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Lithuania National Basketball Team




The Lithuanians competed in two of the pre-war Eurobasket competitions for the Europe an championship. They won both the Eurobasket 1937 and Eurobasket 1939 competitions. The 1939 team was led by Pranas Lubinas (Frank Lubin), who helped popularize basketball in the country and was called the "Grandfather of Lithuanian Basketball."

During the Soviet era, Lithuanian players frequently formed the core of the Soviet National Team . This was especially so for the 1988 Olympic gold medal winners, which got most of their scoring from four Lithuanians, namely Valdemaras Chomičius , Rimas Kurtinaitis , Šarūnas Marčiulionis and Arvydas Sabonis .

After the restoration of Lithuanian independence in 1990 , the national team was resurrected largely through the efforts of Marčiulionis, who left the Soviet Union in 1989 to play in the NBA . Lithuania won bronze medals in the first three Olympics to feature NBA players— 1992 , 1996 , and 2000 , and finished fourth in 2004 .

The modern Lithuanian team won the Eurobasket 2003 .


OLYMPIC GAMES RECORD




EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD


  • 1935 - ''Did not enter''

  • 1937 - Champions; 5-0 record

  • 1939 - Champions; 7-0 record (host)

  • 1946 to 1993 - ''Did not enter''

  • 1995 - 2

  • 1997 - 6

  • 1999 - 5

  • 2001 - 12

  • 2003 - Champions

  • 2005 - 5; 5-1 record



WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD


  • 1994 - ''Did not qualify''

  • 1998 - 7

  • 2002 - ''Did not qualify''

  • 2006 - Qualified



FAMOUS PLAYERS