Šarūnas Marčiulionis
Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis was born on the 13th of June 1964 in Lithuania. His mother Laimutė worked as a geography teacher while his father Juozas served as an engineer. The middle name Šarūnas came from a legendary knight found in Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius's literary works. This naming choice honored his mother's determination to have a son after she suffered a spinal injury during the birth of his sister Zita. Growing up in Kaunas, the young boy initially played tennis instead of basketball. He developed into an ambidextrous player who focused heavily on forehands. An increasingly bulky frame eventually made him give up the sport entirely. At age 13 he changed direction following a hospitalization caused by makeshift explosives used by friends. He and his peers built their own outdoor court in a parking lot within the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. When moving to Vilnius to study journalism at Vilnius State University of Vincas Kapsukas, his parents provided only one bag with few clothes and another full of apples.
Marčiulionis struck up a friendship with Donnie Nelson during a 1985 game against Athletes in Action held in Vilnius. Despite language barriers they connected over basketball skills. Nelson's father Don later became head coach of the Golden State Warriors. What the elder Nelson said about Marčiulionis led the team to draft him in the sixth round of the 1987 NBA draft. Stan Kasten president and general manager of the Atlanta Hawks voided this pick. He showed that Marčiulionis was 23 years old which exceeded the age limit for European players at that time. This made Marčiulionis the last NBA player to have an ineligible selection due to draft age rules. The Hawks then pursued him using owner Ted Turner's connections with the Soviet Union. They invited him and other Soviet players to training camps and arranged matches between the Hawks and USSR teams in Moscow during 1988. Although he signed a contract with Atlanta, the day after winning gold at the 1988 Summer Olympics the team did not submit it. The Soviets refused permission for him to leave his home country. Eventually Donnie Nelson helped negotiate his move to remain with the Warriors where he signed a three-year $3.8 million contract in 1989.
Marčiulionis played four seasons with the Golden State Warriors before being traded along with Byron Houston to the Seattle SuperSonics in 1994. He finished his seven-season NBA career with the Denver Nuggets during the 1996, 97 season. His style became associated with the Euro step move long before Manu Ginóbili popularized it in the mid-2000s. He was runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1992 after missing a year and a half due to a leg injury. Marčiulionis became one of the first Europeans to get significant playing time in the league. This helped lead the way for internationalization of the NBA in the late 1990s. Statistics show he averaged 12.8 points per game across 363 regular season games. During playoff appearances he scored an average of 13.7 points over 17 games. His shooting percentage reached .505 from the field while averaging 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest.
Following Lithuania's independence restoration in 1990, Marčiulionis almost single-handedly resurrected the senior national team. He contacted prospective players and encouraged several to join the cause. He selected uniforms and negotiated shoe deals alongside friend Donnie Nelson. Sponsorships included Bank of America and the rock band Grateful Dead who read about him in the San Francisco Chronicle. The Grateful Dead launched tie-dyed jerseys featuring Lithuania's colors plus a slam dunking skeleton designed by New York artist Greg Speirs. Speirs donated 100% of profits from his design totaling at least $450,000 to fund the team and Lithuanian children's charities. Marčiulionis raised $200,000 for participation in the 1992 Summer Olympics. The team won bronze defeating the Unified Team 82, 78 in the final game. They went on to win another bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In 1995 he earned MVP honors after leading Lithuania to silver at EuroBasket.
In 1992 Marčiulionis opened the Šarūnas Hotel in Vilnius. Two years later he founded the Lithuanian Basketball League serving as its president. By 1999 he established the North European Basketball League acting as commissioner before it merged into the Baltic Basketball League. He served as President of the Šarūnas Marčiulionis Basketball Academy until closing after the 2015, 16 season. On the 2nd of October 2015, the hotel closed following announcements about financial struggles. Even with language barriers he remained active in communities where he played. In 1987 he helped a man from Panevėžys obtain an artificial heart valve by appealing to Donnie Nelson who arranged surgery in the United States. After the 1989 San Francisco earthquake he appeared at a commuter train accident site wearing his Warriors warm-up outfit. He pulled trapped passengers out and administered first aid while waiting for emergency services.
On the 14th of February 2014, Marčiulionis was announced as a player inductee by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He formally entered the hall on August 8 that same year. the 19th of September 2015 marked his induction into the FIBA Hall of Fame. The documentary film The Other Dream Team highlighted his journey representing Lithuania at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2012 before distribution by Lionsgate in the U.S. and Disney internationally. Awards included Officer's Cross Commander's Cross and Commander Grand Cross of Order of Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas received between 1995 and 1996. On the 26th of May 2019, he was elected to European Parliament but resigned just two days later on May 28. His son Augustas made debut in Lithuanian Basketball League on the 19th of September 2020 playing for Rytas Vilnius.
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Common questions
When was Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis born and where?
Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis was born on the 13th of June 1964 in Lithuania. His mother Laimutė worked as a geography teacher while his father Juozas served as an engineer.
Why did Šarūnas Marčiulionis become ineligible for the NBA draft initially?
Šarūnas Marčiulionis became ineligible because he was 23 years old which exceeded the age limit for European players at that time. This made him the last NBA player to have an ineligible selection due to draft age rules.
How much money did Greg Speirs donate to fund the Lithuanian national team?
Greg Speirs donated 100% of profits from his design totaling at least $450,000 to fund the team and Lithuanian children's charities. Šarūnas Marčiulionis raised $200,000 for participation in the 1992 Summer Olympics.
What date did Šarūnas Marčiulionis open the hotel named after him?
Šarūnas Marčiulionis opened the Šarūnas Hotel in Vilnius in 1992. The hotel closed on the 2nd of October 2015 following announcements about financial struggles.
When was Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame?
Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis was announced as a player inductee by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on the 14th of February 2014. He formally entered the hall on August 8 that same year.