Linas Kleiza Bio

Linas Kleiza is a Lithuanian native and a professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Linas Kleiza is the representative of the Toronto Raptors of National Basketball Association (NBA).

He has also been a member of the Lithuanian National Team. Kleiza plays as a small forward and power forward position in the basketball. He stands six feet and eight inches tall and his listed weight is 245 pounds.

Linas Kleiza was born on January 3, 1985 in Kaunas at Lithuania. When Kleiza was of 16 years of age, his parents shifted to the United States of America and from there Kleiza has pursued his basketball career and touched the professional grounds as well. Linas Kleiza is capable of speaking English, Lithuanian, Russian and Garman. In his leisure, he watches TV and movies.

Kleiza has joined Montrose Christian High School and won a silver medal in the Lithuanian Junior National Team in the FIBA Under-19 World Championship.

He succeeded in averaging 2.1 points per game with the shooting of 58 percentages. The University of Missouri was his place of the college studies. He had never lagged behind in presenting himself as a skillful player and has always maintained the proper averages in the basketball playing.

When Kleiza was in his sophomore year, the League of Coaches has named him as the Honorable Mention All-Big 12 in the year 2005 where he has averaged 29.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.

In the Big-12 tournament, he has averaged 16.1 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game in just 31.5 minutes. He succeeded in leading his team to the ninth rank in the competition.

He remained the team’s top rebounder in his college times.With the passage of time, the proficiency in the basketball playing was improved and then in the year 2005, Linas Kleiza got a chance to professionally play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He was selected by the Portland Blazers in the 27th overall pick. Linas Kleiza was drafted in the 2005 NBA Draft. He is a player who signs the contract of paying with the team worth handsome money. Kleiza has signed $ 18.8 million contract to play in the NBA in the season 2010-11. Then, while playing with the Olympiacos Piraeus (European Team), Kleiza has signed a contract worth $ 12.2 million for the two years.

Before joining the European Team, Kleiza was a part of Denver Nuggets. He has averaged 3.5 points per game in 8.5 minutes. Then, the playing average was raised to the 7.6 points per game, with the 42.2 percent shooting in utilizing 18.8 minutes.

Linas Kleiza has started his NBA career while playing with this team. After leaving the Olympiacos Piraeus in the year 2010, Kleiza returned to the National Basketball Association (NBA) and has joined the Toronto Raptors. Still he is representing them nowadays. He has also participated in the playoff games while playing basketball in the NBA.

In the year 2003, Linas Kleiza was announced as the Gatorade High Scholl Player of the Year. He is a bronze medal holder twice in his basketball career.

Once he has won the bronze medal in the year 2007 at Spain in the FIBA World Championship. Then it was the Worlds Championship at Turkey in 2010, when Linas Kleiza was awarded with the bronze medal in his life. In 2010, he has won the Greek Cup and then Alphonso Ford Trophy.

Indeed, Linas Kleiza is a skillful and a proficient player who has performed stunningly and has also maintained an emblem of sound record in his career.

You've got something to share with us about this player?

If you happen to know something interesting about this player, we'd love to hear about it. Share it with us.

Return from Linas Kleiza Bio to Best Basketball Tips