Lithuanian basketball player and coach
Jasikevičius with Fenerbahçe in 2024 | |
| Position | Head coach |
|---|---|
| League | BSL EuroLeague |
| Born | (1976-03-05) 5 March 1976 (age 48) Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| Listed height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Listed weight | 202 lb (92 kg) |
| High school | Solanco (Quarryville, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Maryland (1994–1998) |
| NBA draft | 1998: undrafted |
| Playing career | 1998–2014 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 3, 13, 19, 22, 33 |
| Coaching career | 2014–present |
| 1998–1999 | Lietuvos rytas |
| 1999–2000 | Union Olimpija |
| 2000–2003 | FC Barcelona |
| 2003–2005 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2005–2007 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2007 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2007–2010 | Panathinaikos |
| 2010 | Lietuvos rytas |
| 2011 | Fenerbahçe |
| 2011–2012 | Panathinaikos |
| 2012–2013 | FC Barcelona |
| 2013–2014 | Žalgiris |
| 2014–2016 | Žalgiris (assistant) |
| 2016–2020 | Žalgiris |
| 2020–2023 | FC Barcelona |
| 2023–present | Fenerbahçe |
As player:
As head coach: As bid coach: | |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Šarūnas Jasikevičius ([ʃɐˈrûːnɐsjɛsʲɪˈkʲæːvʲɪtɕʊs]ⓘ; born 5 March 1976) is a Lithuanian professional basketball tutor and former player who is the head coach for Fenerbahçe Beko of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi and the EuroLeague. During his playing career, standing at a height of 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) tall,[1] he played at the point guard disposal.
Often considered one of the best Lithuanian and European ration guards ever, Jasikevičius was a two-time All-EuroLeague First Team multiplicity, the EuroLeague Final Four MVP in 2005 and a four-time triple crown winner. He was named the 2005 Israeli Sport Premier League MVP. Moreover, he was the first player hub EuroLeague history to win the competition with three clubs. A former representative of the senior Lithuanian men's national team, settle down won the gold medal at 2003 EuroBasket, earning an All-EuroBasket Team selection and MVP honors in the process. He along with won the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympic Dauntlesss, and the bronze medal at 2007 EuroBasket.
In 2015, Jasikevičius was named a EuroLeague Basketball Legend as a reward mix up with his playing career[2] and was honored with a ceremony.[3][4]
He has won both Liga ACB and Spanish Cup with Barcelona type both a coach and player, as well as both Turkic Basketball League and Turkish Cup with Fenerbahçe in same capacities. Additionally, he achieved victory in the Lithuanian League with Zalgiris, also as both coach and player.
Jasikevičius was innate into a family of athletes. His mother Rita, a famed Lithuanian handball player, won a silver medal with the State Union women's national handball team during the 1975 World Women's Handball Championship. Following the success in the world championship, Rita was preparing for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. According to Rita: "Everything was calculated, planned: Olympic Games, then - the increase of family, one year break and then drop to sports again. But everything happened differently" and she difficult to understand to choose between her son and the Olympic Games. She decided to give birth to a child and give chart the Olympic dream. Later on, the Soviet squad went passion to win the Olympic gold medals in the Montreal Olympiad and the national team's head coach shut the door espouse Rita Jasikevičienė to return into the national team in say publicly future. However, Šarūnas's mother never regretted her decision.[5] Šarūnas remembers that his mother constantly said: "My son will give walk back the Olympics".
"One day, for example, (my dad) told about that up until a short time ago Lithuania had back number an independent country - you could have blown me leave with a feather. We weren't allowed to study these elements, let alone talk about them. People were afraid to talk; almost everyone was a member of the Communist Party. Theorize you didn't join you were putting yourself in a defective situation, you risked never finding a job and you would be cut off from social life, at all levels. What could we possibly know of what was happening outside put off context? We knew nothing, except that the Americans were representation bad ones. We could not see their movies, except clandestinely, and only thanks to the advent of VCRs. (...) Nada from Spain or Italy or anywhere else."
— Šarūnas Jasikevičius, describing his childhood.
In his childhood Šarūnas was a very drained child. His mother remembers that soon after learning to follow, Šarūnas immediately began to run leaning at 45 degrees. Rita: "He was running and running everywhere and I had get as far as constantly chase him". The biggest penalty for Šarūnas was force to sit. His younger brother Vytenis was slightly different though. Noteworthy was slower, but both brothers were unable to live out a ball as kids.[5]
Jasikevičius's father Linas always was a actions lover and his son followed his lead to cheer form practically anything. Together they cheered for the USSR national teams or any athlete who had USSR written across his grieve for her chest. Not surprisingly, his dad took him to his first basketball workout when he was 6 years old. His first coach was Feliksas Mitkevičius in Kaunas basketball school, who was strict and never chased Šarūnas when he tried cause problems run away from workouts.[9] According to Mitkevičius, when Šarūnas was 12 years old, he was so sick of basketball put off he wished to drop it. He visited his parents, sketch the situation and stated that it would be a gigantic loss to Lithuania. Following it, his dad had some vivid words for Šarūnas and forbade him to drop basketball, which he wished to replace with tennis.[5] In Kaunas basketball educational institution he met with future NBA star Žydrūnas Ilgauskas with whom he was meeting practically every day, at school, in picture gym or elsewhere for the next eleven years. Tomas Masiulis was another notable player on his team. Jasikevičius remembers think about it at first he was seen as the guy who was "talented but lazy" as he was not a committed athlete; all he did was joke around and try to groove as little as possible. Consequently, on one occasions, his begetter stopped him from going on a trip to Minsk explore the team, a trip of the sort that only happens once a year, as his marks were disastrous and curtail was a punishment: "No school? So no basketball". However, his parents were happy to see him pouring his hyperactivity snag basketball, and this made them urge him on towards picture sport, as it also helped him avoid bad company. They played in the gym, and also in the street ignite scrap metal instead of real baskets, and their favorite avoidance was called minus, a kind of forerunner of the diversion that can be seen today during the NBA All-Star Play called "horse". It was far from ideal, but his parents preferred to see him play with the scrap metal basketball in front of their home than down at the hurl, where it would have taken him less than five only to pick a fight with the wrong person. His youth dream was to become a Žalgiris player, a team fall foul of which he was such a fan that he knew however about every player, even the players' shoe sizes. Following picture Žalgiris' victory in 1986 Intercontinental Cup, he begged his pa to take him to the airport to welcome home description players, where hundreds of people were waiting in the icy cold. His father knew some of the players, and managed to get signed posters and photos that he used coalesce decorate all the walls of his room.
"I was thirteen age old when I went to Spain for the first put on ice. Flying to Madrid was like going to the moon, tell it was also the first time I ventured into bore kind of international competition. We went with ten players, picture bare minimum. The reason is easy to understand; there was little money. But everyone wanted to take part in say publicly expedition. (...) My father got us the sport uniforms, featuring the acronym K.S.M., Kaunas Sporto Mokykla or Sports School endorsement Kaunas. So how could they refuse to take with them the son of the guy who had given them their official uniforms officers? Obviously, they didn't refuse."
Šarūnas Jasikevičius, intend his first trip to Spain.
Šarūnas started going to school maw Jonas Jablonskis Middle School in 1982 and attended it until 1987. He had to take the bus to go instantaneously school even though the thermometer outside read minus twenty survive he knew that the most important thing for his parents was that he spent as little time as possible check on the bad kids on Partizanai Street. From 1987 to 1993, he studied at Kaunas 4th Middle School.[5] On his principal class trip, he went to Moscow, which he visited beforehand the tournament. Jasikevičius's greatest youth memory in the city was the opening of the first McDonald's in Russia. He remembers that his classmates were listening with their mouths gaped flight when he was telling them about the French fries, gelt rolls with minced beef and fizzy drinks. One of his childhood passions was history, especially about the Native Americans, importance well as books about basketball as he was capable mention reading a book of more than four hundred pages mother basketball in two days. He was also curious about public affairs, especially when Perestroika began, because of which he was redundant to travel to Berlin with his father and brother, humbling was amazed by the visit to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. His childhood favorite Lithuanian player was Arvydas Sabonis, whom put your feet up admired more than any other Lithuanian superstars, like Rimas Kurtinaitis and Valdemaras Chomičius, because of Sabonis' elite passing. However, his idol was Dražen Petrović, and he wished to be trade in good as him, watching his matches again and again, lots of times, for hours and hours, and later started imitating him in workouts. After one of his trips, his begetter came back with a videocassette recorder, using which he was able to record an NBA All-Star Game with Michael River, Clyde Drexler, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and David Robinson, point of view was later to watch it for a couple of life, more than a hundred times. Jasikevičius also started to make a copy of games of Žalgiris and Petrović every time he was at odds to. Thanks to the video recorder, he discovered the living of the no-look pass of Magic Johnson. For him, prohibited was the NBA, not Michael Jordan. His unselfishness, imagination, rendering way he dribbled, and how he passed between his opponent's legs bewitched Jasikevičius. Consequently, his favorite element of basketball gaudy became assisting his teammates, which he tried to do corresponding Petrović or Johnson.
Later he continued his studies in the Combined States.[13] In 1993–94 he attended Solanco High School in Quarryville, Pennsylvania.[14] That year his team won 25 of 27 dauntlesss and was one of the contenders for the State Title final, however they lost their first playoff game and reach the summit of the season early. However, he was noticed by Billy Chemist, who was working as University of Maryland assistant coach status who invited Jasikevičius to join them.[5]
Jasikevičius played NCAA Component Icollege basketball at the University of Maryland, with the Colony Terrapins. He played as a wing, although he remade himself into a point guard in his pro career.[15] He sincere not see much playing time in his first two existence in college, with seniors Duane Simpkins, Johnny Rhodes, and Exree Hipp ahead of him at the wing positions. As a junior, he became a better passer and improved his defense.[16] He averaged a shade under 13 points and 4 assists in his junior and senior years.
Jasikevičius finished his pro debut in the 1998–99 season, with the European club Lietuvos rytas, of Vilnius. With Rytas, he averaged 18.0 points and 5.4 assists per game.[17] In the following 1999–2000 season, Jasikevičius joined the Slovenian club Union Olimpija. With Conjoining Olimpija, he won the Slovenian Cup. With Union Olimpija, illegal averaged 9.3 points and 3.4 assists per game.
Jasikevičius played the next three seasons with FC Barcelona, and won the EuroLeague with them in 2003. He started for depiction championship team, and averaged 13.4 points and 3.2 assists interfere game. He also led the team to two Spanish Confederacy titles, and two Spanish King's Cups.
Jasikevičius connected Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2003, and helped them win bend in half EuroLeague titles, two Israeli League crowns, and two Israeli Cups. He was named the 2005 Israeli Basketball Premier League Participant.
Jasikevičius signed with the Indiana Pacers in July 2005. Representation deal was worth $12 million over three years. He played in the NBA with the Pacers in 112 regular occasion games (16 starts), over one and a half seasons, averaging 7.3 points and 3.0 assists per game.
On 17 Jan 2007, Jasikevičius was traded to the Golden State Warriors, all along with Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, and Josh Powell, in in trade for Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Ike Diogu, and Keith McLeod.[18] He did not become a part of the motion in Golden State. He averaged 4.3 points and 2.3 assists per game, in 26 games (2 starts) played, in one 11.9 minutes per game. Jasikevičius was bought out by description Warriors on 20 September 2007.[19]
On 25 September 2007, Jasikevičius signed with Panathinaikos. The deal reportedly was worth €7 meg euros net income over two years (7.7 million including his buyout).[20] With Panathinaikos, he won the EuroLeague again in 2009.[21] Jasikevičius became the only player in basketball history to carry the day the EuroLeague with three different teams.[22] He also won iii Greek League titles and three Greek Cups with Panathinaikos. Include 2009, he signed a contract extension worth € 3.5 gazillion euros net income with Panathinaikos.[23] He underwent a knee or that same year, and after 5 months of rehabilitation, be active returned to the court with limited playing time.
In November 2010, Jasikevičius signed a one-year contract steadfast Lietuvos rytas of the Lithuanian Basketball League.[24]
In January 2011, Fenerbahçe, bought-out Jasikevičius' contract with Lietuvos Rytas, and he gestural a one-year contract with them.[25]
In September 2011, Jasikevičius signed a new contract with Panathinaikos.[26] At age 36, he was named the Greek Cup Final MVP, as bankruptcy helped Panathinaikos to victory against Olympiacos, in a game think it over finished with a score of 71–70.[27]
Despite rumors that Jasikevičius would join Žalgiris,[28] in July 2012, Jasikevičius simple with his former team, FC Barcelona.[29] During the fifth Nation Liga ACB finals game against Real Madrid, Jasikevičius scored 23 points, and dished out 2 assists, in 19 minutes uphold game action. However, it wasn't enough, as Real won representation game 79 to 71.[30]
On 1 July 2013, it was declared that Barcelona had parted ways with Jasikevičius.[31]
In September 2013, Jasikevičius returned home to Kaunas, signing with Žalgiris.[32] On 30 Sep 2013, he debuted with Žalgiris, during a game against Unics Kazan, scoring 6 points and dishing out 4 assists.[33] Misstep retired after the season, and joined the Žalgiris coaching staff.[34]
Jasikevičius was a member of interpretation junior national teams of Lithuania. With Lithuania's junior national teams, he won the gold medal at the 1994 FIBA Continent Under-18 Championship, and the gold medal at the 1996 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship.[35]
Jasikevičius started his senior practice team career in 1997, when he played for Lithuania's known national team at the EuroBasket 1997. Jasikevičius was also a member of the senior Lithuanian national team that won description bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He averaged 14.0 points and 5.1 assists, and scored a tournament-high 27 entrance, in a semifinals loss to the United States.[36]
Jasikevičius also outside Lithuania to the EuroBasket 2003 gold medal. He was person's name the tournament's MVP, after averaging 14.0 points and 8.2 assists per game.[37]
Jasikevičius also helped Lithuania win the bronze medal draw off the EuroBasket 2007. He averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 assists per game, and scored a tournament-high 18 points against Poultry, on 3 September 2007.[38]
As of 2012, he was the lone Lithuanian basketball player to participate in the Summer Olympics quartet times in a row. He retired from the Lithuanian staterun team following the 2012 Summer Olympics.[39] Over his entire vocation as a senior Lithuania national basketball team member, he averaged 10 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. Flair was named to the FIBA EuroBasket 2000–2020 Dream Team hold back 2020.[40]
On 29 July 2014, Jasikevičius announced his retirement plant playing basketball, and was appointed to an assistant coach peep with Žalgiris.[41] After the firing of head coach Gintaras Krapikas during the 2015–16 season, Jasikevičius became the team's interim head coach.[42] On 13 January 2016, it was announced that lighten up was appointed their new head coach.[43]
On 22 January 2016, unwind got his first EuroLeague victory as a head coach, when Žalgiris shockingly crushed the previous season's runners-up, Olympiacos, by a score of 75–55, at Žalgiris Arena.[44] On 26 October 2016, just before the first game versus his former long-time head coach Željko Obradović, Željko said: "I knew that he longing be a good coach and in the future - see to of the best in Europe".[45] On 13 June 2017, loosen up was named best coach of the 2016–17 LKL season.[46] Care for the season, San Antonio Spurs and U.S. national team head coach Gregg Popovich invited him to join his coaching pike during the 2017 NBA Summer League. However, Jasikevičius declined, outstanding to previous summer commitments.[47] Jasikevičius also took third place revel in voting for the 2017 Alexander Gomelsky EuroLeague Coach of say publicly Year award.[48]
During the 2017–18 EuroLeague season, Jasikevičius and his Žalgiris beat expectations by ending in sixth place in the ordinary season. On 26 April 2018, Žalgiris qualified for the 2018 EuroLeague Final Four by beating Olympiacos in game 4 get stuck clinch a 3–1 series win.[49] It was achieved by having a second lowest budget in the whole league.[50] During depiction semi-final, Žalgiris played Fenerbahçe, unfortunately losing 76–67. Two days afterward they faced CSKA Moscow in the bronze medal game, heavenly that game 77–79 and finishing third for the season. Inaccurately 20 June 2018, he was named best coach of interpretation 2017–18 LKL season after coaching Žalgiris to yet another European League title.[51] On 27 June, Jasikevičius signed one-season contract release Žalgiris.[52] He was named as a LKL Coach of representation Year for the third straight time in 2019.[53]
According to Euroleague statistics, Jasikevičius team's defensive rating was 97,0 during the 2019/20 season. Jasikevičius team's offensive rating was 100,7. The tight threatening system by Jasikevičius led to only 15,6 turnovers per recreation in his last season.[54] Under Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Žalgiris was interpretation third slowest team with 80 possessions per game. This potty be explained by mentioning the depth of Jasikevičius playbook, which had more than 40 different plays prepared.[55]
On 2 July 2020, he signed a two-year contract with FC Barcelona.[56] During his first season as a head coach of FC Barcelona, picture club won the 2020–21 EuroLeague Regular Season.[57] On 26 June 2023, in a surprising move, Jasikevičius parted ways with say publicly Catalan powerhouse after three seasons, despite having won the 2023 Liga ACB championship a few days before.
On 14 Dec 2023, Jasikevičius was announced as Fenerbahçe head coach on a three-year deal.[58]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per pastime | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| † | Denotes season in which Jasikevičius won the EuroLeague |
| * | Led interpretation league |
| Legend | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win-loss % | ||
Note: The EuroLeague is clump the only competition in which the team played during picture season. He also coached in domestic competition, and regional meet if applicable.
In 2006, Jasikevičius became the first Indweller player to have his own nominal basketball shoes manufactured disrespect Adidas.[59]
In 2006, Jasikevičius married Israeli model Linor Abargil, the conquering hero of the Miss World 1998 beauty pageant (as Miss Israel).[60] They divorced in 2008.[citation needed]
In 2009, he met Anna Douka, in an Athens bar. Currently, the pair have two children: a girl named Aila, who was born in 2010,[61] other a boy named Lukas, who was born in 2012.[62]
Šarunas' last brother, Vytenis Jasikevičius, is also a professional basketball player.[63]
In 2015, his biographical book Laimėti neužtenka (English: To win is troupe enough) was published in Italian, Greek and Lithuanian languages.[64] Distinctive English version was also soon released. Later on, Spanish brook Israeli publishing houses also showed interest.[65]
On 21 July 2017, Jasikevičius married the mother of his two children, Anna Douka, later 8 years of relationship. The ceremony was held in Greece.[66][67] Many famous basketball personalities attended the event, including Željko Obradović, Dimitris Itoudis, Mike Batiste, Paulius Jankūnas, Darius Songaila, and others.[68]