Linas Kleiza – Forward

Born: Jan 3, 1985

Height: 6’8″ / 2.03 m

Weight: 245 lbs / 111 kg

Current Team: Toronto Raptors

Year Aquired: 2009

Hometown: Kaunas, Lithuania

Stats:

Bio:

Linas Kleiza was born January 3, 1985 in Kaunas , Lithuania, Soviet Union .Kleiza, a 6’8″, 245 lb small forward-power forward, graduated from Montrose Christian School , in Rockville , Maryland , in 2003. He played two seasons under coach Stu Vetter and was named the Gatorade High School Player of the Year for the state of Maryland in 2003. After his senior season, he was chosen to play in the prestigious “Jordan Capital Classic”, where he was a teammate of Cleveland Cavalier star LeBron James. Kleiza played his college ball at the University of Missouri and made himself eligible for the NBA draft after his sophomore season. He was taken with the 27th overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and traded to Denver on draft day. In the 2006-07 season, Kleiza established himself as a solid three-point shooter, shooting a respectable 38% in his rookie season. After the season’s end, Denver picked up the option for a third season and re-signed him to a one-year contract.

In 2006 Kleiza played for Lithuania in the FIBA World Championships where he averaged 10.1 ppg and 5.6 rpg. He also played on the Lithuanian Junior National Team which took second place at the 2003 World Junior Championships leading the tournament in scoring, averaging 29.1 ppg on .584 shooting in eight games.

On January 17, 2008, Kleiza made headlines scoring a career-high 41 points against the Utah Jazz, shooting 13-of-21 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, and 11-of-14 from the free-throw line in 41 minutes.

Achievements:

Euroleague Finalist -10
Greek Cup Winner -10
Eurobasket.com All-Europe Small Forward of the Year 2010
Eurobasket.com All-Europe 1st Team 2010
Eurobasket.com All-World Championships 1st Team -10