Margo Dydek was a Polish-born professional basketball player who was famous for being the tallest professional female basketball player in the world. She played for many teams in the WNBA. In 1999, she was honored with the Polish Gold Cross of Merit.
Born on 28 April 1974, Dydek was drafted 1st overall in the 1998 WNBA draft. She played the center position and was also a coach for the Northside Wizards in the Queensland Basketball League. She stood 7-foot-2 tall and weighed 101 kg.
Margo Dydek, a former WNBA player and the tallest female basketball player in history, tragically passed away on May 27, 2011. Her death was a result of a heart attack, which she suffered a week earlier. At the time of the heart attack, Dydek was pregnant with her third child, adding to the complexity of her medical condition.
Hailing from Poland, Margo Dydek made a name for herself in the WNBA, representing teams such as the Utah Starzz, San Antonio Silver Stars, and Los Angeles Sparks. Standing at an astounding height of 7 feet 2 inches, she captured attention with her remarkable stature. Dydek's achievements extended beyond the WNBA, as she led Poland to victory in the European championships in 1999. Unfortunately, her promising career was cut short by her untimely passing, leaving a void in the world of women's basketball.
The primary source of income for Margo Dydek was from playing basketball. She had an estimated net worth of $6 million. When Margo was playing in the WNBA, she received a salary of around $71,635.
As a junior, when Dydek won two bronze medals in the 1992 European Championships and 1993 World Championship from the Polish National team, she received some amount in cash prizes. The most outstanding success was their Gold Medal at the European Championship in 1999 where she received a cash prize too, for being the highest scorer (154 points).
After ending her professional career in 2008, she became a coach for the Northside Wizards in the Queensland Basketball Team and earned a living but details haven't been disclosed about the details of earnings.
Margo Dydek's personal life was marked by her relationship with David Twigg, whom she met when she was just 19 years old. However, they decided to get married after her professional basketball career had come to an end. Together, they had two children named David, born in 2008, and Alex, born in 2010.
Tragically, Margo Dydek's life took a devastating turn when she was pregnant with her third child. It was during this time, on May 27, 2011, that she suffered a heart attack, leading to her untimely death. The news of her passing shocked the basketball community and her fans worldwide. Her sudden departure was a heartbreaking loss for her family, leaving them to mourn the loss of a beloved wife and mother.
Margo Dydek was born on 28 April 1974 in Warsaw, Poland, to parents who were both taller than 6 feet. Dydek had two sisters, Katarzyna, and Marta. Her elder sister Katarzyna played for the Colorado Xplosion and her younger sister, Marta, played in Spain professionally.
Margo followed her elder sister Kashka’s footsteps and started playing basketball at a local club called “Huragan” in Wolomin, Poland. Then she moved on to play with the team Poznan Olympia and also played for other Polish and French teams before going to the U.S.
Margo Dydek was drafted first overall in 1998 in the WNBA Draft by Utah Starzz. The franchise was transferred to San Antonio and renamed Silver Stars. On April 16, 2005, Silver Stars traded Dydek to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Katie Feenstra.
Due to her pregnancy, Dydek left the Connecticut Sun and signed with the Los Angeles Sparks, where Zheng Haixia used to play.