Career: Khimik Engels (Russia-Superleague B, 1999), Avtodor Saratov (Russia-Superleague, 1999-02), CSKA Moscow (Russia-Superleague, 2002-04), Portland Trailblazers (USA-NBA, 2004-06), Chicago Bulls (USA-NBA, 2006-07). Selected in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft (#22) by the New Jersey Nets and rights traded to the Portland Trailblazers

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You may call Victor Khryapa, as well as his closest friend Sergei Monya, Andrei Kirilenko’s clones but you can never get too much of a good thing. Moscow citizens arrived at this conclusion early on in the 2002-03 season after being impressed with the high-flying duo from Saratov. The unity of the two seemed to be so strong that even their surnames were often written as one, hardly pronounceable, word: “Khryapomon”.  The players shared the same athleticism, dunking and shot-blocking abilities – in other words, basketball “ingredients” which are common to the typical “American” in Europe. The NBA teams were just around the corner and nobody was surprised when the Trailblazers drafted both players in the 2004 NBA draft.  However, Khryapa’s club career has fallen on hard times. He is still not a big offensive threat and in his three NBA seasons, Khryapa has struggled to find his niche.