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2x Lakers champ Slava Medvedenko — Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal‘s former teammate in Los Angeles — is doing everything in his power to protect his home country of Ukraine against Russian forces … including picking up an AK-47.
Medvedenko, who spent 7 seasons in the NBA and won two championships (’01,’02) with Mamba in L.A., grew up in Ukraine and took up arms to help defend his country.
The 43-year-old has been involved in the war almost since the first day Vladimir Putin ordered his military to invade the sovereign country … sparking one of the most violent conflicts in recent history.
Slava provided The Athletic with a very detailed account of what life is like for him as he protects the tallest building in Kyiv — the neighborhood he lives in with his wife and kids.
The former power forward, who had no military experience prior to joining the war, told the outlet things are typically quiet during the day, but fighting intensifies during the nighttime.
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Equipped with binoculars and a Russian-made Kalashnikov (AK-47), Medvedenko recalled a night when he watched Russian forces fire more than 20 missiles … in an attempt to eliminate Ukraine’s radar system.
Of course, the professional hooper, who played alongside one of the most potent 1-2 combos in NBA history (Shaq and Kobe) never envisioned he’d be in the middle of such a dangerous war.
“Can you imagine?” Medvedenko said. “You’re just sitting at a checkpoint and you see a big f***ing rocket just fly over you?” he told The Athletic.
Although fighting seems to have quieted down in Kyiv (at least for the time being) where Slava spends a majority of time … the near 7-footer is turning his attention to relief efforts for those who’ve been affected.
The 2-time NBA champ is committed to building a charitable foundation with the aim of helping Ukrainian children, and delivering food to areas hit by Russian forces.