007) Los Angeles Sparks (2008)
Awards and Honors
2× WNBA All-Star (2003, 2006)

Małgorzata Dydek (28 April 1974 – 27 May 2011^[1]), known as Margo Dydek in the United States, was a Polish international professional basketball player. Standing 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) tall, she was famous for being the tallest active professional female basketball player in the world. She played center position for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA and was a coach for the Northside Wizards in the Queensland Basketball League.^[2]

Personal life

Margo Dydek was born 28 April 1974 in Warsaw, Poland to a 6'7" father and a 6'3 mother.^[3] She had two sisters, her elder sister, Kashka (6'7") used to play for the Colorado Xplosion of the now defunct ABL, and in Poland. Her younger sister (standing 6'6") graduated from the University of Texas-El Paso where she played basketball and played in Spain professionally in the 2000s.

She was awarded the Polish Gold Cross of Merit (1999).^[4]

WNBA career

Dydek made her first trip to the United States in May 1998 for WNBA pre-draft camp. Dydek was drafted 1st overall in the 1998 WNBA Draft by the Utah Starzz (the franchise was subsequently transferred to San Antonio).

On 16 April 2005, during the 2005 WNBA Draft, the San Antonio Silver Stars traded Dydek to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for the Sun's first-round draft pick, Katie Feenstra from Liberty University.

Dydek held the record for most blocks in a WNBA career, with 877 blocks in 323 games.

Dydek led the WNBA in blocks 9 times (1998–2003, 2005–07)

Dydek led the WNBA in blocks/game 8 times (1998–2003, 2006–07)

Dydek led the WNBA in Defensive Rebounds (214) in 2001

On 27 August 2008 Dydek signed with the Los Angeles Sparks following time away from basketball due to her pregnancy (she gave birth to a son in April 2008).

European career

Dydek played for Olimpia Poznań from 1992 to 1994, before playing for Valenciennes Orchies in France from 1994 to 1996. She then moved to Spain and played for Pool Getafe from 1996 to 1998, and moved back to Poland to play for Fota Porta Gdynia starting with the 1998–99 season. She continued to play with the club through several sponsorship changes; since then, the club has taken the names Polpharma and Lotos.

In 1999–2001, she averaged 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds for Gdynia in FIBA Euroleague play. She was named Most Valuable Player of the Polish League Finals of the 1999–2000 season. In 1999 she was also named the best female basketball player in Europe by the Italian sports magazine La Gazzetta dello Sport. Dydek was chosen as Poland's Sports Woman of the Year and has long been a member of the Polish National Team. She helped lead Gdynia to runner-up finishes in the FIBA Euro-league in 2002 and 2004.

Death

On 19 May 2011, Dydek, at the time pregnant with her third child, suffered a severe heart attack and was placed in a medically induced coma at a Brisbane hospital. She had been working as a coach for the Northside Wizards in the Queensland Basketball League. Dydek collapsed at her home in Brisbane and was taken by ambulance to a hospital. She never regained consciousness and died eight days later on 27 May 2011.^[5] As Dydek was early in her pregnancy, the fetus also died.^[6] Prior to her death, she was the last surviving prominent Polish woman basketball player.^[7]

Vital statistics

• Position: Center
• Height: 7 ft-2 in (2.18 m)
• Shoe size: men's 18 (US) / 54 (EU) (34 centimetres / 13.5 inches long)^[8]
• College: Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego (University School of Physical Education), in Wrocław.
• Team: Los Angeles Sparks
• National Team(s): (12), Olimpia Poznań (Poland), Valenciennes Ochies (France), Pool Getafe (Spain), Fota Porta / Polpharma VBW Clima / Lotos VBW Clima / Lotos Gdynia (Poland)

References

1. ^ Margalit Fox (27 May 2011). "Margo Dydek, Towering Women’s Basketball Center, Dies at 37". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/28/sports/margo-dydek-37-towering-womens-basketball-center.html?ref=deathsobituaries. 
2. ^ Dydek signs with Sparks
3. ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1026452/index.htm
4. ^ Postanowienie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 10 czerwca 1999 r. o nadaniu orderów i odznaczeń.
5. ^ "Margo Dydek suffers heart attack". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=6568363. 
6. ^ Margo Dydek, 7-Foot-2 Ex-WNBA Player, Dies At 37
7. ^ http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/5/26/2192574/magorzata-margo-dydek-1974-2011
8. ^ Sisters on the way to the top – Albert & Logan News

External links

• WNBA Player Profile
• Interbasket.net: Margo Dydek
• TheTallestMan.com: Margo Dydek
• Obituary – The Sydney Morning Herald

Persondata
Name	Dydek, Margo
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	28 April 1974
Place of birth	Warsaw, Poland
Date of death	27 May 2011
Place of death	Brisbane, Australia