Lithuanian Basketball Players in the NBA

It goes without saying that Lithuanians love basketball. If you ask someone from another country about Lithuania, one of the first things that come to mind is basketball. The sport is commonly referred to as “The Second Religion of Lithuania” and basketball games easily draw huge crowds throughout the country. Every year Lithuania competes in the Eurobasket tournament and almost always qualifies for the Olympic Games basketball tournament.

Basketball was introduced to Lithuania all the way back in the 1930s by Pranas Lubinas, commonly known as the godfather of Lithuanian basketball, and it has been part of the culture ever since. Basketball is currently one of the most popular sports worldwide, and of course, it is most popular in the country where it was born; the USA.

Here we’ll take a look at the careers of those Lithuanian players who have gone to the spiritual homeland of the game and tested their skills in the NBA, undoubtedly the biggest and most popular basketball league in the world.

Šarūnas Marčiulionis

Now retired, Šarūnas is regarded as one of the greatest international players and was one of the first Europeans to play in NBA, ultimately paving the way for many of the other players on this list. He is widely credited with bringing the Euro-step move to the NBA, a move in which an offensive player fools the defensive player by taking a step in one direction, only to quickly take a second step in the other direction – usually performed while driving at the hoop. Šarūnas was drafted to the NBA in 1987 by the Golden State Warriors, and was runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1992. In 1994 he played a season with the Seattle SuperSonics, then in 1995 moved to the Sacramento Kings. Finally he finished his career in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets in the 1996 to 97 season. Today he is a successful businessman and and founder of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) as well as the North European Basketball League.

Arvydas Sabonis

A proud member of the NBA Hall of Fame, Sabonis is recognized as one of the best European basketball players of all time and is one of the tallest hall of famers out there, standing 7ft 3in. He was picked in the 1985 draft by the Atlanta Hawks however the selection was voided because he was under 21 at the time. The following year he was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers, however he was not allowed to play in the US for political reasons this time. He was finally able to play for the Blazers in the 1995-96 season, and continued to play until the 2000-2001 season when he returned to Europe and signed for Žalgiris Kaunas.

Darius Songaila

Darius Songaila had a great career in the NBA and played for a number of teams. Originally drafted in 2002 by the Boston Celtics, he had his most successful season in 2005 with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls recently played against the Atlanta Hawks, and were the pick to win on Oddschecker, but when the game played out they lost by a narrow margin. Songaila has played for a number of other teams including the Sacramento Kings, the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Hornets and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jonas Valančiūnas

One of the top centers in the NBA, Valančiūnas currently plays for the Memphis Grizzlies after a trade deal was signed in February 2019. Considered a top prospect, he made his debut in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors after being drafted fifth overall in the 2011 draft, and played for them from to 2011 to 2019 receiving many accolades and career highs, signing a contract extension worth $64 million in 2015. Valančiūnas continues to have a sterling career in the NBA and is ranked among the best players out there.

Žydrūnas Ilgauskas

Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1996 to 2010, Ilgauskas was an invaluable player and still holds the team record for rebounds and blocks. 20th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, he was named most valuable player of the Rookie Challenge in the following year’s season. Ilgauskas led the Cavaliers to many victories and was awarded a contract extension in 2005 worth a reported $55 million. He currently still holds the Cavaliers’ record for career games played. Ilgauskas played his final year in the NBA with the Miami Heat before retiring to spend more time with his family. He currently lives in Cleveland after becoming a US citizen in 2014, which unfortunately caused him to lose his Lithuanian citizenship.

Šarūnas Jasikevičius

Considered one of the best point guards to ever play in Europe, Jasikevičius won many European titles before signing with the Indiana Pacers in 2005 for a deal reportedly worth $12 million. He played over 112 games with the Pacers before signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2007. Jasikevičius retired from professional basketball in 2015 and has since become the head coach of Žalgiris Kaunas where he led the team to his first EuroLeague victory in 2016.

Linas Kleiza

Born in Kaunas, Linas moved to the US at a young age and played high school and college basketball in Missouri. He was drafted to the NBA in 2005 by the Portland Trail Blazers but was traded to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Jarrett Jack. He became an integral part of the Nuggets during the 2007-08 season, but his playtime dwindled in later seasons. Kleiza later became vice president of BC Lietuvos Rytas.

Donatas Motiejūnas

Playing across Europe prior to his tenure in the NBA, Donatas holds many awards and accolades for his skills on the court. Drafted 20th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Donatoas quickly moved to the Housten Rockets where he played between 2012 and 2016. In the 2014-15 season he led the league with his post-up field goal percentage (53.4%) surpassing fellow Lithuanian Jonas Valančiūnas (51.3%). After a season with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017, Donatas has since moved to professional Chinese basketball, currently playing for Shandong Golden Stars after signing a $2.2 million contract.

These are by no means all of the Lithuanian players who have graduated to the NBA. There are many more in current play, but this list accounts for some of the greatest basketball players Lithuania has produced, many of whom are considered among the greatest players of the game full stop. In a country so obsessed with basketball it’s hardly surprising that Lithuania has such a strong influence on the game all over the world. Here’s to the many fantastic up-and-coming players from Lithuania who will surely make their mark in the years to come.