Slava Medvedenko
Stanislav "Slava" Medvedenko (Ukrainian: Станіслав "Слава" Медведенко; born April 4, 1979) is a Ukrainian former professional basketball player, who last played with the Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association. His position was power forward.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 4, 1979 Karapyshi, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Ukrainian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 253 lb (115 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 1998 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 1997–2007 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 14, 3 |
| Career history | |
| 1997–1998 | Budivelnik Kiev |
| 1998–1999 | Alita Alytus |
| 1999–2000 | Kyiv |
| 2000–2006 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2006–2007 | Atlanta Hawks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
NBA career
Medvedenko, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, is known for his shoot-first mentality. His shooting technique and skill have never been in doubt, but his work ethic and defense were far behind his offensive skills in his early career (much to the ire of sports commentators, especially Stephen A. Smith).
The 2003–04 season was his breakout year, as Karl Malone injured his knee and Medvedenko started the majority of games. As such, his scoring and rebounding averages doubled and he was no longer seen as a liability in the fans' eyes. Unfortunately, an injury kept him out of the 2004 pre-season and he dropped down the depth chart, unable to find his way back into the lineup under Rudy Tomjanovich. With Phil Jackson's return to the Lakers, there was hope that Medvedenko would play a greater role due to his experience with the triangle offense. However, due to a herniated disc in his lower back that required surgery, he missed almost the entire 2006 season.[1] He was waived at the beginning of March 2006, to clear roster space to enable the Lakers to sign guard Jim Jackson.[2]
Medvedenko was signed by the Atlanta Hawks on December 28, 2006 for about $600,000, for the remainder of the season.[3][4]
NBA career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won an NBA championship |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01† | L.A. Lakers | 7 | 0 | 5.6 | .480 | 1.000 | .583 | 1.3 | .3 | .1 | .1 | 4.6 |
| 2001–02† | L.A. Lakers | 71 | 6 | 10.3 | .477 | .000 | .661 | 2.2 | .6 | .4 | .2 | 4.7 |
| 2002–03 | L.A. Lakers | 58 | 10 | 10.7 | .434 | .000 | .721 | 2.4 | .3 | .2 | .1 | 4.4 |
| 2003–04 | L.A. Lakers | 68 | 38 | 21.2 | .441 | .000 | .767 | 5.0 | .8 | .6 | .3 | 8.3 |
| 2004–05 | L.A. Lakers | 43 | 4 | 9.8 | .455 | .000 | .821 | 1.8 | .3 | .2 | .0 | 3.8 |
| 2005–06 | L.A. Lakers | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .500 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
| 2006–07 | Atlanta | 14 | 0 | 5.8 | .414 | .500 | .850 | 1.0 | .1 | .0 | .1 | 3.0 |
| Career | 263 | 58 | 12.7 | .450 | .154 | .740 | 2.8 | .5 | .3 | .2 | 5.3 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002† | L.A. Lakers | 7 | 0 | 3.0 | .600 | .000 | .000 | .6 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .9 |
| 2003 | L.A. Lakers | 9 | 0 | 8.1 | .556 | .000 | .667 | 2.0 | .1 | .1 | .1 | 3.8 |
| 2004 | L.A. Lakers | 21 | 1 | 11.3 | .440 | .000 | .810 | 2.5 | .5 | .2 | .2 | 4.0 |
| Career | 37 | 1 | 8.9 | .477 | .000 | .778 | 2.0 | .3 | .1 | .1 | 3.3 | |