Even though his career only ended in 2015, Andrei Kirilenko already seems to have been largely overlooked and ranks among basketball’s forgotten standouts.
While his scoring average peaked at 16.5 points per game and he earned only a solitary All-Star selection, “AK-47” put together an incredibly productive multi-season run early on, marked by astonishingly well-rounded box scores. The most mind-blowing achievement from this period was recording two separate 5-by-5 performances within just seven days when he was only 22 years old.
Focusing so heavily on this specific milestone might seem unusual, but basketball enthusiasts have always been captivated by statistical symmetry (much like triple-doubles), and these five traditional metrics—scoring, boards, helpers, thefts, and rejections—represent fundamental, easily understood aspects of the game.
Furthermore, this feat highlights an all-around versatility that is exceedingly rare in the league. Handing out five assists is manageable, but how many playmaking threats possess the size and defensive instincts required to also block five shots in the same game? Extremely few.
Ultimately, that is the main point. Achieving a 5-by-5 is exceptionally uncommon.
The NBA has seen a mere 20 instances of this feat since steals and blocks were officially recorded beginning in the 1973-74 season, averaging out to under one occurrence every other year. To put that in perspective, it is roughly four times rarer than throwing a no-hitter in Major League Baseball.
On December 3, 2003, Kirilenko registered 19 points, seven assists, five rebounds, eight steals, and five blocks, following that up on December 10 with 10 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, six steals, and five blocks. He remains the sole player under the age of 23 to ever record even one 5-by-5 game. The fact that he achieved this twice in a single week makes his versatility on the court truly mind-boggling.
All statistical data is sourced from Basketball Reference unless noted otherwise.
