This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Longtime Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko has officially returned home.
Agent Marc Fleisher informed The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday that Kirilenko signed a three-year contract with professional Russian basketball team CSKA.
Kirilenko's contract with CSKA features an out clause that will allow him to return to the NBA as soon as the three-month work stoppage ends. In addition, the deal features an out at the end of every CSKA season.
Kirilenko, 30, added that all of the money he earns while playing for CSKA will be donated to charity.
Kirilenko was selected by the Jazz with the No. 24 overall pick during the 1999 draft. He made the All-Star team in 2004, and averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals during 10 seasons (681 games) with Utah.
Kirilenko will become an unrestricted free agent once the 2011-12 NBA campaign begins.
Brian T. Smith