Basketball In Lithuania
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Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
is the most popular sport in
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
. During public opinion polls in Lithuania, the Lithuanians regularly describe basketball as their priority interest sport (e.g. 43,8% in 2003, 53,4% in 2010). A research in 2015 indicated that nearly 41% of all population in Lithuania watched the EuroBasket 2015 final between Lithuania and Spain and it became the most watched event of the 21st century in Lithuania. The popularity of basketball among Lithuanians led to it being nicknamed as the "second religion" in Lithuania.
Lithuanian-American Lithuanian Americans refer to Americans, American citizens and residents of Lithuanians, Lithuanian descent or were born in Lithuania. New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has the largest percentage of Lithuanian Americans (20.8%) in its population ...
basketball coaches and players in the 1930s helped the Lithuania men's national basketball team win the last
EuroBasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...
tournaments prior to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, in
1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...
and
1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...
, causing a massive impact in Lithuanian society and a basketball popularity spike. Since then, despite Lithuania's small size, with a population of just almost 2.9 million, the country's devotion to basketball has made them a traditional force of the sport in Europe. Following the country's occupation by the Soviet Union during the war, Lithuanian players frequently formed the core of the Soviet national team, and the Lithuanian people strongly supported local club
BC Žalgiris Basketball Club Žalgiris () commonly known as BC Žalgiris, is a professional basketball club based in Kaunas, Lithuania. They compete domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lithuanian Basketball League (''Lietuvos krepšinio lyga'') and ...
, particularly against Russian squads. After the restoration of Lithuanian independence in 1990, the national team was resurrected, with their first official tournament being the 1992 Olympics, where they won a bronze medal. The Lithuanians have since won another two bronzes at the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...
, a bronze medal at the
2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the List of men's national basketball teams, men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 Septem ...
, and five EuroBasket medals, including the country's third title at
FIBA EuroBasket 2003 The 2003 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2003, was the 33rd FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as the Europe qualifier for the 2004 Summer Olympics, giving a berth ...
in Sweden. At the professional club level, Žalgiris of
Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
won the top-tier
EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
in 1999 and the second-tier
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in 1998 and was also the
FIBA Intercontinental Cup The FIBA Intercontinental Cup, previously known to as the FIBA World Cup for Champion Clubs and the FIBA Club World Cup, is an annual international men's basketball competition organised by FIBA, the sport's global governing body. The competit ...
champion in 1986 under Soviet occupation.
BC Lietuvos Rytas Basketball Club Rytas, commonly referred to as Rytas Vilnius, is a professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), the top tier of Basketball in Lit ...
of
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
won two times the second-tier EuroCup, in 2005 and 2009. While basketball started being played in Lithuania by women, the women's national team has not achieved the same success as the male one, despite a title at EuroBasket Women 1997. In 2015, the
Lithuania men's national basketball team The Lithuania men's national basketball team () represents Lithuania in international basketball competitions. They are controlled by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Lithuania. Despite Lithuania's small ...
(European vice-champions that year) was ranked third in the FIBA Men's World Ranking (at the time surpassed only by the Olympic champions
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and European champions
Spain men's national basketball team The Spain men's national basketball team () represents Spain in international basketball competitions. They are managed by the Spanish Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Spain. Spain is the current European champion. Sp ...
s). Moreover, the Lithuania men's national basketball team managed to defeat the United States men's national team three times in major international tournaments: twice in the FIBA World Championships/World Cups (1998, 2023) and once in the Olympic Games (2004). As of 2023, a total of 18 Lithuanian basketball players were recognized as the Lithuanian Sportsman of the Year (the nomination was started since 1956).


History


Interwar period (1920–1940)

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
was introduced in
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
indirectly through the European variety of
Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...
, featuring a smaller ball and no boards, brought by the Germans. In 1919 Lithuanian women athletes started organizing, and in 1920-1921 they started playing the game in public. The female pioneerism delayed basketball's widespread popularity until the 1930s as it kept being considered a woman's sport. In the meantime, in 1922 Karolis Dineika released the book '' Krepšiasvydis vyrams'' ( English: Basketball for men), and in 1926 pilot
Steponas Darius Steponas Darius (known as Stephen Darius in the US; born Steponas Jucevičius-Darašius; January 8, 1896 – July 17, 1933) was a Lithuanian American aviator, pilot, who died in a non-stop flight attempt in the ''Lituanica'' from New York City t ...
, who would later be known for his transatlantic flight, published the first basketball rules in Lithuania. Despite the fact that women were the first basketball players in Lithuania, the first official game was played by men. It took place on 23 April 1922 when Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimo Sąjunga (English: Lithuanian Physical Education Union) played a game against Kaunas team, winning 8–6. That day is regarded as the beginning of basketball in Lithuania. The press at the time described the match by writing: "The game was very interesting and left positive impression on the spectators. The observers were fascinated by the game so much that they felt living in a quite cultured country by watching our quick, joyful players. ... The audience heartily rejoiced at the gameplay of the excellent basketball players and applauded after shots and passes by Steponas Darius and Viktoras Dineika. ... Krepšiasvydis game, organized for the first time in Lithuania, gave beautiful hopes that in the future this game could lead our sportsmen to greater achievements". Two years later, the first Lithuanian men's basketball tournament in Lithuania was organized, featuring two teams from LFLS and one from Lietuvos Dviračių Sąjunga (English: Lithuanian Cycles Union), and a course for basketball referees was held. The first class included Elena Garbačiauskienė and Steponas Darius. From 1926 to 1933, basketball saw its popularity decrease and get overshadowed by
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
. Basketball was played only during the summer period because there was no suitable indoor arena, and the game was mostly played by representatives of other sports, who allocated little time to it. The number of games played decreased, and the national championship was not even contested between 1929 and 1932. It started to change on 10 October 1934, the day where the Physical Culture Palace was opened in
Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
. The building had a spacious hall with 200 seats, designed and built for
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
. To increase grip for tennis players, the hall had expensive cork floor installed, which cost over 30,000 LTL (over $5,000) when average teacher salary at the time was around 350–500 LTL and 150–180 LTL for an ordinary worker. Being suitable for indoor basketball, the Hall hosted its first game on 16 November 1934, and soon became the main center for basketball events. In 1935, Lithuania decided to promote a World Lithuanian Congress in
temporary capital A temporary capital or a provisional capital is a city or town chosen by a government as an interim base of operations due to some difficulty in retaining or establishing control of a different metropolitan area. The most common circumstances leadi ...
Kaunas, inviting ethnic Lithuanians from many countries to unite the Lithuanian culture. The
Lithuanian American Lithuanian Americans refer to American citizens and residents of Lithuanian descent or were born in Lithuania. New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has the largest percentage of Lithuanian Americans (20.8%) in its population in the United States. ...
community of
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
decided to sponsor a team of athletes to participate in this Congress. The delegation included a full basketball team, which included
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
star
Moose Krause Edward Walter "Moose" Krause (born Edward Walter Kriaučiūnas; ; February 2, 1913 – December 11, 1992) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, track athlete, coach, and college athletics administrator. He lettered in four ...
(Edward Kriaučiūnas) and his brother Phil (
Feliksas Kriaučiūnas Feliksas Kriaučiūnas (Americanized his name as Phil Krause; August 18, 1911 – October 28, 1977) was a Lithuanian Americans, Lithuanian American basketball player and coach. He won two gold medals with Lithuania men's national basketball team, ...
); basketballers Benedict Budrikas, Anthony Lauraitis, Victor Yanzanaitis and Julius Petrulaitis; and multi-sport athletes Konstantinas "Konnie" Savickus, Juozas "Joseph" Zukas, Peter Barskis, Michael A. Lukas, and Kazys "Charles" Sedvilas. After the three-week congress, Zukas and Savickus stayed to teach basketball secrets to Lithuanians. Savickus in particular became a
player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
to the national team, which had just been trounced by inaugural European champions
Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
, 123–10. One year later, with Savickus leading the team and exploiting stalling techniques, Lithuania trailed only 14–7 at halftime before losing, 31–10. The Lithuanian press declared it a moral victory. Also in 1936, Lithuania applied to become a member of
FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
and take part in international basketball competitions, the first being
EuroBasket 1937 The 1937 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1937, was the second FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA. Eight national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) took p ...
, the second European basketball tournament that the Latvia Basketball Association would organize in Riga as reigning champions. Thus while basketball would become an
Olympic sport Olympic sports are sports that are contested in the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games. The 2024 Summer Olympics included 32 sports; the 2022 Winter Olympics included seven sports. Each Olympic sport is represented at the Internation ...
at the
1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
in Berlin, Lithuania decided not to take part in the tournament, instead preparing for the following year. During the Olympics, one of the gold medalists,
Frank Lubin Frank John Lubin (; January 7, 1910 – July 8, 1999) was a Lithuanian Americans, Lithuanian-American basketball player. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball, UCLA Bruins from 1928 to 1931. In 1997, Lubin was inducted ...
, was of Lithuanian heritage, and was invited to visit the Baltic nation by a Lithuanian official in attendance. Going by the Lithuanian name Pranas Lubinas, he spent five months there and served as the country's first knowledgeable coach, helping spread various basketball techniques. Filling in for Savickus, who had returned to Chicago, Lubinas led Lithuania to its first victory over Latvia, 36-25. The preparations for the EuroBasket 1937 started slowly, with players training only 4 hours a week. At first, it was decided that the national team at the tournament would not include any
Lithuanian Americans Lithuanian Americans refer to American citizens and residents of Lithuanian descent or were born in Lithuania. New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has the largest percentage of Lithuanian Americans (20.8%) in its population in the United States. ...
; however the decision was reversed with only one month remaining, once a Latvian newspaper ''Sporto pasaule'' had printed an extensive article about the second European championship considering Lithuania the weakest of all contestants. Lithuanian player Leonas Baltrūnas was shocked at the article and along with journalist Jonas Narbutas used a translated version of it to request the inclusion of Lithuanian Americans to Vytautas Augustauskas, director of the Physical Culture Palace. After a telegram was sent to the USA, two players arrived one month prior to the tournament, Pranas Talzūnas and Feliksas Kriaučiūnas, the latter of whom was designated as
player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
. To keep secrecy on how Lithuanian Americans were strengthening the team, all preparation games were cancelled and instead prolonged training sessions before the trip to Riga were held behind closed doors. The national team was being prepared not only technically, but also physically. Even once the reinforcements were made public, opponents were skeptic, with Talzūnas later remembering other teams felt he and Kriaučiūnas were not quality players as "everyone thought that a good player must be tall, raising his hand and dunking into the basket." Furthermore, another member of the Lithuanian team, Baltrūnas, claimed that the Lithuanians were accommodated not in hotel Roma where the chosen teams and more distant countries teams were accommodated, but instead in a more remote hotel (from the venue stadium) near the station and flea market. Also, Baltrūnas pointed out that unlike other foreign basketball teams the Lithuanians when their train arrived in Riga were not greet with an orchestra and by none of the representatives of EuroBasket 1937. The efforts were successful—the Lithuanians in 1937 became the champions of Europe for the first time, defeating all their opponents and with Talzūnas being picked as the tournament's
most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...
, also it is believed that Talzūnas was the first-ever basketball player to use a
hook shot In basketball, a hook shot is a play where the offensive player, usually turned perpendicular to the basket, gently throws the ball using a sweeping motion of the arm farther from the basket in an upward arc with a follow-through which ends over ...
in an official game during EuroBasket 1937. Following the final victory over
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, the famous Lithuanian tenor Kipras Petrauskas even interrupted his performance at the State Theatre to joyfully announce the triumph of the national basketball team. The crowd then rose to their feet and together sang the Lithuanian anthem. The team returned to a warm reception, with thousands gathering at a train station in a way Kriaučiūnas compared to "like we, here in America, greet the president." According to
Eugenijus Nikolskis Eugenijus Nikolskis (24 November 1917 – 26 October 1992) was a Lithuanian basketball and table tennis player. He won two gold medals with the Lithuania national basketball team during EuroBasket 1937 and EuroBasket 1939. Biography During Wor ...
, the Lithuanian national team's train was greet by Lithuanians with Lithuanian tricolor flags and banners just after crossing the
Latvia–Lithuania border The Latvia–Lithuania border is the state border between the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania. The length of the land border is with additional of sea border. It is an internal border of the European Union and the Schengen Zone ...
and were met with stops ceremonially in
Joniškis Joniškis (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Juonėškis''; ) is a city in northern Lithuania with a population of about 9,900. It is located 39 kilometers north of Šiauliai and 14 kilometers south of the Lithuania–Latvia border. Joniškis i ...
,
Šiauliai Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...
before arriving in Kaunas where tens of thousands of people gathered to welcome the champions in the Kaunas railway station and Vytauto Avenue through which the team was transported in
convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a Car, passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary across eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air drivin ...
s to the Physical Culture Palace where they were congratulated by the
Government of Lithuania The Government of Lithuania, officially the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (GRL), is the Cabinet (government), cabinet of and exercising executive power in Lithuania. Among other responsibilities, it executes laws and resolutions of the ...
and Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis and subsequently by Lithuanian President
Antanas Smetona Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual, journalist and politician. He served as the first president of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and later as the authoritarian head of state from 1926 until the Occu ...
. As a result of the success in EuroBasket 1937, basketball regained its ground in Lithuania immediately, and had its popularity rise abruptly, especially among students. Gymnasium teams from almost all
counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
competed in student games, teams were assembled in firms and basketball courts appeared all around the country. According to future player Stepas Butautas, "In every yard hoops are being made from barrels. Children, teenagers are throwing balls into them, others—even a sock crammed with clouts. Our Veršvai Primary School teacher K. Požemecka built two poles, made hoops from a willow and said: 'We will play basketball'." Future team coach
Vladas Garastas Vladas Garastas (born February 2, 1932, in Linkuva) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball coach and the former president of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation. Coaching career Before retirement, he coached the Soviet Union national t ...
added that "as kids we started using a barrel to make a hoop. We didn't have a ball, we stuffed in grass or whatever we could find". Kriaučiūnas also coached the women's national team that did well at the first European women's basketball championship, organized in
1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...
in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. With three victories in four games, the Lithuanian women finished second behind hosts
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. Lithuania was granted the right to organize the
EuroBasket 1939 The 1939 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1939, was the third FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA. Eight national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) took par ...
. In addition, the
Kaunas Sports Hall Kaunas Sports Hall (), also known as the S. Darius and S. Girėnas Hall is the second largest arena of Kaunas, Lithuania. It is the first arena built in the residential Žaliakalnis neighbourhood of Kaunas specially for basketball in Europe a ...
, Europe's first dedicated basketball arena, was built. In the competition, the team roster mostly consisted of Lithuanian Americans, with five American-born players: the returning Feliksas Kriaučiūnas (Chicago), Juozas Jurgėla (
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
),
Vytautas Budriūnas Vytautas Budriūnas (Americanized his first name as ''Walter "Whitey"'', last name as ''Budrunas'' or ''Budrun''; born December 19, 1908; died June 28, 2003) was a Lithuanian basketball player. He won gold medal at EuroBasket 1939 with Lithuan ...
(
Waukegan Waukegan ( ) is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located north of Chicago, Waukegan is a satellite city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its popu ...
),
Mykolas Ruzgys Mykolas Ruzgys (January 15, 1915 – December 15, 1986) was a Lithuanian-American basketball player. He won gold medal with Lithuania national basketball team during the EuroBasket 1939, held in Kaunas. Biography Born in the United States as Mi ...
and Pranas Lubinas ( Glendale). As a result, there were several protests from other nations. Lubinas, who was the designated player-coach, lead Lithuania to a second continental title, even scoring the
buzzer-beater In timed sports, a buzzer beater is a successful shot made as the clock expires at the end of a period or at the end of the game, leaving zero seconds remaining. A buzzer sounds whenever a game clock expires, hence the name "buzzer beater." In b ...
in the decisive game against Latvia, which warranted a 37–36 victory. After the Lithuania's victory versus Latvia 10,000 people sang the Lithuanian anthem. Immediately after the final game versus Italy the closing ceremony was held and Lithuanians were awarded with Smetona's gift – a
dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...
chest made from silver and decorated with
amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...
s. Moreover, on 8 June 1939 yet another event with 4,000 spectators was held in the Kaunas Sports Hall to pay homage to the 1939 European champions during which they were awarded with Smetona's personal gifts (nominal watches) and other institutions gifts.


Team dissolution during World War II

After two consecutive EuroBasket titles, Pranas Lubinas dreamed of leading Lithuania at the
1940 Summer Olympics The 1940 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XII Olympiad, was a planned international multi-sport event scheduled to have been held from 21 September to 6 October 1940, in Tokyo City, Japan, and later rescheduled for 20 July t ...
. Sadly, it remained only a dream as the
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
broke out one year before and the Olympics were cancelled. With
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
invading Europe and the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
occupying the Baltic states in 1940, the Lithuanian basketball players and basketball-supporting president
Antanas Smetona Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual, journalist and politician. He served as the first president of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and later as the authoritarian head of state from 1926 until the Occu ...
left for safer countries such as the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
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. Only a few of them had a chance to return to Lithuania in 1989-1990. As a consequence, none of the European champions played for the Soviet Union after the war ended. The EuroBasket 1941 was due to take place in Lithuania as well, but was cancelled due to the war. Instead, Lithuania only hosted a
Baltic states The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...
tournament organized at Kaunas Sports Hall in April 1941, beating Latvia 38–33 in front of 6000 spectators. Two months later, mass
Soviet deportations from Lithuania Soviet deportations from Lithuania were a series of 35 mass deportations carried out in Lithuania, a country that was occupied as a Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, constituent socialist republic of the Soviet Union, in 1941 and 1945–1952. ...
began. Juozas Butrimas, Siberia deportations survivor, once said: "Our whole sports club was falsely accused of participating in an anti-Soviet Lithuanian resistance organization. In Siberia, we built a regulation basketball court. Basketball allowed us to have dignity, to retain our sense of humanity. How did I survived? Basketball gave a lot. They didn't bury me there". During the rest of the war, with the Germans occupying Lithuania in November 1941 and the Soviets taking it back three years later, all the basketballers who did not escape the country went through difficult times.
Vincas Sercevičius Vincas Sercevičius (26 March 1925 – 23 December 2003) was a Lithuanian basketball player and coach. Together with Stepas Butautas, Vytautas Kulakauskas, Justinas Lagunavičius and Kazys Petkevičius, he was considered as one of the finest Li ...
, often nicknamed as the second Lubinas, had to run away from German raids in 1943. Two years later, Sercevičius was a member of the Žalgiris Kaunas who refused to purposefully lose to
CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...
, leading him and other teammates (e.g. 1939 European champion
Mindaugas Šliūpas Mindaugas Šliūpas (1919–1979) was a Lithuanian basketball player. He won a gold medal with the Lithuania men's national basketball team, Lithuania national basketball team during EuroBasket 1939. He played one game against Finland and scored ...
), along with coach
Stasys Šačkus Stasys Šačkus (September 9, 1907 – November 9, 1985) was a Lithuanian athlete and basketball player. Biography In 1928, he graduated Marijampolė Gymnasium. Later studied humanities studies at Vytautas Magnus University. Stasys actively pa ...
(1937 European champion), to end up shipped to the Vorkuta Gulag by the Soviets. Basketball was a popular sport in Soviet gulags among the Lithuanians and basketball clubs in Soviet gulags were especially actively established after the
death of Joseph Stalin Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose shor ...
in 1953. The Lithuanian basketball clubs were established in Soviet gulags which were located in Komi,
Mordovia Mordovia ( ),; Moksha language, Moksha and officially the Republic of Mordovia,; ; is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia, situated in Eastern Europe. Its capital city, capital is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of S ...
,
Kazakh SSR The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Kazakhstan, the Kazakh SSR, KSSR, or simply Kazakhstan, was one of the transcontinental constituent republics of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Located in northern Centr ...
,
Omsk Oblast Omsk Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of . Its population is 1,977,665 (Russian Census (2010), 2010 Census) with the majority, 1.12 million, ...
,
Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast (; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara River, Angara, Lena River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is ...
and were named with patriotic names such as Geležinis vilkas, Tauras (depicted in the coat of arms of Kaunas),
Pilėnai Pilėnai (also ''Pillenen'' in German) was a hill fort in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Its location is unknown and is subject to academic debates, but it is well known in the history of Lithuania due to its heroic defense against the Teutonic O ...
, Žalgiris, etc. The exact number of Lithuanian basketball clubs which were established in Soviet gulags is unknown, however there were certainly tens of them and when such clubs lacked enough Lithuanians then their teams were assembled by including
Latvians Latvians () are a Baltic ethnic group and nation native to Latvia and the immediate geographical region, the Baltics. They are occasionally also referred to as Letts, especially in older bibliography. Latvians share a common Latvian language ...
and
Estonians Estonians or Estonian people () are a Finnic ethnic group native to the Baltic Sea region in Northern Europe, primarily their nation state of Estonia. Estonians primarily speak the Estonian language, a language closely related to other Finni ...
. Moreover, it is known that frequently Lithuanian basketball players in Soviet gulags played by being exhausted from hunger and that they used to save their food rations which they subsequently shared after tournaments with others more exhausted basketball players.


Soviet period (1947–1990)

The first
Soviet Union national basketball team The Soviet Union men's national basketball team () was the national basketball team that represented the Soviet Union in international competitions. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the successor countries all set up their own ...
was formed in 1947 to participate in
EuroBasket 1947 The 1947 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1947, was the fifth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA. Fourteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) took ...
, immediately winning gold medals. The team had four Lithuanians: Stepas Butautas,
Justinas Lagunavičius Justinas Lagunavičius (4 September 1924 – 15 July 1997) was a Lithuanian basketball player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1952 Summer Olympics. He trained at VSS Žalgiris in Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Li ...
, Kazimieras Petkevičius and Vytautas Kulakauskas. According to Lithuanian President
Valdas Adamkus Valdas Adamkus (; born Voldemaras Adamkavičius; November 3, 1926) is a Lithuanian politician, diplomat and civil engineer who served as the fifth and seventh president of Lithuania from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2009. Adamku ...
, who being as a kid spectated live EuroBasket 1939, basketball for the Lithuanian youth was a symbol of Lithuania's independence, no matter what color shirts the Lithuanian basketball players sometimes had to wear. Given the Soviet Union was absent from the
1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...
, Lithuanian basketballers could only fulfill their dreams of playing on the Olympic stage at the 1952 Olympic Games, where they qualified by winning
EuroBasket 1951 The 1951 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1951, was the seventh FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Eighteen national teams affiliated with FIBA e ...
. The Soviets got a silver medal, losing only two games against the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, who had a height advantage—the shortest of their players was still taller than the highest Soviet—and would soon become the USSR's biggest rival. The team was led by Georgian player Otar Korkia (17.3 points per game), along with Lithuanians Stepas Butautas (10.6 points) and Kazimieras Petkevičius (8.1 points). Two other Lithuanians, Justinas Lagunavičius and Stanislovas Stonkus, were also in the team. The four are regarded as the first Lithuania-born Olympic basketball players. Years later,
Modestas Paulauskas Modestas Paulauskas (19 March 1945) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball coach and basketball player. As a player, he was the youngest EuroBasket MVP in history, being only 20 years old at the time he won the award. He is known for h ...
served as the Soviet Union captain starting in 1969, and would lead the USSR to an historic upset of the United States at the 1972 Olympic Games, making them the first Olympic champions other than the Americans. According to journalist and future LKL employee Arūnas Pakula, "We felt like an occupied nation. We had no weapons to use. The only opportunity to prove ourselves against the Soviets was in basketball." Despite not being able to challenge the Soviet Union on basketball court, Lithuanians still did that in another way. Basketball club Žalgiris Kaunas, established in 1944 (just a few years after the country's occupation) with a name commemorating the
Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), a ...
, became one of the main non-violent resistance ways. Games between Žalgiris and
CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...
, a military basketball team mostly formed from best Soviet Union basketball players, were ''de facto'' games between Lithuania and the Soviet Union, and led to mass rallies of sorts once Lithuanians went to receive Žalgiris' players at airports after victories. The teams from
Baltic states The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...
even tried to help each other during the Soviet tournaments, most notably in 1973. During the last round, the already qualified Žalgiris Kaunas deliberately lost to Kalev Tallinn, as admitted by Paulauskas: "We gave victory to Tallinn Kalev. That game meant nothing for us, while for Estonians it was crucial in order to avoid the fight for the survival in the highest league". During the Soviet
Era of Stagnation The "Era of Stagnation" (, or ) is a term coined by Mikhail Gorbachev in order to describe the negative way in which he viewed the economic, political, and social policies of the Soviet Union that began during the rule of Leonid Brezhnev (1964 ...
and subsequent
dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...
, the success of Lithuanian basketball provided many moments to showcase their nationalism against the Soviet dominance. The 1981 students sport games in Vilnius had the locals attending in the Lithuanian green and yellow colors to see the national youth team led by
Arvydas Sabonis Arvydas Romas Sabonis (; born 19 December 1964) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and businessman. Sabonis won the Euroscar six times and the Mr. Europa Award twice. He played in a variety of leagues, including the Spanish ...
and
Šarūnas Marčiulionis Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis (; born June 13, 1964) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. Widely considered one of the greatest international players, he was one of the first Europeans to become a regular in the National ...
defeat the Moscow squad. In the 1980s, Žalgiris defeated CSKA three times in a row for the
USSR Premier Basketball League The USSR Premier Basketball League, or Soviet Union Premier Basketball League (also called Supreme League), was the first-tier men's professional basketball league in the former Soviet Union. The league existed from 1923 to 1991, as the top prof ...
finals (1985–1987). One of their players, Sergejus Jovaiša, stated that in 1987 CSKA was even preparing a huge celebration with orchestra and flowers before the defeat. Žalgiris also won the
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
FIBA Intercontinental Cup, Intercontinental Cup in Argentina, receiving much support from the home crowd against the Yugoslavs of KK Cibona, Zagreb Cibona. Their return to Europe attracted a huge crowd, with Žalgiris captain Valdemaras Chomičius stating that in Aleksotas Airport "it seemed that the whole Kaunas gathered that early morning." In 1988, Atlanta Hawks which included its major star Dominique Wilkins became the first NBA club to visit Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuania and played friendly game with the Soviet Union national team in the Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports. Later, the Soviet Union squad became Olympic champions in the Basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics, 1988 Summer Olympics for the second and the last time, defeating 1988 United States men's Olympic basketball team, the United States, 82–76, in the semi-finals and Yugoslavia national basketball team, Yugoslavia 76–63 in the finals. The team mostly was led by four Lithuanians: Šarūnas Marčiulionis (18.1 points, 2.3 assists per game), Rimas Kurtinaitis (13.4 points, 3 rebounds), Arvydas Sabonis (13.3 points, 11.1 rebounds) and team captain Valdemaras Chomičius (7.4 points, 1.5 rebounds). Vytautas Landsbergis, the first head of state of Lithuania after its independence declaration from the Soviet Union, once said: "The majority of the team was made up of Lithuanians. So really Lithuania won that gold medal for the Soviet Union. But its name wasn't there. And that was another injustice that we had to correct". The Soviet national team failed to qualify for EuroBasket 1991 following Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, Lithuania's declaration of independence on 11 March 1990. During the 43 years where the Soviets had Lithuanian players, they managed to get with both male and female squads 17 Olympic medals (8 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze), 17 World championship medals (11 gold, 5 silver and one bronze), and 51 EuroBasket medals (36 gold, 4 silver and 11 bronze). The occupation left many painful marks in Lithuania and Lithuanians' memory. Games between Žalgiris and CSKA, as well as games between Lithuania and Russian national teams, still have extra spice in them nowadays. Singing of the Lithuanian anthem before the professional club's games in Lithuania is still a rare tradition, rarely found outside the National Basketball Association in Europe.


Notable players (men)


Notable Lithuania national basketball team members


Notable Lithuanians who never played for Lithuania national basketball team

There have been a few notable Lithuanians who never played for Lithuania national basketball team in FIBA-organized tournaments or the Olympic Games. Most of those lived in the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, who only competed independently in tournaments between the United Republics.


Notable Lithuanian descent basketball players

Due to various reasons (especially because of the World Wars) many Lithuanians left their country. As a result of this, there is a group of notable basketball players of Lithuanian descent. A few even expressed interest in playing for the Lithuanian squad.


Basketball people of Lithuanian descent (list not including players)


Lithuanians in the NBA and the WNBA

; Drafted, but never played in the NBA ; ; ; ; ;Female players at the WNBA


References


Sources

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External links

{{Basketball in Europe by country Basketball in Lithuania,