Nobody looms quite so large (both figuratively and literally) over the international women’s basketball scene as 2.13m Polish centre Margot Dydek. Dydek has established herself as one of the top pivots in international basketball in her 9-year career and has a trophy cabinet to match.
 
Having picked up basketball at age 12, Margot made her debut with the Polish national team at the 1991 European Championship for Cadettes. She then went on to represent her country at the European Championship for Junior Women in 1992, leading them to a bronze medal, followed by another bronze in 1993 at the World Championship for Junior Women. Her career with the senior national team has also been fruitful and includes a gold medal at the 1999 European Championships for Women and a berth at the 2000 Olympic Games.

		Dydek with the Polish national team

On the club front Dydek has played all over Europe, including stints in Poland (TS Olimpa Poznan), Spain (Pool Getafe Madrid) and France (USV Valenciennes). She is also a WNBA regular, having been selected by the Utah Starzz with the number one pick in the 1998 draft, the first international player to gain such an honour. Success on the club front has also been forthcoming, including championships in Poland and Spain and 2 EuroLeague runners up medals. Gdynia (POL) has been her home since 1998 and her club Lotus VBW Clima Gdynia is currently on a 2 1/2 year, 72 game winning streak in the Polish League, and finished second in the 2002 EuroLeague to Valenciennes (FRA).

Margot is not the only Dydek to have made an impact on the international basketball scene. Older sister Kashka is a former Polish international centre (and currently an assistant coach in Gdynia) and younger sister Marta is a 1.91m freshman playing college basketball in Kansas, USA.

You come from a family that has 3 daughters who are all playing basketball at a high level. What is your family background, were your parents also basketball players?

Dydek: No, just my sisters Marta and Kashka. My parents never played any sport.

Why did you start to play?

Dydek: I started to play because of my older sister. I was living in Wlomin which is close to Warsaw and in this city the tradition was that the guys play volleyball and the big girls play basketball. All my family was tall so the team and the coaches were really happy that we joined the team.

You are your older sister are fairly well known, but Marta is just 20. Can you tell us about her?

Dydek: She‘s a little smaller than myself at 1.91 so she can play on the wing and in the post, depending on who is guarding her. She was going to a school called SMS in Warsaw which prepares players for the junior national team. She was there for 4 years and right now she is in the USA playing college basketball in Kansas.

What are the chances of all 3 Dydek sisters playing on the national team?

Dydek: Well, we had a good chance to play in the Olympics in 2000. Marta was just 18, I was 26 and Kashka was 30 but just myself and Kashka were picked. I think it would be great fun to play together but it depends on a lot of things like if the coach wants to have 3 similar players like we are. But right now Kashka has stopped playing so we will never be able to play together.

You have played in the USA, in Poland, Spain and France. Where was your favourite place?

Dydek: I felt good in every place I have played in as a basketball player. My first team was my hometown team of Poznan. I went to school there so I know a lot of people, not just basketball people.

When I was 20 I went to play in Valenciennes and we had a really young team. In my first year we connected really well together on the basketball court and we were playing with a lot of heart and we had a lot of talent.

2 years later I moved to Madrid and I really loved the city. It was a lot of fun with many nice, friendly people. I still have friends there and I visit them whenever I can. We also had a really good team and were runners up in the EuroLeague and we won the Spanish Championship and the cup. In the summertime I went to play for the WNBA in Utah, and I‘ve just finished my 5th season so I‘m really very used to Utah right now. The WNBA is tough because there is a lot of travel, a lot of tough games and each team has a great player so you have to be ready to compete, so I like it over there also. In Gydnia, where I came back after Madrid I love it because I am with my friends and my family and, although it is not my hometown, it is not far away.

You can earn more money playing in Europe than you can in the WNBA. Given that you play almost the whole year with the European and the US seasons, what is the attraction of playing in the WNBA?

Dydek: I just like to play all year round and I don‘t like to rest too much. I know I have to take a break after the end of each season but I can get really lazy if I take too much time off. I also want to take care of my body and my physical condition and I just like to play all year with little breaks.

I don’t just play basketball for the money, even though it is my job right now, but for me basketball is still fun. I enjoy playing for different teams with different goals which makes it interesting. I’m playing the whole year but there are always different ideas, coaches and I can always improve myself with different experiences.

What has been your most satisfying achievement as a player?

Dydek: I would say having the chance to play for different teams and being able to choose who I play for. I think I have improved with each team. Of course when we won the 1999 European Championship this was very important because we qualified for the Olympics in 2000. Playing in the Olympics was always my dream but I also dream about an Olympic medal, so I still have some goals (Editor’s note: Poland finished 8th in the Olympic tournament). I also won a bronze medal with the juniors in the European Championships and a World Championship bronze with the juniors. But I would have to say that the Olympics was the most important achievement in my career.

With your club career you have 2 silvers, 1 bronze and 1 fourth place in European club competition. Do you still want to win something?

Dydek: Oh yes! Last year we were second in the EuroLeague and I wish we could have played in Gydnia because I think we could have won. Right now we have a new season and I will do anything to try to win this competition. I have everything apart from a winners medal, but this year we will try again.

Are there many changes in the team from last season?

Dydek: There have been some changes in the starting five and Elena Shakirova is no longer with us. We have Chesity Melvin from the USA and Marie Ferdinand also did not come back. We have some young players so maybe we have slightly weaker players than last year, but then as a team I think we should play better.

In the polish league you have been undefeated for 2 1/2 years. Is that easy because you dominate so much or is it hard to keep the streak alive?

Dydek: It is difficult because teams want to break our record which is like 72 straight wins and even the weaker teams want to beat us. So its tough and we are not winning all our games by 25 points. Some games, especially after having played in the EuroLeague, are really tough but we are still winning.

What did you think of Lisa Leslie‘s dunk in the WNBA?

Dydek: I think it was nice and good for the league. She got a great opportunity to dunk after she got the steal. A lot of people were expecting this and that shows that women can also dunk and that we can do what the men do.

Do you get sick of people asking you when are you going to dunk?

Dydek: (laughs) I‘m used to it.

Do you see your height as a blessing or a curse?

Dydek (laughs) I see it as genetic. All of my family are tall, my grandparent and parents so I never saw the chance that I would not be tall.