Lithuanian basketball: past, present and future
In 1891 American teacher James Naismith invented basketball. Year afteryear it became more and more popular, people played basketball in more andmore countries. In 1922 Steponas Darius brought it to Lithuania. It becamepopular so fast, as TV after World War II.Level of Lithuanian basketball was so high, that in 1935 Lithuanian teamplayed in the European championship. In 1935 championship took place inRiga (Latvia). Lithuanians were debutantes, and nobody could hope, thatdebutantes could be among leaders, but Lithuanians were! Lithuaniansweren`t champions!In 1939 the occurred in Kaunas. A new Sport Hall was built for thisoccasion, and sportsmen still play basketball in it now. Lithuanian teambecame the winner of this competition again.Women have never remained in the background of men. All time they tried tobe in the same level like men and they always do it. European championshipin 1938 was very successful and Lithuanian sportswomen won silver medals.World War II didn`t stop development of Lithuanian basketball. In the timeof the war, legendary players, champions of Europe, ran to the West, butLithuanian basketball wasn’t dead. A few students team won the first SovietUnion championship in 1947. It was the start of the history of the biggest,grandest, and greatest Lithuanian Basketball club “Zalgiris” (Green Wood).The name of this club comes from the battle in 1410, when Lithuaniansbeated the crusaders. This battle is named Grunwald in German or Zalgirisin Lithuanian.All the time, when Lithuania endured yoke of Soviet Union, Lithuanianbasketball was predominated in all Union. All the time Lithuanian playersplayed in combined teams.In 1978-1981 one of the greatest Lithuanian players’ generations startedforming. In 1982 Arvydas Sabonis came to “Zalgiris”. He started playing inprofessional team, when he was only seventeen and he is still playing now.
In 1983 the biggest fights between “Zalgiris” and CSKA from Moscow started.It was not Moscow team; it was a team of all Soviet Union. The most playerswere subjugated by the way of deception. Soviet bureaucrats wantedLithuanian players to play in Moscow team too, but Lithuanians lookedsmarterd, and they didn’t let them go.For Example, Soviets wanted Sabonis to play in CSKA. At the same day, whenSabonis finished secondary school, soviets came to school and tried to takeSabonis to the army. But Lithuanians were faster. Sabonis was alreadystudying at Kaunas high school!All time Lithuanians hadn’t ways to the Europe. Till 1984, “Žalgiris” hasnever played with the teams from the West. Only “thaw” in Soviet Union andreorganization of Mikhail Gorbachiov gave a chance for “Žalgiris”. Thesechances were unbelievable. In 1985 “Zalgiris” lost only in the final ofEuroCup and in 1986 “Zalgiris” lost to Cibona Zagreb in the final ofEuropean Cup of Champions. Competitions of Soviet Union were lucky too.Three years (1985-19870 “Zalgiris” became the champion of the Union.In 1986 “Zalgiris” got a chance to play in Jones Cup Competition. At thistime it was World Club Championship. “Zalgiris” became the winner! 200 000people waited for “Zalgiris” in Kaunas Karmelava Airport!In 1989, Sarunas Marciulionis became the first player from East Europe, whoplayed in National Basketball Association (NBA). USSR didn’t let to play inthis professional American league, but in 1989, the Soviet Union wasn’t sostrong like in 1970 or 1980, and Marciulionis broke the ice.In 1992 Lithuania has already the freedom. Lithuania played in BarcelonaOlympic Games. Nobody could understand, how a country, which is free only 2years, and which has only 3 000 000 population, can have such a goodbasketball team. Lithuanian national team won the bronze medals! Only theneverybody understood, that in all national USSR teams played manyLithuanians, when USSR won the greatest victories. For example, in the USSRteam, which won Gold in Seoul Olympic Games, four players in startcomposition were Lithuanians. Sabonis, Marciulionis, Kurtinaitis, Chomiciusand others the first big victory to free Lithuania.After “Barcelona`92” crisis took all basketball in Lithuania. The bestplayers went to the West, there were no money for sport in young and poorcountry. Only national team showed good results, when all players from theWest played. In 1996 Lithuanian team won the third place in Atlanta OlympicGames again. Stars played in the West, but they didn’t let basketball dieand helped them. Sabonis and Marciulionis built few basketball schools forchildren.Trainers in Lithuania work heavily and patiently and they did their workvery good. They raised a new generation of players, which wasn`t worse thanthe last one.In 1994 Jonas Kazlauskas came to “Zalgiris”. He was a young trainer,without big experience, but with the best wishes and great ambitions. Hewas democratic, new style trainer. He took young players and started tomake stars. He showed that basketball is a team sport and one or twoplayers can’t win match. Kazlauskas learned together with players. Resultsdidn’t come at the same time. In 1996 “Zalgiris” lost in semifinal of CupWinners Cup, in 1997 “Zalgiris” lost in 1/8 final. In 1998 “Zalgiris”surprised all the Europe. “Zalgiris” won Euro Cup! It was the first J.Kazlauskas and all “Zalgiris” triumph. In the last (1998-1999) season,“Zalgiris” started playing in EuroLeague. Nobody looked to debutante, liketo the potential competitioner. But military leader J. Kazlauskas and“Zalgiris” didn’t want to stop. There’re no stars, no big money, but fast,nice, commnadly play was the guaranty of luck. “Zalgiris” won the Cup ofEuroLeague! “Zalgiris” (see picture in file zalgiris98-99) showed thatmoney cannot win, only the team can win.Women didn’t fall. In 1997 national Lithuanian team became the Europeanchampions. Men in 1995 were “only” second.If you want to get big victories, you need some intelligence and someorganization. Lithuanians don’t complain that they feel shortage of it. Atonce after getting freedom, Lithuanians started to build nationalbasketball system. Sarunas Marciulionis was the fundamental organizer andsponsor. In 1994 Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) was founded. It wasvery important. Marciulionis played in NBA for a long time, so he knew, howto make the same in Lithuania. LKL matches are very interesting andpersistent.Sarunas Marciulionis didn`t stop, when he founded LKL. Northern EuropeanBasketball League (NEBL) was founded in 1998. NEBL is made by NBA model. In1999 took place the first Promotion Cup. In 2000 the first officialinaugural NEBL season will start. The Northern European Basketball Leaguewas founded with the cooperation of five Northern European nations:Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden. The goals of NEBL are:To be the top Northern European professional basketball league;To keep basketball as the leading sport in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania;To make basketball the leading sport in Sweden and Finland;To support all the league’s clubs and players;To create a united market & sponsorship programs for Northern Europeancountries;To attain creative support from the NBA.The NEBL will tip off its first season in 2000 with plans to expand theleague to include the top teams from Denmark, Norway and Ukraine. Russiaand Belarus have both shown interest in joining the league as it continuesto grow and could be added in later seasons.Basketball in Lithuania is very popular. The most popular TV programs arebasketball matches. Everybody in Lithuania knows what the basketball is.Young and old play basketball. Thousands celebrate victories. Lithuaniaisn’t only amber country; it’s basketball country too. Basketball is thesecond Lithuanian religion.