Andrei Kirilenko who has got one of the best nicknames in NBA history, is known as ‘AK-47’ because of his initials plus his wore jersey number 47. It is also a reference to the AK-47 assault rifle which was first manufactured in the city of Izhevsk, where Kirilenko was born and grew up.
Kirilenko was a beast and one of the very few players to have recorded 5X5 games in the NBA, a 5X5 game is when a player records 5 categories with at least 5 in each (i.e. 5 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 5 steals). In addition to his versatility, Kirilenko was an elite defensive player who excelled in perimeter defense, low-post defense on wings, and elite shot-blocking.
Andrei Kirilenko received a fine model of AK-47 as a gift from head of Udmurtia, visiting Izhevsk where he was born. pic.twitter.com/vSFLoEc7Ak
— Alexander Chernykh (@chernykh) August 19, 2015
Here is a great highlights video of AK-47: