Margo Dydek Biography: Age, Height, Net Worth, Parents, Husband, Son, Stats, Career

Małgorzata Dydek, known as Margo Dydek, was a Polish professional basketball center who became the tallest player in the history of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), standing at 2.18 meters (7 ft 2 in).

Selected first overall by the Utah Starzz in the 1998 WNBA draft, she played for six teams across nine seasons and remains the WNBA’s all-time leader in blocked shots with 877—a record considered unbreakable.

On the international stage, she led the Polish national team for over a decade and won two FIBA Europe League championships.

Margo Dydek
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Małgorzata Dydek
Stage Name:	Margo Dydek
Born:	28 April 1974
Died:	27 May 2011 (age 37 years old)
Place of Birth:	Warsaw, Poland
Nationality:	Polish
Height:	2.18 m
Parents:	Jan Dydek and Marianna Marcinkiewicz
Siblings:	Katarzyna Dydek and Marta Dydek
Spouse:	David Twigg (m. 2008–2011)
Relationship:	Married
Children:	David Twigg
Occupation:	Professional Basketball Player, Coach
Net Worth:	$1 million

Early Life and Education

Małgorzata Dydek was born on 28 April 1974 in Warsaw, Poland, to Jan Dydek and Marianna Marcinkiewicz. She was the middle of three sisters; her elder sister, Katarzyna Dydek, was also a professional basketball player (197 cm / 6 ft 5 in), and her younger sister, Marta Dydek, also played basketball.

Her mother had to stop working as a nurse to care for her children, and her father was a photographer and amateur magician who performed tricks to entertain neighbors. At age sixteen, Dydek moved to France to play professional basketball.

She later played for the Polish national team, earning 117 caps from 1993 to 2004. Her ethnicity is white, and her religion is unknown.

Career

Małgorzata Dydek began her professional career in Europe as a teenager, playing in France (for Toulouse, Bourges, and Valenciennes), Italy, and Spain before being drafted into the WNBA. In 1997, she was selected by the American Basketball League’s (ABL) Portland Power, a rival league to the WNBA.

When the ABL folded in 1998, she entered the WNBA draft and was selected first overall by the Utah Starzz. She quickly established herself as a defensive phenomenon: in 1998, she led the league in blocks per game (2.8) and field goal percentage (.589), and she recorded the first triple-double in Starzz franchise history on June 7, 1998, with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks.

Dydek went on to play for the San Antonio Silver Stars, Connecticut Sun, and Los Angeles Sparks, finishing her WNBA career with the Atlanta Dream in 2008. When she retired, she held career records for total blocks (877) and blocks per game (2.72), and also recorded the most minutes played in a single game (57 minutes).

Her 877 blocks remain the WNBA all-time record, with no active player approaching the mark. She also holds the record for the tallest player in WNBA history and the highest vertical reach (9 feet 8 inches / 2.95 m).

After retiring, Dydek moved into coaching. She served as head coach of the Northside Wizards in Australia’s Queensland Basketball League for two years (2009–2010) before being hired as head coach of the Connecticut Sun in January 2011.

She was set to begin her first season as a WNBA head coach that summer. Her legacy as the most dominant shot-blocker in women’s basketball history remains secure, with her unbreakable records and her trailblazing role as a European No. 1 draft pick influencing generations of international players.

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: Unknown
• Facebook Handle: Unknown

Personal Life

Małgorzata Dydek married David Twigg in May 2008; their son, also named David Twigg, was born on 6 June 2009.

On 27 May 2011, at age 37, Dydek suffered a cardiac arrest at her home in Brisbane, Australia, where she was coaching the Northside Wizards. She was discovered by her husband, David, but was unable to be resuscitated; initial speculation wrongly suggested a pulmonary embolism.

Her funeral was held on 4 June 2011 at the Pentecostal church “Słowo Wiary” in Warsaw.

Net Worth

Małgorzata Dydek had an estimated net worth of approximately $1 million USD at the time of her death in 2011, derived from her WNBA salaries (maximum salaries in her era ranged from approximately $80,000 to $95,000 annually), European professional contracts, coaching salaries, and endorsements.