Grigorij Khizhnyak

Grigorij Khizhnyak (alternate spelling: Grygorii Khizhniak, Григорій Хижняк; July 16, 1974 – October 5, 2018) was a Ukrainian professional basketball player. Standing at a height of 7ft 1in, he played at the center position. He was the EuroLeague's leader in blocked shots in two consecutive seasons, in 2000–01 and 2001–02.

Professional career
Khizhnyak, who was a dominant defensive force in the paint, led the EuroLeague in blocks per game for two consecutive years (2001, 2002), while playing with the Lithuanian League club Žalgiris Kaunas. Among his greatest career achievements, was his participation in the ULEB Cup (EuroCup)'s 2005 Final, while he was a member of the Greek League club Makedonikos.

National team career
Khizhnyak was a regular member of the senior men's Ukrainian national basketball team. With Ukraine, he played at the 1997 EuroBasket, and the 2003 EuroBasket.

Death
Khizhnyak died of a heart attack on 5 October, 2018, at the age of 44.

EuroLeague career statistics

 * style="text-align:left;"|2000–01
 * style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|Žalgiris Kaunas
 * 12 || 12 || 29.8 || .539 || .000 || .840 || 7.2 || .8 || .7 || style="background:#CFECEC;"|3.2 || 12.1 || 18.8
 * style="text-align:left;"|2001–02
 * 14 || 14 || 32.2 || .508 || .333 || .888 || 8.1 || 1.4 || .9 || style="background:#CFECEC;"|3.2 || 14.4 || 21.6
 * - class="sortbottom"
 * style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
 * 26 || 26 || 31.1 || .520 || .167 || .865 || 7.7 || 1.2 || .8 || 3.2 || 13.3 || 20.3
 * style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
 * 26 || 26 || 31.1 || .520 || .167 || .865 || 7.7 || 1.2 || .8 || 3.2 || 13.3 || 20.3