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BC Žalgiris

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Žalgiris Kaunas
2024–25 BC Žalgiris season
Žalgiris Kaunas logo
NicknameŽaliai balti (The Green-Whites)
LeaguesLithuanian Basketball League
EuroLeague
Founded1944; 80 years ago (1944)
ArenaŽalgiris Arena
Capacity15,415
LocationKaunas, Lithuania
Team colorsDartmouth green, white
   
PresidentPaulius Jankūnas
Team managerMindaugas Kvedaras
Head coachAndrea Trinchieri
Team captainEdgaras Ulanovas
OwnershipPaulius Jankūnas (55%)
Tom Okman (45%)[1]
Affiliation(s)Reserve team
Championships1 EuroLeague
1 Saporta Cup
1 Intercontinental Cup
5 Soviet Union Leagues
1 Soviet Union Cup
1 North European League
24 Lithuanian Leagues
7 King Mindaugas Cups
5 Lithuanian Cups
5 Baltic Leagues
9 Lithuanian SSR Championships
Retired numbers3 (5, 11, 13)
Websitewww.zalgiris.lt

Basketball Club Žalgiris (Lithuanian: Krepšinio klubas Žalgiris) commonly known as BC Žalgiris, is a professional basketball club based in Kaunas, Lithuania. They compete domestically in the Lithuanian Basketball League (Lietuvos krepšinio lyga) and internationally as a long-term licensed EuroLeague team. Since the 2011–12 season, Žalgiris has played its home games in Žalgiris Arena in the New Town district of Kaunas.

Žalgiris is the most decorated basketball club in the country, having won 24 Lithuanian Basketball League championships, five Soviet Union National League championships (the second most behind CSKA Moscow), and one EuroLeague championship. Many Lithuanian basketball legends have played for Žalgiris throughout the club's history, including Arvydas Sabonis, Modestas Paulauskas, and Šarūnas Jasikevičius. Eight of the fifteen Lithuanian basketball players to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) have played for Žalgiris or were part of the Žalgiris youth program at one point in their careers (Arvydas Sabonis, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Donatas Motiejūnas, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Darius Songaila, Martynas Andriuškevičius, Arnoldas Kulboka, and Ignas Brazdeikis).

The club's name commemorates the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War's Battle of Žalgiris, also known as the Battle of Grunwald, in which the joint forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland defeated the Teutonic Order in one of medieval Europe's largest battles. Žalgiris and Grunwald translate to "green wood" in Lithuanian and German, respectively.

History

[edit]

1944–1970: Early success

[edit]
BC Žalgiris, the champions of the USSR Premier League in 1951

BC Žalgiris was formed in 1944.[2] The team was named ASK from 1945 to 1947, after which it was named SKIF from 1947 to 1949. Beginning in 1950, the team was renamed Žalgiris. The team quickly rose to prominence, winning the Soviet Union's top-tier USSR Premier Basketball League twice, in 1947 and 1951,[3] as well as multiple domestic Lithuanian championships. In the following years, the team won two silver medals in the USSR league in 1949 and 1952, and four bronze medals from 1953 to 1956. Žalgiris also won the USSR Basketball Cup in 1953. The team at the time was led by Stepas Butautas, Vytautas Kulakauskas, Justinas Lagunavičius, Kazimieras Petkevičius, and later, by Stasys Stonkus and Algirdas Lauritėnas. In the 1960s, the team's play declined, and many new young players joined the team, such as Modestas Paulauskas, Romualdas Venzbergas, Henrikas Giedraitis, Algirdas Linkevičius and Sergejus Jovaiša.

1970–1990: Among the elite in the USSR

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Žalgiris became the dominant club in the Soviet Union and Europe when they added Valdemaras Chomičius and Rimas Kurtinaitis to their roster, along with coach Vladas Garastas. The team won bronze medals in the Soviet Union championship in 1971, 1973, and 1978.[4] In 1980, Žalgiris debuted in the 1980–81 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup. Their biggest addition, though, was 17-year-old Arvydas Sabonis, who debuted with the club in 1981 at 209 centimetres (82 in) and grew another 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in the next couple years. Sabonis soon became known for his versatility, being able to play defense, assist his teammates, shoot three-pointers, and dominate inside the paint.

From 1985 to 1987, Žalgiris won three consecutive Soviet Union National League championships, beating CSKA Moscow (English: Central Sports Club of Army) in the finals in all three years.[5] In 1985, they reached the Saporta Cup final, but lost to FC Barcelona. Despite the loss, Žalgiris participated in EuroLeague the next year as the Soviet Union champions, reaching the finals and losing to rival KK Cibona. Žalgiris was emerging as one of the top clubs in Europe at the time.

In the mid-1980s, the rivalry between Žalgiris Kaunas and CSKA Moscow served as a major inspiration for the Lithuanian national revival, especially when they played in Kaunas Sports Hall. It contributed to the emergence of the Sąjūdis national movement and the re-establishment of state independence.[6] In 1987, however, Žalgiris suffered a setback when star player Sabonis suffered a torn achilles tendon. Three months later, he tore it again, causing him to miss most of the 1987–88 season.[7] That season, Žalgiris won a silver medal, losing to CSKA Moscow in the Soviet League finals. The next season, Žalgiris managed to reach the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals and won a silver medal in the Soviet league, losing a dramatic finals to Stroitel Kiev.

Just before the start of the 1989–90 season, Žalgiris lost Sabonis, Kurtinaitis, Jovaiša, Chomičius, and head coach Garastas, as the Iron Curtain, which had barred Lithuanian basketball talent from becoming internationally sought-after, had been lifted.[8] In the 1989–90 season, Žalgiris reached the Clubs Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals, where they lost to Real Madrid.

1990–1999: Domination in the Lithuanian Basketball League and reaching the top of the EuroLeague

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Active departments of BC Žalgiris
Basketball Basketball B Football
Futsal pictogram
Football B Futsal

After the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, Žalgiris left the USSR championship. Over the next few seasons, Žalgiris won Lithuanian championships in 1991, 1992, and 1993, and the LKF Cup in 1990. They won their first LKL title in 1994, beating Atletas Kaunas 3–1 in a four-game series. Over the following two years, Žalgiris again dominated LKL tournaments, beating Atletas Kaunas 3–0 in 1995 and 3–2 (after being down 0–2 in the series) in 1996, and had success participating in the 1995–96 FIBA European Cup when Rimas Kurtinaitis returned to play for his home team. In 1997, Žalgiris again won the LKL championship, beating Žemaitijos Olimpas 3–0 in the finals, and reaching round 16 in the Saporta Cup, losing to Paris Basket Racing. Players such as Darius Lukminas, Gintaras Einikis, Kęstutis Šeštokas, Dainius Adomaitis, and Darius Maskoliūnas played for the club during this period, coached by Jonas Kazlauskas.

Jonas Kazlauskas, coach of the 1998–99 EuroLeague champions.

Žalgiris enjoyed its greatest success as a club during the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons. They were coached by Jonas Kazlauskas with a new generation of Lithuanian talent, including Saulius Štombergas, Dainius Adomaitis, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Tomas Masiulis, and Mindaugas Žukauskas, and experienced foreign players Franjo Arapović and Ennis Whatley. The team defeated Stefanel Milano 82–67 in the 1998 FIBA Saporta Cup final in Belgrade. Saulius Štombergas scored 35 points in the final. Žalgiris also won a fifth-consecutive LKL title, this time against Atletas Kaunas.

In the 1998–99 season, Žalgiris made it to the EuroLeague Final Four for the first time in the club's history, and were crowned champions after defeating Olympiacos and Kinder Bologna in the semi-final and the final, respectively. Tyus Edney was named EuroLeague Final Four MVP. Žalgiris also won LKL and North European Basketball League (NEBL) titles that season.

1999–2004

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The year after winning the EuroLeague, Žalgiris suffered one of its worst seasons. The club was eliminated after the group stage in the EuroLeague, finishing third in the NEBL and losing the LKL finals to Lietuvos Rytas for the first time.[9] In the 2000–01 season, the team reached the new EuroLeague playoffs, but lost to AEK. Žalgiris won the LKL championship, beating Lietuvos Rytas 3–2. The 2001–02 season was again disappointing, as the team was eliminated in the EuroLeague after the group stage and lost the LKL championship. In the 2002–03 season, they were again eliminated in the EuroLeague playoffs, but achieved the LKL championship, beating Lietuvos Rytas 4–2.

Sabonis became the principal owner of the club in 2003, after playing for many years in the Spanish ACB League and the North American National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played for the club during the 2003–04 season,[10] winning EuroLeague Regular Season and Top 16 MVP. Žalgiris almost made it to the EuroLeague Final Four, but were stopped by Maccabi Tel Aviv, who tied the game with Derrick Sharp's last-second three-pointer at the end of regulation and went on to beat Žalgiris in overtime.[11] The season ended on a high note, as Žalgiris swept Lietuvos Rytas 4–0 in the LKL championship.

2004–2009: Post-Sabonis era

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After the departure of Sabonis at the conclusion of the 2003–04 season, Žalgiris faced a series of ups and downs.[12] In the 2004–05 season, mainstays Tanoka Beard, Mindaugas Timinskas, Dainius Šalenga, and new addition Robert Pack enabled Žalgiris to have a respectable season.[13] In the EuroLeague, Žalgiris finished the regular season with an 8–6 record, including wins on the road against heavy favorites Maccabi Tel Aviv and FC Barcelona. However, in the Top 16 phase, the team entered a long slump and finished with an 0–6 record.[14] Žalgiris recovered on the domestic front, easily defeating ULEB Cup winner Lietuvos Rytas in the LKL finals with a 4–0 sweep, and also won the inaugural Baltic Basketball League (BBL) championship, beating Lietuvos Rytas in the finals 64–60.[15][16]

Dainius Šalenga dedicated most of his career for Žalgiris

In the 2005–06 season, the team suffered many changes. Mindaugas Timinskas, Dainius Šalenga, and Robert Pack all departed the team, so Žalgiris built a younger team while signing Ed Cota to return. With the emergence of Darjuš Lavrinovič, Žalgiris started the season solidly, finishing the EuroLeague regular season with a 9–5 record.[17] Off-court, Žalgiris had many issues, resulting in a huge slump for the team. They ended the top-16 phase with another 0–6 record and lost both the LKL and BBL titles to Lietuvos Rytas.[18][19] The lone bright spot became the play of emerging point guard Mantas Kalnietis, who was signed both as a replacement for the released Cota and due to very poor play from new point guard and longtime NBA player Kenny Anderson.[20][21][22]

DeJuan Collins, one of the team's leaders in the 2007–08 season.

Žalgiris had a new coach for the 2006–07 season, Ainars Bagatskis, but suffered a terrible EuroLeague regular season. After Ainars Bagatskis was replaced by assistant coach Rimantas Grigas and the signing of new point guard DeJuan Collins, Žalgiris won the newly established LKF Cup by beating Lietuvos Rytas. Žalgiris also beat Lietuvos Rytas in the LKL finals.

Before the 2007–08 season, Žalgiris signed longtime EuroLeague player Marcus Brown. Žalgiris also played against NBA teams for the first time. The team had a successful regular season in the EuroLeague, finishing with an 8–6 record, but suffered another disappointment in the top 16, finishing with a 1–5 record. Žalgiris also won the LKF Cup for the second consecutive year, beating Lietuvos Rytas 83–72 in the finals.[citation needed] In the BBL finals, Žalgiris defeated Lietuvos Rytas 86–84 in the finals on a last-second shot by Collins. Žalgiris retained the LKL title, beating Lietuvos Rytas 4–1 in the LKL finals in which Brown was named MVP.

The 2008–09 season started on a very high note, with contract extensions for Jonas Mačiulis and Loren Woods, retaining leader Marcus Brown, and the signing of new point guard Willie Deane, who replaced the departed DeJuan Collins.[23] However, financial difficulties lead to poor play from the team and the firing of coach Grigas, who was replaced by longtime player and assistant coach Gintaras Krapikas.[24] Willie Deane was soon released, in large part due to his poor performance in the EuroLeague, which led to a seven-game losing streak.[25] The team recovered under point guard Mantas Kalnietis, and finished the EuroLeague regular season with a 2–8 record, missing the top 16.[26] Despite growing financial difficulties, and the departure of Loren Woods, the team made the LKL and BBL finals, as well as the LKF Cup finals.[27] Despite this, this was the most Žalgiris could accomplish, as they lost to Lietuvos Rytas.[28][29] Jonas Mačiulis, who became the team leader during the season, left after the season ended.[30]

2009–2013: Vladimir Romanov era

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Vladimir Romanov, the team's owner from 2009 to 2013.

During the 2008–09 season, Žalgiris faced significant financial difficulties. In 2009, Sabonis sold most of his stake to the local Ūkio banko investment group (ŪBIG), headed by Vladimir Romanov, who ended up controlling a 75% stake in the club. Sabonis retained 21.5% ownership of the club, 3% was owned by a minority group, and 0.5% was owned by the Kaunas municipality.[31]

In the 2009–10 season, Romanov became unpopular among Žalgiris fans. After the departures of Jonas Mačiulis and Paulius Jankūnas, the team extended the contract of Marcus Brown and also signed Martynas Pocius, who quickly became one of the best players on the team.[32] The team also re-signed point guard Mantas Kalnietis, who turned down an offer from Benetton Treviso.[33][34] The team started the season by winning the new BBL Cup against Lietuvos Rytas. However, subsequent poor performances led to head coach Krapikas being replaced by former Lithuanian national team coach Ramūnas Butautas, who led the team to the EuroLeague Top-16 phase with a 3–7 regular season record. After the team entered a slump, Romanov controversially fired Butautas, replacing him with assistant coach and former captain Darius Maskoliūnas. Under Maskoliūnas, Žalgiris came its closest to the EuroLeague Top-8 phase, finishing with a 2–4 record.[35] Žalgiris won back the BBL title by beating Lietuvos Rytas in the finals, but lost the LKL finals to Rytas by 4–3. Romanov fired coach Maskoliūnas during this series, leading to speculation that Romanov had intentionally lost the finals to allow Lietuvos Rytas to qualify for the EuroLeague season. The season is widely considered the most controversial in club history.[36][37]

Before the 2010–11 season, Žalgiris re-signed Paulius Jankūnas and DeJuan Collins, signed Tomas Delininkaitis, and brought in Serbian coach Aleksandar Petrović as the new head coach. The season began with Žalgiris playing very strongly, but after a slump, Romanov fired Petrović. They qualified for the Top-16 phase only in the final games, with a 5–5 record. After a controversial departure from center Mirza Begić,[citation needed] the slump continued under new coach Ilias Zouros, with a 1–5 record in the Top-16 phase. However, after the recovery of Marcus Brown (who was injured for most of the season), Žalgiris won back the LKF Cup from Lietuvos Rytas and defeated VEF Riga in the BBL finals. In the LKL finals, Žalgiris easily defeated Lietuvos Rytas 4–1, regaining the LKL title for the first time since 2008.[citation needed]

Due to the NBA lockout that impacted the 2011–12 season, Žalgiris signed former Toronto Raptors wing Sonny Weems and former Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson.[38][39] The team also re-signed long time fan-favorite Marko Popović.[40] and signed longtime Lietuvos Rytas player and former Lithuanian National team captain Robertas Javtokas as center. However, the season started very poorly for Žalgiris. Hoping to end the slump, Romanov fired coach Ilias Zouros and replaced him with former Lietuvos Rytas head coach Aleksandar Trifunović.[41][42] Despite initial improvement, as the team finishing the EuroLeague regular season with a 4–6 record and a trip to the Top 16, the slump continued and the team's EuroLeague season ended quickly.[43] After Ty Lawson left the team, Mantas Kalnietis became a true leader for Žalgiris and played his best season yet.[44] The team slowly recovered, winning the LKF Cup.[45] After being eliminated in the VTB playoffs, Žalgiris made the BBL Final Four, winning against Lietuvos Rytas in the finals despite losing leader Sonny Weems (who was released due to injury) and DeJuan Collins (who was released due to failing a drug test).[46][47] With very solid play from Marko Popovič and Tomas Delininkaitis, Žalgiris retained the LKL title, defeating Lietuvos Rytas in the finals 4–1.[48] The club had achieved a second consecutive "triple crown" of Lithuanian League, Lithuanian Cup, and Baltic Cup.[49]

Rimantas Kaukėnas, one of the best players from the 2012–13 season.

For the 2012–13 season, Žalgiris signed Lithuanian national team players Rimantas Kaukėnas, Darjuš Lavrinovič, and Kšyštof Lavrinovič; Unicaja Malaga star Tremmell Darden; and point guard Oliver Lafayette.[50][51][52] The season began with Žalgiris winning the newly established LKF SuperCup against Lietuvos Rytas. Early in the season, Mantas Kalnietis left the team and was replaced by Ibrahim Jaaber. Under new coach Joan Plaza, Žalgiris had their best EuroLeague start with five consecutive wins. They finished at the top of their group for the first time in 13 years, with an 8–2 record. In their 76–66 home victory against CSKA Moscow, Žalgiris broke their attendance record, with 15,812 spectators.[53] In January 2013, Jaaber departed from the team for personal reasons and was replaced by Donnie McGrath in February. In the coming months, financial troubles returned to the club, which led to the departure of Darden. The crisis coincided with the ongoing collapse of Ūkio Bankas. The bank's main shareholder Vladimir Romanov, who also owned the majority of shares of Žalgiris and was the club's president, abruptly left the country and flew to Russia in early March 2013, abandoning his stake in the club. On 20 March 2013, vice president Paulius Motiejūnas was named the team director. Despite the financial and management struggles, Žalgiris finished the Top-16 phase with a 6–8 record, the best in club history, but narrowly missed the playoffs. Žalgiris also won the group phase in the VTB United League. In May, Žalgiris won their third straight LKL title, sweeping Lietuvos Rytas 4–0 in the finals.[54] After winning the LKL title, Žalgiris competed in the VTB United League playoffs, defeating Nizhny Novgorod in the quarterfinals but losing to Lokomotiv Kuban in the semi-finals. Despite the loss, Žalgiris was awarded the bronze medal for the first time since 2010.[55]

2013–2016: A new direction

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Justin Dentmon, leader of the team for the 2013–14 season
Artūras Milaknis was one of the finest three-point specialists in Europe during the 2014–15 season.

After the loss of team owner Vladimir Romanov and the departure of head coach Joan Plaza, Žalgiris rehired Ilias Zouros as head coach for the 2013–14 season. Žalgiris left the VTB United League because of the changes in the EuroLeague format that meant that the teams who did not qualify for the Top 16 would have a chance to play in the EuroCup playoffs.

Žalgiris signed Justin Dentmon[56] and Šarūnas Jasikevičius to one-year deals.[57] After a poor start to the season, Zouros was fired as head coach and replaced by Saulius Štombergas.[58][59] Žalgiris made the Top 16 for the fifth consecutive time (with a 5–5 record). However, Žalgiris began to struggle in the LKL. The Top 16 proved to be difficult, with Žalgiris losing many games by 5 points or less (a 2–12 record overall).[60] After a few losses in the LKF Cup and the LKL, Štombergas resigned and was replaced by Gintaras Krapikas as interim head coach.[61] In the last week of Top-16 play at home, Žalgiris beat Spanish champions Real Madrid. Justin Dentmon scored 36 points in that game, the most by a Žalgiris player in modern EuroLeague,[62] and Dentmon also made 74 three-pointers during the season (a EuroLeague record since 2000).[63]

After a loss to Lietuvos Rytas in the final LKL regular season game, Žalgiris entered the playoffs as the fourth seed, the worst in club history. They faced Lietuvos Rytas again in the semi-finals, the first time in 15 years that they did not meet in the final round. Žalgiris advanced to the finals against Neptūnas Klaipėda, taking the series 4–2 and winning their fourth consecutive LKL championship.[64]

During the 2014–15 preseason, Žalgiris made significant changes to the squad, replacing Justin Dentmon with Maalik Wayns, who was in turn replaced by Will Cherry.[65] Žalgiris also signed Darius Songaila from rival Lietuvos Rytas and James Anderson from the NBA.[66][67] Šarūnas Jasikevičius retired and became an assistant coach, and more young players were brought to the team.[68] Young point guard Lukas Lekavičius was the main bright spot as the team began LKL play. In the EuroLeague, a 5–5 record sent Žalgiris to the top 16 phase where the team finished with a 5–9 record.[69] In February, Žalgiris won the LKF Cup for the first time in three years.[70] Žalgiris finished the LKL regular season in dominating fashion, with 12 straight wins,[71] and they defeated Lietuvos Rytas in the finals. This win was the club's fifth consecutive LKL title and their 17th overall.[72]

Žalgiris had a total of seven players who competed in EuroBasket 2015.[73] They finished the off-season by signing Ian Vougioukas at center.[74] Žalgiris finished the 2015–16 EuroLeague regular season with a 5–5 record and qualified for the Top-16 phase for the seventh consecutive season.[75] After a poor start to the Top 16, head coach Krapikas was replaced by Šarūnas Jasikevičius, but injuries to Javtokas and the departure of Kalnietis led the team to a huge slump and a loss to Lietuvos Rytas in the King Mindaugas Cup final.[76] After strong criticism of the team management for not finding a center to replace Javtokas, Žalgiris signed new point guard Jerome Randle.[77] While the EuroLeague season ended with a 2–12 record, a hugely disappointing result, the team later recovered by finishing in 1st place in the LKL regular season over King Mindaugas Cup winner Lietuvos Rytas.[78] Žalgiris defeated Neptūnas Klaipėda in the LKL finals, winning their sixth consecutive LKL title with a 4–1 record.[79]

2016–present: New EuroLeague format

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Šarūnas Jasikevičius, one of the all-time greatest Lithuanian basketball players, started coaching Žalgiris in 2016.

In November 2015, the ongoing conflict between FIBA and Euroleague came to a head when FIBA announced the formation of the Basketball Champions League, and courted EuroLeague teams to join their new championship. However, EuroLeague's long-term-license teams, such as Žalgiris, decided to stay with the Euroleague Basketball Company.[80]

2016–17

[edit]
Edgaras Ulanovas won five LKL Finals MVP titles from 2015 to 2020.

Žalgiris's preparation for the 2016–17 season began during the 2016 LKL finals, when the club signed point guard Léo Westermann to replace the departing Jerome Randle.[81] After the season, long-time Žalgiris players Siim-Sander Vene and Kaspars Vecvagars left the team, while Žalgiris chose to retain the services of Seibutis and Motum.[82][83] Head coach Jasikevičius was pursued by FC Barcelona Lassa, but decided to remain with Žalgiris.[84] To correct the previous season's lack of a good shooter, Žalgiris signed Kevin Pangos; the team was loaned Augusto Lima from Real Madrid to replace Vougioukas at center.[85][86] Žalgiris also signed the returning Artūras Milaknis to a 3-year deal.[87] German prospect Isaiah Hartenstein was scheduled to make his professional debut after being signed the previous season. In August, Žalgiris signed Antanas Kavaliauskas, the captain of Lietuvos Rytas who had previously promised to never play for Žalgiris; Kavaliauskas apologized to fans after the signing was announced.[88]

In February, Žalgiris won their first title of the 2016–17 season, winning the King Mindaugas Cup by defeating Lietkabelis Panevėžys in the finals 84–63.[89] Edgaras Ulanovas was named tournament MVP.[90] In the EuroLeague, Žalgiris exceeded expectations with a 10th-place finish (14–16 record), getting a win against defending champion CSKA Moscow and finishing ahead of FC Barcelona Lassa and Maccabi Tel Aviv.[91] Players Brock Motum, Léo Westermann, Edgaras Ulanovas, and Lukas Lekavičius developed strongly, and team captain Paulius Jankūnas played one of his best seasons of his career, leading the team in scoring and rebounding.[92] In the LKL, Žalgiris won the regular season with only a few losses, sweeping their rival Lietuvos Rytas, with the toughest challenge coming from a powerful Lietkabelis squad that contained former Žalgiris players Darjuš and Kšyštof Lavrinovič. In the LKL playoffs, Žalgiris easily advanced to the finals,[93][94] defeating Lietkabelis for their seventh straight LKL championship, 4–1.[95]

2017–18

[edit]

Prior the 2017–18 season, Žalgiris reached an agreement with club sponsor Avia Solutions Group to guarantee private flights for the team during away games in a refurbished business-class Boeing 737.[96][97][98][99] The off-season work began just a week after winning the LKL championship, when breakout player Brock Motum signed with Anadolu Efes S.K.[100] To replace Motum, Žalgiris signed Aaron White, who had played a season with Zenit Saint Petersburg.[101] Léo Westerman signed with CSKA Moscow, and was replaced by talented guard Vasilije Micić.[102][103] To replace Seibutis, Žalgiris originally signed Royce O'Neale, who terminated his deal just weeks later to sign with the Utah Jazz.[104] Žalgiris then signed Axel Toupane to replace him.[105] Because center Robertas Javtokas announced retirement and the loan of Augusto Lima ended, Žalgiris signed Brandon Davies of AS Monaco Basket at the center position.[106][107][108] The most-shocking departure came at the end of June, when breakout point guard Lukas Lekavičius signed a contract with Panathinaikos.[109] Needing a new point guard, Žalgiris signed Dee Bost, also of AS Monaco.[110] Coach Jasikevičius also re-signed with Žalgiris, and the retired Javtokas became the new sports director of the team.[111][112] On September 22, Žalgiris played a game in London against Polski Cukier Toruń, which Žalgiris won 87–61. Žalgiris won the King Mindaugas Cup for the second consecutive year, defeating Lietuvos rytas 81–62 in the finals. Edgaras Ulanovas won the tournament MVP for the second straight year.

From 2017 to 2019, Brandon Davies was Žalgiris's central piece and led the team to their first EuroLeague Final Four since 1998–99.

In the 2017–18 EuroLeague, Žalgiris was again projected to be one of the worst teams. Žalgiris struggled in the early season before putting together a five-game streak to finish the first round 10–5, tied for third place in the standings. In the second round, Dee Bost was replaced by Beno Udrih. Žalgiris struggled for the first few weeks of the second round, but fought its way to an 18–12 record (sixth place) and qualification for the EuroLeague playoffs for the first time since 2001. The team qualified for the 2018 EuroLeague Final Four after beating Olympiacos in game 4 to clinch a 3–1 series win.[113] The team achieved this despite having the second-lowest budget in the league.[114] Žalgiris lost to Fenerbahçe in the semifinals, 76–67. In the third-place game, Žalgiris faced longtime rivals CSKA Moscow; Žalgiris led by as much as 24 points, but CSKA's late-game rally made it so Žalgiris only narrowly won 79–77, achieving third place in the EuroLeague. In the LKL, Žalgiris won the regular season and beat Lietuvos Rytas in the finals with a 4–1 record, earning their eighth consecutive LKL championship. This was the club's best season since 1999.[115]

After a near-perfect season, the off-season was difficult. Žalgiris lost its front court as Pangos went to FC Barcelona Lassa and Micič signed with Efes. Žalgiris signed Nate Wolters as the team's new point guard. After the departure of Beno Udrih, Žalgiris signed Donatas Sabeckis from Šiauliai, who lead the LKL in assists. Toupane left the team to sign with Olympiacos; to replace him, Žalgiris signed former-teammate Marius Grigonis, who was having a successful career abroad, to a multi-year deal. They also signed talented guard/forward Thomas Walkup. To replace reserve Martynas Sajus, Žalgiris signed Laurynas Birutis, who was loaned to and had a successful season with Šiauliai. Several more reserves, Paulius Valinskas and Gytis Masiulis, were loaned to other LKL teams so that they could gain more playing time. Ulanovas also signed a new contract. Like the previous season, the biggest concern was the future of coach Jasikevičius. Despite offers from other EuroLeague teams and the Toronto Raptors, Jasikevičius remained with Žalgiris, signing a new contract. Former player Tomas Masiulis replaced Darius Songaila in the coaching staff. In September, Žalgiris signed the returning Léo Westermann to fill the point guard spot.

2018–19

[edit]

In the 2018–19 LKL season, Žalgiris finished the regular season in first place, and swept the series finals against Rytas, winning the series 3–0, for a ninth consecutive LKL championship.[116] However, Žalgiris struggled at the start of the 2018–19 EuroLeague season.[117] Needing another point guard, Žalgiris signed Derrick Walton in October. By December, Žalgiris was in sixth place with a 7–7 record. However, injuries decimated the team. Walton's disappointing play led to decreasing playing time and a release in February 2019. Later in February, Žalgiris suffered a loss in the King Mindaugas Cup to Rytas Vilnius, losing the tournament for the first time since 2016.[118] By the start of March, Žalgiris was 13th in the EuroLeague with a 9–15 record.[117] The team's play started to improve when Walkup was pushed to the point guard position to replace Walton, Westermann returned after being injured, and improving play by Thompson led to a six-game winning streak. Their 15–15 record clinched the final spot in the playoffs.[117] In the EuroLeague playoffs, Žalgiris lost to Fenerbahçe.[117] Žalgiris broke the EuroLeague's home attendance record with an average of 14,808 spectators in the Žalgiris Arena.

2019–20

[edit]
Lukas Lekavičius, who returned to Žalgiris in 2019.

During the off-season, many players (including Westermann and Thompson) announced their retirement. Lukas Lekavičius returned to the team after two seasons in Greece, and Alex Pérez was signed to replace Westermann. Jock Landale and Zach LeDay, of Olympiacos, were signed to complete the front court. Martinas Geben, who had signed a long-term deal the previous summer, earned a spot on the roster after a successful season with Juventus Utena in the LKL, where he was named Season MVP. Coach Jasikevičius remained with the team for one more season. Pérez, however, spent just a few months with Žalgiris, and was released in November due to his weak play. Žalgiris also signed shooting-guard K. C. Rivers in November.

Žalgiris won the King Mindaugas Cup by beating Rytas Vilnius 80–60 in the finals.[116] Ulanovas was named the MVP of the tournament, his fourth MVP award in Lithuanian Cup competitions. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the 2019–20 LKL season was ended prematurely, and with Žalgiris firmly leading the standings, Žalgiris was announced as champions, their 10th consecutive LKL championship.[116] In the 2019–20 EuroLeague, Žalgiris struggled for most of the season, including plummeting to the bottom of the standings, but recovered by February 2020.[119] With the EuroLeague season stopped due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Žalgiris finished in ninth place.[119]

2020–21

[edit]

With the season ending prematurely due to the COVID-19 situation, Žalgiris started their off-season work early. LeDay, Landale, Ulanovas, and Rivers all left the team during the summer, but the biggest departure was of coach Jasikevičius, who left Žalgiris (along with the rest of the coaching staff) and signed with FC Barcelona in July. On July 14, Žalgiris announced the signing of Martin Schiller as the team's new head coach. Schiller had previously worked with the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League, and had been named the NBA G League Coach of the Year in 2020. Schiller brought in Arne Woltmann and Tautvydas Sabonis as his assistant coaches, with Evaldas Beržininkaitis being the only person remaining on the team from Jasikevičius's old staff. Žalgiris brought in a bevy of new players, but the most surprising signing happened in June when Žalgiris bought out Marek Blaževič, a talented prospect, out of rival squad Rytas Vilnius.

While the expectations for the upcoming season were not promising under Schiller, Žalgiris surprised everyone and stayed in the playoff hunt throughout the 2020–21 EuroLeague season. Despite eventually not making the playoffs, Žalgiris finished the EuroLeague season with a respectable 17–17 record.[120] They won the King Mindaugas Cup and their 11th consecutive LKL final by beating Rytas 3–0.[116]

2021–22

[edit]

In 2021, Žalgiris signed Tyler Cavanaugh, Niels Giffey, Mantas Kalnietis, Josh Nebo, Edgaras Ulanovas, Jānis Strēlnieks, and Emmanuel Mudiay. They also extended their contract with Lukas Lekavičius. Žalgiris lost all five LKL preseason games, playing seemingly worse each game. Žalgiris had a difficult start in the 2021 LKL regular season—while they won all three games, they struggled even against the weakest of teams. After a 0–2 start in the EuroLeague, Žalgiris fired coach Martin Schiller, replacing him with Jure Zdovc.[121] Injuries to players such as Lauvergne and Strelnieks, struggles in the LKL, and disappointing play from projected leaders such as Mudiay resulted in the worst start ever (0–9) for Žalgiris in the Euroleague.[121] In the LKL, a loss to BC Rytas resulted in Žalgiris falling out of first place.[116]

Žalgiris released Mudiay in November, replacing him with point guard Tai Webster, and signed shooting guard Zoran Dragić. The moves backfired—Webster struggled even in the LKL, while Dragič rarely saw playing time and was released by the end of the year.[121][116] New signees such as Regimantas Miniotas also saw limited playing time.[121][116] Losses in the Euroleague resulted in Žalgiris attendance falling to record lows. By February, Žalgiris was in last place with a disastrous 4–20 record,[121] but recovered by March 2022, including memorable wins over the Jasikevičius-lead FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, future participants of the Euroleague Final Four, in particular thanks to the return of Joffrey Lauvergne from injury. Žalgiris also won the 2022 King Mindaugas Cup, beating BC Lietkabelis 91–66 in the finals.[116]

Žalgiris was the first team to refuse to play against Russian teams in the EuroLeague (CSKA Moscow, Kazan Unics, and Zenit St. Petersburg) due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, even gaining criticism in the Russian press for being one of the reasons Russian teams got disqualified. They finished the EuroLeague season with a memorable 103–98 win against KK Crvena zvezda.[121] Žalgiris finished the EuroLeague season with an 8–20 record, above the disqualified CSKA, UNICS, and Zenit, but still in last place of the eligible teams—their worst EuroLeague finish since the 2015–16 season.[121]

Kazys Maksvytis, who started coaching Žalgiris in 2022.

By the start of April, disappointment returned to Žalgiris. Struggles in the LKL resulted in Žalgiris once again falling behind Rytas in the standings, and they ended up finishing behind Rytas in the standings for the first time since the 2013–14 season.[116] Žalgiris replaced Zdovc later in the month, signing Lithuanian national basketball team coach Kazys Maksvytis as their new head coach.[116] The struggles continued under Maksvytis, who failed to find a good lineup or rotation with the existing roster.[116]

In the LKL playoffs, the struggles became even more evident. Žalgiris needed all five games to beat BC Neptūnas in the quarterfinals, narrowly winning the series 3–2.[116] Žalgiris won the first semifinal game against BC Lietkabelis, before losing the next three games – Lietkabelis won the series 3–1. Žalgiris had failed to qualify to the LKL finals for the first time ever, ending their 11-year domination of the LKL and finishing the 2021–22 season with the biggest fiasco in team history.[122][116] Žalgiris finished the season by winning the LKL bronze medal, beating BC Šiauliai in the consolation round in a 4–0 sweep.[116] To add insult to injury, Rytas went on to win the LKL championship. Jankūnas retired after the season and became the sports director of Žalgiris.

2022-2023

[edit]

After the disastrous 2021–2022 season, Žalgiris overwent a radical overhaul from the previous season. Coach Maksvytis had signed a long-term deal before the absolutely catastrophic ending in the LKL. Webster, Nebo, Blaževič, Miniotas, Milaknis, Strelnieks, Giffey, and Lauvergne all left the team during the summer. Former team captain Paulius Jankūnas remained, as a sporting director, assisting director Paulius Motiejūnas. Only a handful of players, among the key ones Lekavičius and Ulanovas, named team captain after Jankūnas and who signed long-term extensions, remained with the team. One of the biggest problems of the previous season was settled when Žalgiris signed Keenan Evans as the new point guard for the team. Kevarrius Hayes and former Žalgiris player Laurynas Birutis were signed to replace Lauvergne and Nebo as centers, Rolands Šmits was signed as a replacement for Jankūnas. Tomas Dimša, who had signed with Žalgiris as early as 2020, returned to the team. Dovydas Giedraitis, who played an incredible season with BC Lietkabelis, and who was one of the main reasons Lietkabelis beat Žalgiris the previous season, was bought out of his contract in Spain, where he was signed to Estudiantes Madrid, and was loaned to Lietkabelis by his team, and signed a long-term contract with Žalgiris. However, the biggest signings for Žalgiris, for the summer, were Arnas Butkevičius, Rytas captain and one of the most important parts of the Rytas 2022 LKL championship winning team, and Ignas Brazdeikis – former NBA player, standout in college, and who returned to play in Lithuania, both on the national team and for Žalgiris – for the first time since moving to Canada at a young age. Despite solid additions, the awful performances of the previous season haunted the team; while Žalgiris became an instant favorite to regain the LKL crown, in the Euroleague, the team was not even considered to be anywhere near playoff contention, with many experts predicting last place for Žalgiris in the Euroleague.

Despite this, and the fact that head coach Kazys Maksvytis had only a brief experience in the Euroleague (as head coach for Neptūnas Klaipėda in the 2014-2015 season), Žalgiris shocked the Euroleague; led by Evans, Žalgiris fought nearly every team, at home or away, to the deciding seconds, winning most of the matches. Keenan Evans dominated with incredible performances. In December, however, Evans suffered a season-ending achilles tendon injury; at this point, Žalgiris was 9-8 in the first round of the Euroleague, in playoff contention. While many believed this to be the end of Žalgiris's good run in the Euroleague, Žalgiris recovered – signing Isaiah Taylor, as the new point guard to replace Evans, and Achille Polonara, both from Efes – before the second round. Brazdeikis, who finally adjusted to the European game after a difficult first half of the season, became team leader, with Ulanovas, Šmits, Hayes, and, after a time of adjusting, Taylor and Polonara all contributing. Butkevičius quickly became a fan favorite for his amazing defence and his hustle, with the former Rytas captain becoming among the most popular players among Žalgiris fans. Mantas Kalnietis, remaining after disastrous season, ended up retiring in February and moving to back-office work with Žalgiris, mostly with the Žalgiris football team. Žalgiris was 15-15 by the start of April, and made an amazing run to the Euroleague playoffs, capped off with wins over Maccabi Tel Aviv at home and FC Bayern Munich away, to reach the playoffs, as the 7th seed, with a 19-15 record and with wins over Fenerbahçe and Baskonia Vitoria. Žalgiris also finished second in attendance, behind KK Partizan, with fans selling out 16 of the 17 home games, starting in October, because of which, the Žalgirio Arena became the host of the Euroleague Final Four tournament. In the Euroleague playoffs, Žalgiris faced off against FC Barcelona, coached by ex-Žalgiris coach Šarūnas Jasikevičius. Despite best efforts, and the fact that Žalgiris had beaten Barcelona in the regular season at home, Barcelona proved too much for Žalgiris, beating them 91-69, 89-81, and 77-66 for a victorious 3-0 sweep. However, the incredible performance of Žalgiris in the Euroleague earned the team a standing ovation in the last game in Kaunas.

Žalgiris won the 2023 edition of the King Mindaugas Cup, their fourth consecutive Cup victory, with Ulanovas once again being named the MVP of the finals. In the LKL, Žalgiris finished first in the regular season, with a win over defending LKL champions BC Rytas in April, and finished with a 28-5 record. In the playoffs, Žalgiris swept BC Nevėžis in the quarterfinals 2-0, to set up a rematch against BC Lietkabelis; this time, Žalgiris beat Lietkabelis 3-1 to avenge the previous season loss, with a satisfying, dominating 95-66 win in Panevėžys in the deciding game. In the LKL finals, Žalgiris faced Rytas, the series going a full five games, with Rytas giving Žalgiris a fight in each game, with Žalgiris beating Rytas in Kaunas, 108-93 and 95-80, but Rytas winning in Vilnius, 94-71 and 69-68, to set up a decisive fifth game in Kaunas. Žalgiris would win the deciding game 97-87, winning the series 3-2, and regaining the LKL championship. Taylor, who scored 32 points in the championship winning game, was named the LKL Finals MVP.

2023-2024

[edit]

After an incredible 2022–2023 season, Žalgiris re-signed much of the team. However, Paulius Motiejūnas, club director since 2013, departed the team and headed to become the director of Euroleague Basketball, a move that many had anticipated during the 2023 season. Paulius Jankūnas took over as club director, in addition to being the sporting director. With Keenan Evans returning from injury, Žalgiris also made an unpopular decision not to re-sign Isaiah Taylor, the MVP of the LKL finals and Žalgiris leader during the victorious series against Rytas. Among other departing players, Tyler Cavanaugh and Karolis Lukošiūnas left during the summer. To replace Taylor, Žalgiris signed Naz Mitrou-Long to the point guard position and also signed Brady Manek, former NCAA standout, to a contract to replace the departed Cavanaugh. With much of the younger Žalgiris players, in particular Motiejus Krivas, departing to the NCAA, Žalgiris also signed Danielius Lavrinovičius, fresh off his career-best season with BC Nevėžis, to a contract.

With what seemed as solid additions during the summer, as well as keeping much of the same roster as the previous 2023 season, Žalgiris looked to continue where they left off the previous season. At the start of the season, however, Žalgiris suffered a massive blow as team leader Ignas Brazdeikis was bought out by Olympiakos Piraeus; the move became even more haunting when Žalgiris decided not to immediately search for Brazdeikis's replacement. Despite the departure by Brazdeikis, Žalgiris started the season strong, being undefeated in the LKL and 3-1 in the Euroleague, sparked by the incredible return to form by Keenan Evans. However, by October, the bottom fell out; struggling even in the LKL, Žalgiris completely fell apart in the Euroleague, going into the second round of the Euroleague with a disastrous 2-11 finish in the first. Mitrou-Long struggled as point guard, and by November, was also bought out by Olympiakos. The eventual replacement for Brazdeikis, Edmond Sumner, played too inconsistently to make any difference. Injuries hurt the team, in particular an injury to Arnas Butkevičius, one of Žalgiris top defensive players; his brief replacement, Austin Hollins, had a forgettable stint with Žalgiris. Rumours of Andrea Trinchieri coming in to replace coach Maksvytis began as early as December, followed by a reported player mutiny which resulted in Maksvytis remaining with Žalgiris for the time being. However, the tragic finish in the Euroleague first round, with a 5-12 record, resulted in Žalgiris and Maksvytis mutually parting ways by the end of December; and coach Trinchieri was brought in to replace him.

Under Trinchieri, Žalgiris had a ressurgence; in the second round of the Euroleague, Žalgiris returned to playoff contention, and fought for the final spot of the Euroleague Play-In tournament all the way to April. Laurynas Birutis became one of the best players for Žalgiris, completely overshadowing Kevarrius Hayes and taking over as starting center, and Dovydas Giedraitis became one of the best defensive players, not just for Žalgiris, but in the whole Euroleague. Lead by Evans, Žalgiris fought until April for a spot in the Play-In tournament, before an away loss to AS Monaco ended their hopes for Euroleague playoffs. Under Trinchieri, Žalgiris finished with a 9-8 record, going 14-20 overall. Keenan Evans had incredible performances all season, establishing himself as one of the top guards of the Euroleague.

Žalgiris also won the 2024 King Mindaugas Cup, held in Kaunas, beating BC Wolves in the quartefinals, BC Šiauliai in the semifinals, and BC Lietkabelis (who had eliminated BC Rytas in the semifinals) in the finals. Laurynas Birutis was named the tournament MVP. In the LKL, for most of the season, Žalgiris dominated, sweeping Rytas in the regular season, to finish with a 26-4 record, with no other team in the LKL coming close to Žalgiris. During the season, it also became clear that Žalgiris greatly relied on Keenan Evans. Žalgiris chose not to search for another point guard after Mitrou-Long departed in November, with only Lekavičius remaining in the spot. Žalgiris also made a dubious decision to re-sign Karolis Lukošiūnas in February, a decision that ended up even more questionable when Lukošiūnas, after playing a few games, was out for the whole season by the end of March. Before the end of the transfer table in the LKL, Žalgiris also signed Demetrie Rivers; while Rivers had some good games for Žalgiris in the LKL, he barely saw any playing time by the playoffs. In the playoffs, Žalgiris beat M-Basket Delamode Mažeikiai 2-0 in the quarterfinals. The semifinals, against BC Lietkabelis, was a nightmare; in the deciding game of the victorious 3-0 Žalgiris sweep to set up a rematch against Rytas, Evans suffered a season-ending injury by rupturing his patellar ligaments. Without Evans, Žalgiris fell apart. With nobody stepping up for Žalgiris in the finals, Rytas took advantage, taking home-court advantage away from Žalgiris, and finishing off the still shocked Žalgiris 3-1 in the LKL finals to regain the LKL title, while ending the already difficult season for Žalgiris in a complete fiasco. This win by Rytas over Žalgiris is considered the biggest upset in LKL history.

Players

[edit]

Current roster

[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Žalgiris roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age
G/F 0 Lithuania Juzėnas, Mantas 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 91 kg (201 lb) 18 – (2006-11-16)16 November 2006
SG 1 United States Walker IV, Lonnie 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 26 – (1998-12-14)14 December 1998
PG 3 France Francisco, Sylvain 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 82 kg (181 lb) 27 – (1997-10-10)10 October 1997
PG 4 Lithuania Lekavičius, Lukas 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 78 kg (172 lb) 30 – (1994-03-30)30 March 1994
SF 8 Lithuania Brazdeikis, Ignas 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 25 – (1999-01-08)8 January 1999
G 9 Lithuania Giedraitis, Dovydas 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 24 – (2000-08-17)17 August 2000
C 15 Lithuania Birutis, Laurynas 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) 114 kg (251 lb) 27 – (1997-08-27)27 August 1997
F/C 18 Serbia Smailagić, Alen 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 98 kg (216 lb) 24 – (2000-08-18)18 August 2000
F 21 United States Mitchell, Matt 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) 107 kg (236 lb) 25 – (1999-03-18)18 March 1999
C 23 Lithuania Bieliauskas, Aleksas 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) 106 kg (234 lb) 19 – (2005-12-03)3 December 2005
SG 33 Lithuania Dimša, Tomas 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 85 kg (187 lb) 30 – (1994-01-02)2 January 1994
C 42 Armenia Dunston, Bryant 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 107 kg (236 lb) 38 – (1986-05-28)28 May 1986
PF 45 United States Manek, Brady 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 105 kg (231 lb) 26 – (1998-09-04)4 September 1998
F 51 Lithuania Butkevičius, Arnas 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 95 kg (209 lb) 32 – (1992-11-22)22 November 1992
G/F 91 Lithuania Sirvydis, Deividas 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) 94 kg (207 lb) 24 – (2000-06-10)10 June 2000
F 92 Lithuania Ulanovas, Edgaras (C) 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) 99 kg (218 lb) 32 – (1992-01-07)7 January 1992
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Athletic trainer(s)
  • Lithuania Justinas Grainys
  • Lithuania Nerijus Navickas
Doctor(s)
  • Lithuania Vytautas Kailius
  • Lithuania Andrius Aukštakalnis
Physiotherapist(s)
  • Lithuania Romas Petraitis
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured Injured
Updated: November 22, 2024

Depth chart

[edit]
Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Inactive
C Laurynas Birutis Bryant Dunston Alen Smailagić Aleksas Bieliauskas
PF Edgaras Ulanovas Brady Manek Matt Mitchell
SF Deividas Sirvydis Arnas Butkevičius Mantas Juzėnas
SG Lonnie Walker IV Ignas Brazdeikis Tomas Dimša Injured
PG Sylvain Francisco Dovydas Giedraitis Lukas Lekavičius

Squad changes for the 2024–25 season

[edit]
See also: List of 2024–25 EuroLeague transactions

Players in

[edit]
No. Pos. Nat. Name Moving from Type Date Source
91 G/F Lithuania Deividas Sirvydis Lietkabelis Panevėžys Lithuania End of contract 18 June 2024 [123]
21 F United States Matt Mitchell Beşiktaş Turkey End of contract 27 June 2024 [124]
18 F/C Serbia Alen Smailagić Partizan Serbia End of contract 28 June 2024 [125]
3 PG France Sylvain Francisco Bayern Munich Germany Buyout 1 July 2024 [126]
1 G United States Tyrone Wallace Türk Telekom Turkey End of contract 10 July 2024 [127]
42 C Armenia Bryant Dunston Virtus Bologna Italy End of contract 17 July 2024 [128]
8 SF Lithuania Ignas Brazdeikis Olympiacos Greece Parted ways 24 July 2024 [129]
1 SG United States Lonnie Walker IV Brooklyn Nets United States Parted ways 31 October 2024 [130]

Players out

[edit]
No. Pos. Nat. Name Moving to Type Date Source
6 C Lithuania Matas Vokietaitis Florida Atlantic Owls United States Parted ways 19 May 2024 [131]
31 F Lithuania Dovydas Butka Pepperdine Waves United States Parted ways 23 May 2024 [132]
10 PF Latvia Rolands Šmits Anadolu Efes Turkey Buyout 15 June 2024 [133]
16 SG Lithuania Karolis Lukošiūnas Juventus Utena Lithuania End of contract 21 June 2024 [134]
23 SF United States Demetre Rivers Pallacanestro Brescia Italy End of contract 21 June 2024 [134]
26 PG United States Edmond Sumner Sichuan Blue Whales China End of contract 21 June 2024 [134]
12 SG Lithuania Nedas Montvila Nevėžis Kėdainiai Lithuania Parted ways 2 July 2024 [135]
2 PG United States Keenan Evans Olympiacos Piraeus Greece End of contract 6 July 2024 [136]
35 F/C Lithuania Danielius Lavrinovičius Lietkabelis Panevėžys Lithuania Parted ways 12 July 2024 [137]
8 C Central African Republic Kevarrius Hayes Paris Basketball France Parted ways 17 July 2024 [128]
1 G United States Tyrone Wallace Free agent Parted ways 20 October 2024 [138]

Players out on loan

[edit]
No. Pos. Nat. Name Moving to Type Date Source
17 G/F Lithuania Mantas Rubštavičius Lietkabelis Panevėžys Lithuania Loan 29 July 2024 [139]

Retired numbers

[edit]
Žalgiris retired numbers
No Nat. Player Position Tenure Ceremony date
5 Lithuania Modestas Paulauskas SF 1962–1976 25 March 2015[140]
11 Lithuania Arvydas Sabonis C 1981–1989, 2001–2002, 2003–2005 27 September 2014[141]
13 Lithuania Paulius Jankūnas PF 2003–2009, 2010–2022 18 October 2022[142]
Nat. Coach Tenure Ceremony date
Lithuania Vladas Garastas 1979–1989 23 April 2017[143]
Lithuania Jonas Kazlauskas 1994–2000 23 April 2019[144]

Players in the NBA draft

[edit]
# Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game
Position Player Year Round Pick Drafted by
C Lithuania Arvydas Sabonis 1986 1st round 24th Portland Trail Blazers
C Lithuania Martynas Andriuškevičius 2005 2nd round 44th Orlando Magic, traded to Cleveland Cavaliers
PF/C Lithuania Artūras Gudaitis# 2015 2nd round 47th Philadelphia 76ers
PF/C Germany Isaiah Hartenstein 2017 2nd round 43rd Houston Rockets
PG/SG Lithuania Rokas Jokubaitis# 2021 2nd round 34th Oklahoma City Thunder, traded to New York Knicks

Team captains

[edit]
Paulius Jankūnas

Major championships

[edit]

At the team's inception in 1944, when Lithuania was a Soviet Socialist Republic, Žalgiris began competing in both the Soviet Union National League and the domestic Lithuanian SSR League. When the country declared independence from the USSR in 1991 and the Soviet League folded, Žalgiris competed in the Lithuanian League (a successor of the Lithuanian SSR League) for two years before the newly-reinstated Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) established the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) as the country's premier basketball league in 1993, with Žalgiris as a founding member.

In 2007, the LKF established the LKF Cup (Lietuvos Krepšinio Federacijos Taurė) as an annual tournament for domestic clubs. Before 2007, the LKF Cup had been held twice—once in 1989–90 and once in 1997–89. It was replaced in 2016 by the King Mindaugas Cup, a mid-season tournament for LKL teams that runs from October to February.

Domestic competitions

[edit]
Winners (5): 1947, 1951, 1985, 1986, 1987 [2]
Winners (11): 1946, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1991, 1992, 1993
Winners (24): 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023
Winners (1): 1953
Winners (6): 1990, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015
Winners (7): 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Regional competitions

[edit]
Winners (1): 1999
Winners (5): 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012
Winners (1): 2009

European competitions

[edit]
Winners (1): 1998–99
Runners-up (1): 1985–86
Semifinalists (1): 1986–87
3rd place (1): 2017–18
Final Four (2): 1999, 2018
Winners (1): 1997–98
Runners-up (1): 1984–85
Semifinalists (3): 1988–89, 1989–90, 1995–96

Worldwide competitions

[edit]
Winners (1): 1986

Other competitions

[edit]
Winners (1): 2008
Runners-up (1): 2010

Season-by-season

[edit]
Season League LKF / KMT Cup Regional competitions Europe Head Coach Roster
1992–93 Champion No tournament No tournament EuroLeague
FIBA EuroLeague 1992–93 		Henrikas Giedraitis

Gintaras Einikis, Arvydas Straupis, Gintaras Staniulis, Gintautas Šivickas, Rimas Kurtinaitis, Arūnas Visockas, Saulius Štombergas, Darius Lukminas, Darius Maskoliūnas, Algirdas Brazys, Vaidas Jurgilas, Tauras Stumbrys, Aurimas Tomas Palšis

1993–94 Champion No tournament No tournament FIBA EuroLeague 1993–94 Second round Jaak Salumets Gintaras Einikis, Romanas Brazdauskis, Erikas Bublys, Antwon Harmon, Arūnas Visockas, Gert Kullamäe, Darius Lukminas, Gintautas Šivickas, Kęstutis Šeštokas, Darius Maskoliūnas, Algirdas Brazys, Vaidas Jurgilas, Tauras Stumbrys
1994–95 Champion No tournament No tournament 1994–95 FIBA European League Second Round Jonas Kazlauskas Gintaras Einikis, Kęstutis Šeštokas, Tomas Masiulis, Arūnas Visockas, Nerijus Karlikanovas, Darren Henrie, Darius Lukminas, Marijus Kavoliukas, Mindaugas Lydeka, Darius Maskoliūnas, Algirdas Brazys, Tauras Stumbrys, Michael Coleman
1995–96 Champion No tournament No tournament 1995–96 FIBA European League Second Round Jonas Kazlauskas Torgeir Bryn, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Joey Hooks, Rimas Kurtinaitis, Kęstutis Šeštokas, Tomas Masiulis, Arūnas Visockas, Miloš Babić, Darius Lukminas, Erikas Bublys, Darius Maskoliūnas, Nerijus Karlikanovas, Tauras Stumbrys, Darius Sirtautas
1996–97 Champion No tournament No tournament EuroCup
Last 16 		Jonas Kazlauskas Franjo Arapović, Tomas Masiulis, Kęstutis Šeštokas, Gintautas Šivickas, Dainius Adomaitis, Erikas Bublys, Darius Maskoliūnas, Anthony Miller, Veljko Mršić, Andre Reid, Tauras Stumbrys, Darius Sirtautas
1997–98 Champion No tournament No tournament EuroCup
Champion 		Jonas Kazlauskas Franjo Arapović, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Mindaugas Žukauskas, Tomas Masiulis, Kęstutis Šeštokas, Saulius Štombergas, Dainius Adomaitis, Virginijus Praškevičius, Darius Maskoliūnas, Ennis Whatley, Tauras Stumbrys, Darius Sirtautas
1998–99 Champion No tournament NEBL Champion EuroLeague
Champion 		Jonas Kazlauskas George Zidek, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Mindaugas Žukauskas, Tomas Masiulis, Kęstutis Šeštokas, Saulius Štombergas, Dainius Adomaitis, Anthony Bowie, Darius Maskoliūnas, Tyus Edney, Giedrius Gustas
1999–00 Finalist No tournament – EuroLeague
Last 24 		Jonas Kazlauskas George Zidek, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Ivan Grgat, Mindaugas Žukauskas, Mindaugas Timinskas, Tauras Stumbrys, Tomas Masiulis, Kęstutis Šeštokas, Donatas Slanina, Darren Henry, Corey Beck, Mitchell Butler, Chris Garner
2000–01 Champion No tournament NEBL Finalist EuroLeague
Last 16 		Algirdas Brazys Grigorij Khizhnyak, Artūras Masiulis, John White, Martynas Andriukaitis, Andrius Jurkūnas, Dainius Šalenga, Tomas Masiulis, Steve Woodberry, Donatas Slanina, Giedrius Gustas, Kęstutis Marčiulionis, Nerijus Karlikanovas, Marius Bašinskas, Vidas Ginevičius
2001–02 Finalist No tournament – EuroLeague
Last 32 		Algirdas Brazys Grigorij Khizhnyak, Artūras Masiulis, Rolandas Matulis, Andrius Jurkūnas, Dainius Šalenga, Tomas Masiulis, Steve Woodberry, Donatas Slanina, Giedrius Gustas, Sherman Hamilton, Kęstutis Marčiulionis, Vidas Ginevičius, Arvydas Sabonis, Martynas Andriukaitis, Kenneth Inge
2002–03 Champion No tournament – EuroLeague
Last 24 		Antanas Sireika Gintaras Einikis, Tanoka Beard, Darius Šilinskis, Artūras Masiulis, Tadas Klimavičius, Saulius Štombergas, Dainius Šalenga, Kornél Dávid, Mindaugas Timinskas, Chris Carrawell, Giedrius Gustas, Ed Cota, Vidas Ginevičius
2003–04 Champion No tournament No tournament EuroLeague
Last 16 		Antanas Sireika Tanoka Beard, Darjuš Lavrinovič, Arvydas Sabonis, Paulius Jankūnas, Artūras Javtokas, Miroslav Beric, Dainius Šalenga, Simonas Serapinas, Mindaugas Timinskas, Ainars Bagatskis, Giedrius Gustas, Ed Cota
2004–05 Champion No tournament BBL Champion EuroLeague
Last 16 		Antanas Sireika Tanoka Beard, Darjuš Lavrinovič, Paulius Jankūnas, Martynas Andriuškevičius, Dainius Šalenga, Simonas Serapinas, Jonas Mačiulis, Mindaugas Timinskas, Ainars Bagatskis, Vidas Ginevičius, Robert Pack, Artūras Javtokas, Arvydas Sabonis, Gediminas Navickas
2005–06 Finalist No tournament BBL Finalist EuroLeague
Last 16 		Antanas Sireika Tanoka Beard, Darjuš Lavrinovič, Paulius Jankūnas, Darius Šilinskis, Reggie Freeman, Simonas Serapinas, Jonas Mačiulis, Mantas Kalnietis, Ed Cota, Vidas Ginevičius, Larry Ayuso, Kenny Anderson, Vilmantas Dilys
2006–07 Champion Winner BBL Finalist EuroLeague
Last 24 		Rimantas Grigas Tanoka Beard, Darius Šilinskis, Hanno Möttölä, Paulius Jankūnas, Marcelo Machado, Kirk Penney, Jonas Mačiulis, Vladimir Štimac, Artūras Milaknis, Mantas Kalnietis, DeJuan Collins, Marko Popović, Vidas Ginevičius, Vaidotas Pečiukas, Vytenis Jasikevičius
2007–08 Champion Winner BBL Champion EuroLeague
Last 16 		Rimantas Grigas Eurelijus Žukauskas, Tanoka Beard, Paulius Jankūnas, Goran Jurak, Dainius Šalenga, Jonas Mačiulis, Marcus Brown, Artūras Milaknis, Mantas Kalnietis, DeJuan Collins, Marko Popović, Damir Markota, Mamadou N'Diaye, Donatas Motiejūnas, Vilmantas Dilys, Žygimantas Janavičius
2008–09 Finalist Finalist BBL Finalist EuroLeague
Last 24 		Gintaras Krapikas Eurelijus Žukauskas, Loren Woods, Paulius Jankūnas, Tomas Masiulis, Tadas Klimavičius, Dainius Šalenga, Jonas Mačiulis, Darius Šilinskis, Artūras Milaknis, Mantas Kalnietis, Vytenis Čižauskas, Šarūnas Vasiliauskas, Žygimantas Janavičius, Ratko Varda, Willie Deane, Rokas Čepanonis
2009–10 Finalist Finalist BBL Champion EuroLeague
Last 16 		Marcus Brown Mirza Begić, Travis Watson, Tadas Klimavičius, Mario Delaš, Dainius Šalenga, Martynas Pocius, Artūras Milaknis, Marcus Brown, Aleksandar Ćapin, Mantas Kalnietis, Siim-Sander Vene, Povilas Butkevičius, Povilas Čukinas, Šarūnas Vasiliauskas, Adas Juškevičius
2010–11 Champion Winner BBL Champion EuroLeague
Last 16 		Ilias Zouros Mirza Begić, Boban Marjanović, Travis Watson, Omar Samhan, Paulius Jankūnas, Tadas Klimavičius, Trent Plaisted, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Dainius Šalenga, Martynas Pocius, Artūras Milaknis, Marcus Brown, Aleksandar Ćapin, Tomas Delininkaitis, Mantas Kalnietis, DeJuan Collins
2011–12 Champion Winner VTB United League EuroLeague
Last 16 		Aleksandar Trifunović Robertas Javtokas, Milovan Raković, Paulius Jankūnas, Tadas Klimavičius, Sonny Weems, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Marko Popović, Tomas Delininkaitis, Mantas Kalnietis, DeJuan Collins, Reeves Nelson, Dainius Šalenga, Vytenis Lipkevičius, Ty Lawson
2012–13 Champion Not participated VTB United League Third place EuroLeague
Last 16 		Joan Plaza Robertas Javtokas, Paulius Jankūnas, Tadas Klimavičius, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Marko Popović, Kšyštof Lavrinovič, Darjuš Lavrinovič, Jeff Foote, Mario Delaš, Tremmell Darden, Vytenis Lipkevičius, Rimantas Kaukėnas, Oliver Lafayette, Ibrahim Jaaber, Adas Juškevičius, Donnie McGrath
2013–14 Champion Third place Not participated EuroLeague
Last 16 		Saulius Štombergas Robertas Javtokas, Paulius Jankūnas, Tadas Klimavičius, Martynas Pocius, Justin Dentmon, Kšyštof Lavrinovič, Siim-Sander Vene, Artūras Milaknis, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Mindaugas Kupšas, Vytenis Lipkevičius, Tauras Jogėla, Tomas Dimša, Kaspars Vecvagars, Vytenis Čižauskas, Artūras Gudaitis
2014–15 Champion Winner Not participated EuroLeague
Last 16 		Gintaras Krapikas Robertas Javtokas, Paulius Jankūnas, Siim-Sander Vene, Artūras Milaknis, Vytenis Lipkevičius, Tomas Dimša, Kaspars Vecvagars, Artūras Gudaitis, Lukas Lekavičius, Donatas Tarolis, Vaidas Kariniauskas, Edgaras Ulanovas, Darius Songaila, James Anderson, Will Cherry
2015–16 Champion Runner-up Not participated EuroLeague
Last 16 		Gintaras Krapikas, Šarūnas Jasikevičius Robertas Javtokas, Paulius Jankūnas, Siim-Sander Vene, Vytenis Lipkevičius, Kaspars Vecvagars, Lukas Lekavičius, Edgaras Ulanovas, Martynas Pocius, Renaldas Seibutis, Olivier Hanlan, Brock Motum, Ian Vougioukas, Martynas Sajus, Jerome Randle, Mantas Kalnietis
2016–17 Champion Winner Not participated EuroLeague
Regular Season 		Šarūnas Jasikevičius Robertas Javtokas, Paulius Jankūnas, Lukas Lekavičius, Edgaras Ulanovas, Renaldas Seibutis, Brock Motum, Leo Westermann, Kevin Pangos, Augusto Lima, Artūras Milaknis, Antanas Kavaliauskas, Paulius Valinskas, Isaiah Hartenstein, Martynas Varnas, Gytis Masiulis
2017–18 Champion Winner Not participated EuroLeague
Third place 		Šarūnas Jasikevičius Paulius Jankūnas, Edgaras Ulanovas, Kevin Pangos, Artūras Milaknis, Antanas Kavaliauskas, Paulius Valinskas, Gytis Masiulis, Aaron White, Vasilije Micić, Brandon Davies, Dee Bost, Axel Toupane, Martynas Sajus, Martynas Arlauskas, Beno Udrih
2018–19 Champion Finalist Not participated EuroLeague
Quarterfinal 		Šarūnas Jasikevičius Paulius Jankūnas, Edgaras Ulanovas, Artūras Milaknis, Antanas Kavaliauskas, Aaron White, Brandon Davies, Leo Westermann, Nate Wolters, Marius Grigonis, Laurynas Birutis, Thomas Walkup, Donatas Sabeckis, Derrick Walton, Lukas Uleckas, Rokas Jokubaitis, Erikas Venskus
2019–20 Champion[a] Champion Not participated EuroLeague
Season suspended 		Šarūnas Jasikevičius Paulius Jankūnas, Edgaras Ulanovas, Artūras Milaknis, Marius Grigonis, Thomas Walkup, Rokas Jokubaitis, Erikas Venskus, Martinas Geben, Nigel Hayes, Jock Landale, Zach LeDay, Lukas Lekavičius, Karolis Lukošiūnas, K.C. Rivers, Alex Pérez, Kerr Kriisa
2020–21 Champion Champion Not participated EuroLeague
Regular Season 		Martin Schiller Paulius Jankūnas, Artūras Milaknis, Marius Grigonis, Thomas Walkup, Rokas Jokubaitis, Martinas Geben, Nigel Hayes, Lukas Lekavičius, Karolis Lukošiūnas, Marek Blaževič, Patricio Garino, Augustine Rubit, Steve Vasturia, Joffrey Lauvergne, Tomas Dimša
2021–22 Third place Champion Not participated EuroLeague
Regular Season 		Martin Schiller, Jure Zdovc, Kazys Maksvytis Paulius Jankūnas, Edgaras Ulanovas, Artūras Milaknis, Mantas Kalnietis, Lukas Lekavičius, Karolis Lukošiūnas, Marek Blaževič, Joffrey Lauvergne, Tyler Cavanaugh, Niels Giffey, Josh Nebo, Jānis Strēlnieks, Emmanuel Mudiay, Tai Webster, Zoran Dragić, Regimantas Miniotas, Motiejus Krivas, Titas Sargiūnas
2022–23 Champion Champion Not participated EuroLeague
Quarterfinal 		Kazys Maksvytis Laurynas Birutis, Ignas Brazdeikis, Arnas Butkevičius, Tyler Cavanaugh, Tomas Dimša, Keenan Evans, Dovydas Giedraitis, Kevarrius Hayes, Mantas Kalnietis, Motiejus Krivas, Lukas Lekavičius, Liutauras Lelevičius, Karolis Lukošiūnas, Achille Polonara, Rolands Šmits, Isaiah Taylor, Edgaras Ulanovas
2023–24 Finalist Champion Not participated EuroLeague
Regular Season 		Kazys Maksvytis, Andrea Trinchieri Laurynas Birutis, Dovydas Butka, Arnas Butkevičius, Tomas Dimša, Keenan Evans, Dovydas Giedraitis, Kevarrius Hayes, Danielius Lavrinovičius, Lukas Lekavičius, Karolis Lukošiūnas, Brady Manek, Nedas Montvila, Demetre Rivers, Rolands Šmits, Edmond Sumner, Edgaras Ulanovas
  1. ^ Žalgiris named champion after the premature ending of the league due to the coronavirus pandemic
Detailed information of former rosters and results. [145][146][147]

Notable players

[edit]
Žalgiris vs. Golden State Warriors in 2007
Žalgiris vs. Šiauliai in 2007
Žalgiris warming up before the game
Žalgiris fans during LKL game in Vilnius
Former Žalgiris jersey

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Players with NBA experience

[edit]

Many players who spent time with Žalgiris also played in the NBA. The most notable example is Arvydas Sabonis, who spent seven seasons with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers including a Western Conference Finals run in 2000. Other notable crossovers include 1994 NBA All-Star Kenny Anderson, two-time NBA champion Beno Udrih, Ty Lawson, Robert Pack, and current NBA players Boban Marjanovic, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jock Landale, and Vasilije Micić.

Nationality Player Seasons in Žalgiris Seasons in the NBA
United States Kenny Anderson 1 14
United States Robert Pack 1 13
Slovenia Beno Udrih 1 13
United States Ennis Whatley 1 10
Serbia Boban Marjanović 1 9
United States Ty Lawson 1 8
United States Mitchell Butler 1 8
United States Anthony Bowie 1 8
Lithuania Darius Songaila 1 8
Lithuania Arvydas Sabonis 10 7
Lithuania Donatas Motiejūnas 1 6
United States Loren Woods 2 6
United StatesDemocratic Republic of the Congo Emmanuel Mudiay 1 6
United StatesGermany Isaiah Hartenstein 1 6
United States Edmond Sumner 1 5
United States James Anderson 1 5
United States Michael Bradley 1 5
Senegal Mamadou N'Diaye 1 5
United States Sonny Weems 1 4
United States Tyus Edney 1 4
France Joffrey Lauvergne 2 4
United States Corey Beck 1 3
United States Nate Wolters 1 3
Czech Republic Jiri Zidek 2 3
Hungary Kornel David 1 3
France Axel Toupane 1 3
United States Derrick Walton Jr. 1 3
LithuaniaCanada Ignas Brazdeikis 1 3
Australia Jock Landale 1 3
CanadaTrinidad and TobagoGreece Naz Mitrou-Long 1 3
Lithuania Šarūnas Jasikevičius 1 2
Lithuania Mindaugas Kuzminskas 3 2
United States Tyler Cavanaugh 2 2
United StatesUganda Brandon Davies 2 2
United States Justin Dentmon 1 2
United States Marcus Brown 3 2
United States Isaiah Taylor 1 2
Serbia Miloš Babic 1 2
Finland Hanno Mottola 1 2
New Zealand Kirk Penney 1 2
Lithuania Martynas Andriuškevičius 3 1
United States Nigel Hayes 2 1
United States Will Chery 1 1
United States Jeff Foote 1 1
United StatesCroatia Oliver Lafayette 1 1
CroatiaSweden Damir Markota 1 1
SerbiaBosnia and Herzegovina Ratko Varda 1 1
Argentina Patricio Garino 1 1
Norway Torgeir Bryn 1 1
CanadaSlovenia Kevin Pangos 2 1
Slovenia Zoran Dragić 1 1
Serbia Vasilije Micić 1 1

Head coaches

[edit]
Jonas Kazlauskas was the head coach of Žalgiris during the 1998–99 season. Žalgiris won the EuroLeague that season.

Attendance

[edit]

Žalgiris EuroLeague attendance year by year in Žalgiris Arena.

Season Total High Low Average Pos.*
2011–12[1] 105,307 15,000 9,150 13,163 1
2012–13 161,103 15,420 10,190 13,475 1
2013–14 118,433 12,000 8,150 9,869 7
2014–15 117,040 14,382 8,670 10,640 6
2015–16 131,998 14,790 8,702 11,000 2
2016–17 171,266 15,231 8,621 11,418 2
2017–18 230,518 15,525 10,195 13,560 1
2018–19 251,742 15,517 13,569 14,808 1
2019–20 199,088 15,342 9,405 14,221 1
2020–21[2] 10,381 5,131 239 3,460 1
2021–22 106,830 12,686 4,863 7,630 4
2022–23 267,041 15,293 11,024 14,836 2

*Position by average attendance among Euroleague teams

1.^ Only top 16 matches were played
2.^ Only three games played with spectators due to COVID-19 pandemic

Team records

[edit]

LKL records

  • Most points scored in a single game – 146 (vs LSU-Atletas, 24 January 2004)
  • Highest two-pointers made percentage of all time – 57.08%
  • Most offensive rebounds of all time – 25,330
  • Most three pointers made in a single game – 23 (vs LSU-Atletas, 24 January 2004)
  • Most points scored in a single half of a game – 87 (vs LSU-Atletas, 24 January 2004)
  • Most points scored in a single quarter of a game – 46 (vs LSU-Atletas, 24 January 2004)
  • Biggest win in a home game – by 82 points (vs LSU-Atletas, 24 January 2004)
  • Most consecutive wins of all time – 38 (4 May 1998 – 8 November 1999)
  • Most consecutive home wins of all time – 39 (18 January 2003 – 15 October 2004)
  • Most consecutive away wins of all time – 23 (31 January 1998 – 8 November 1999)
  • Best winning percentage of all time – 64%
  • Largest single game attendance of all time – 15,266 (vs Lietuvos Rytas, in the last game of the finals)

VTB United League records

  • Fewest combined points in an overtime period – 8 (Žalgiris – 6 points, Triumph – 2; 14 October 2012)
  • Fewest fouls in a single game – 7 (vs Lokomotiv Kuban, 25 May 2013)
  • Largest attendance at a game – 15,812 (vs CSKA, 28 October 2012)

EuroLeague records

BBL records

  • Most points scored in a single game – 125 (vs Barons/LU, 8 January 2005)
  • Most free throws made in a single game – 37 (vs Valmieras Piens, 15 February 2005)
  • Most free throws made of all time – 1,468
  • Most blocks of all time – 303
  • Highest points per game of all time – 92.14
  • Highest efficiency per game of all time – 108.95
  • Highest three point percentage of all time – 40.22
  • Most blocks per game of all time – 3.94

Previous kits

[edit]

The uniform colors of Žalgiris are green and white. The home games are played in green uniforms and the away games are played in white. Since 2012, Adidas was the manufacturer of the club uniforms.[148] In 2018, Žalgiris started manufacturing their own uniforms, in attempt to spread the brand image of the team while also making them more affordable to fans.[149]

2013–2015 jersey
Team colours
2013–2015
2015–2016 jersey
Team colours
2015–2016
2016–2018 jersey
Team colours
2016–2018
2013–2015 jersey
Team colours
2013–2015
2015–2016 jersey
Team colours
2015–2016
2016–2018 jersey
Team colours
2016–2018

Statistical leaders

[edit]

All-time points per game in European games (PPG)

[edit]

Bold denotes still active with the team. Italics denotes still active, but not with the team.

Only players with a significant number of games played or points scored.‡

Position Player Seasons Games Points total Points per game
1 Paulius Jankūnas 18 364 3,060 8.4
2 Artūras Milaknis 12 244 1,689 6.9
3 Rimas Kurtinaitis 6 70 1,321 18.9
4 Edgaras Ulanovas 7 185 1,294 7.0
5 Arvydas Sabonis 5 63 1,281 20.3
6 Lukas Lekavičius 6 145 1,129 7.8
7 Tanoka Beard 6 73 1,107 15.2
8 Dainius Šalenga 10 129 1,107 8.6
9 Valdemaras Chomičius 5 53 934 17.6
10 Marius Grigonis 3 78 868 11.1
Last updated: 18 November 2021[150]

Individual awards

[edit]

Domestic

[edit]

LKL Most Valuable Player

LKL Finals MVP

King Mindaugas Cup Finals MVP

LKL Rising Star

LKL Defensive Player of the Year

LKL Most Improved Player

LKL Coach of the Year

All-LKL Team

LKL All-Star Game MVP

LKL Best Legionnaire

LKL moment of the season

International

[edit]

EuroLeague MVP

EuroLeague Final Four MVP

EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer

All-EuroLeague First Team

All-EuroLeague Second Team

Rivalries

[edit]

During the Soviet era, Žalgiris had an intense rivalry with CSKA Moscow, the multiple-time champion and symbol of the Red Army. Their matchups would draw huge crowds in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The rivalry peaked during the 1980s, with the teams meeting in the USSR championship finals six times, which Žalgiris won in 1985, 1986, and 1987. It is considered to be the top rivalry in USSR basketball, as CSKA remains one of the most-hated teams in Kaunas to this day. During the 2000s and 2010s, the teams met many times in the EuroLeague, with CSKA winning most of the matches. In 2018, during the EuroLeague third place match, Žalgiris narrowly defeated CSKA, 79–77. Over the years, the two teams also met in the NEBL, as well as the VTB United League, with the matches drawing huge crowds. In 2012, one such VTB match drew a record attendance of 15,812, a record for the competition and for the Žalgiris Arena.

After the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania and the Independence of Lithuania in 1990, and the establishment of the Lithuanian Basketball League in 1993, Žalgiris had a rivalry with BC Atletas, coached by former-Žalgiris head coach Vladas Garastas, with both teams fighting for the LKL championship. The teams met in the LKL finals four times, with Žalgiris winning each time. Starting in 1998, Žalgiris's main rival has been BC Lietuvos Rytas, also known as BC Rytas, from Vilnius. The matches draw the biggest interest in all of LKL, with the teams having met in the finals 17 times, with Žalgiris winning 12 times and Rytas 5. The teams constantly fight for first place in the LKL standings. In the LKF Cup, King Mindaugas Cup, Baltic Basketball League, and the NEBL, Žalgiris wins most of their matchups. During the 2010s, Žalgiris has largely dominated the rivalry, with sweeps in the finals in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2019, and in the regular season in 2017. In the 2018–19 season, Žalgiris swept Rytas in both the regular season and the final series.

Matches against NBA teams

[edit]
15 October 2007
Golden State Warriors United States 107–88 Lithuania BC Žalgiris
17 October 2007
Toronto Raptors Canada 105–99 Lithuania BC Žalgiris
19 October 2007
Washington Wizards United States 115–96 Lithuania BC Žalgiris
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.

Video games

[edit]

Žalgiris basketball club was featured in the video game NBA 2K14, along with thirteen other top EuroLeague teams.[151][152] The club was also featured in NBA 2K15, NBA 2K16 and NBA 2K17.[153][154][155]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Paulius Motiejunas' Zalgiris shares to be given to Jankunas". basketnews.com. 18 January 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b "B.C. Žalgiris Kaunas: History". Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Neįveikiamas 1951-ųjų „Žalgiris": talentingi krepšininkai diktavo madas". lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian).
  4. ^ "Basketball - Soviet Union Premier League : Medal winners and event presentation". www.the-sports.org. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Kaip gyvena CSKA krepšininkus skriaudę auksinio "Žalgirio" vyrai?". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Kauno fotografijos galerijoje – "Legendiniai Žalgirio vyrai"". bernardinai.lt (in Lithuanian). 12 September 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Arvydo Sabonio traumos: audiniai buvo degeneravę". lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). 1 April 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Kaip gyvena CSKA krepšininkus skriaudę auksinio "Žalgirio" vyrai?". DELFI. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Istorinis įvykis: "Lietuvos ryto" pirmasis LKL čempiono titulas". krepsinis.net (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Intriga, kuri visus varė iš proto: Arvydo Sabonio (ne)sugrįžimas". lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). 3 May 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Lemiamų "Žalgirio" kovų Eurolygoje istorijos – nuo skaudžiausios nesėkmės iki pergalingų metimų". Lrt.lt (in Lithuanian). 3 April 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  12. ^ "BOREDOM BRINGS SABONIS BACK TO BLAZERS". highbeam.com. 1 October 2002. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2002.
  13. ^ "Zalgiris Kaunas roster (Euroleague 2003-2004 season)". www.euroleague.net. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  14. ^ "Zalgiris Kaunas games (Euroleague 2003-2004 season)". www.euroleague.net. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  15. ^ "Žalgiris (2003-2004 LKL season)". LKL.lt (in Lithuanian). Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  16. ^ "BBL finalo ketverto turnyrų istorijoje dominuoja "Žalgiris" ir "Lietuvos rytas"". Krepsinis.lt. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  17. ^ "Zalgiris (2005-2006 Euroleague season)". www.euroleague.net. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Zalgiris (2005-2006 LKL season)". www.lkl.lt. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  19. ^ "BBL finalinių ketvertų istorija" [BBL Final Four Story]. Krepsinis.net (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  20. ^ "M.Kalnietis iki sezono pabaigos rungtyniaus "Žalgiryje"" [M. Kalnietis before the end of the season in Žalgiris]. BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 28 February 2006.
  21. ^ ""Žalgiris" atsisakė amerikiečio E.Cotos paslaugų" [Žalgiris refused to service the American E.Cotos]. BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 14 January 2006.
  22. ^ "Kauno "Žalgiryje" – NBA žvaigždė" [Kaunas Zalgiris – NBA star]. BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 21 January 2006.
  23. ^ "Zalgiris roster (2008-2009 Euroleague season)". www.euroleague.net. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  24. ^ Mazalas, Šarūnas. ""Žalgirio" skolos gali užkirsti kelią į Eurolygą" [Žalgiris debts can prevent Euroleague]. BasketNews.lt / Alfa.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  25. ^ ""Žalgiris" atsisveikino su Deane'u" [Žalgiris said goodbye to Deane]. BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  26. ^ "Zalgiris games (Euroleague 2008-2009 season)". www.euroleague.net. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021.
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