 Marčiulionis during his masterclass visit inArmenia (June 2014) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1964-06-13)June 13, 1964 (age 61) Kaunas, Lithuania |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 1987: 6th round, 127th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Golden State Warriors |
| Playing career | 1981–1997 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 13, 30, 8 |
| Career history | |
| 1981–1989 | Statyba |
| 1989–1994 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1994–1995 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1995–1996 | Sacramento Kings |
| 1996–1997 | Denver Nuggets |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 4,631 (12.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 819 (2.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 807 (2.2 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| FIBA Hall of Fame | |
Medals | |
Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis (Lithuanian:[ˈrɐ̂ˑɪ̯mɔndɐsʃɐˈrûːnɐsmɐrʲtɕʊˈlʲôːnʲɪs]ⓘ; born June 13, 1964) is a Lithuanian former professionalbasketball player. Widely considered one of the greatest international players, he was one of the first Europeans to become a regular in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Marčiulionis was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014 and became a member of theFIBA Hall of Fame in 2015.
In the1988 Summer Olympics, together with teammateArvydas Sabonis, Marčiulionis led the seniorUSSR national team to the gold medal. With the seniorLithuanian national team, he won twoSummer Olympics bronze medals, in1992 and1996. He was anAll-Tournament Team member,the top scorer, andthe MVP of theEuroBasket 1995, and he was also elected to the All-EuroBasket Team in1987.
Marčiulionis is also often remembered for and associated with theEuro step move during his seven seasons playing in the NBA, which was popularized byManu Ginóbili in the mid-2000s.[1][2][3]
Marčiulionis was the second son of Laimutė, a geography teacher, and Juozas, an engineer. Given that Laimutė aggravated a spinal injury while giving birth to his sister Zita, her determination in having a son led to the middle name Šarūnas, invoking a legendary knight fromVincas Krėvė-Mickevičius's works. Growing up inKaunas, Marčiulionis took uptennis while growing up, being anambidextrous player focused onforehands. Given his unorthodox technique, and an increasingly bulky frame, he eventually gave up on the sport.
At the age of 13, following a hospitalization caused by the use of makeshift explosives, Marčiulionis changed to the sport of basketball. In theLithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, he and his friends had to build their own outdoor basketball court in a parking lot. When he moved toVilnius, to study journalism atVilnius State University of Vincas Kapsukas, and possibly try out for the Soviet junior national team, all Marčiulionis' parents could provide him was, "one bag containing a very small amount of clothes, and another full of apples."[4][5]
While Marčiulionis attended college, he rarely played basketball, but he eventually attracted ascout fromStatyba, of theUSSR Premier League, in 1981. He would play with Statyba, in the USSR League, from 1981 to 1989.
During a 1985 game againstAthletes in Action, in Vilnius, Marčiulionis struck up a friendship with one of the opposing players,Donnie Nelson, despite the language barrier. Nelson's fatherDon Nelson would later be thehead coach of theGolden State Warriors, and what he said about Marčiulionis' skills led the Warriors to draft him in the 6th round of the1987 NBA draft. Stan Kasten, president andgeneral manager of theAtlanta Hawks, managed to void the pick by showing Marčiulionis was age 23, one year older than the age the draft rules prescribed for European players. As of 2024[update], Marčiulionis was the last NBA player to have his selection ineligible in anNBA draft due to him being above the draft age limitations at the time of his initial selection.[6] The Hawks then pursued Marčiulionis using then-ownerTed Turner's connections with the Soviet Union, inviting him and other Soviet players to their training camp, and arranging for Hawks–USSR matches in Moscow, in 1988.[7] While Marčiulionis signed a contract with Atlanta, the day after he won the gold medal in the1988 Summer Olympics, the team wound up not submitting it to the NBA's offices, as the Soviets said they would not permit the player to leave.[8]
Eventually, Nelson's influence helped Marčiulionis with his social projects in Vilnius, and led him to remain with the Warriors, with whom he signed a three-year $3.8 million contract, in 1989.[5][8][9] Marčiulionis became the first Soviet player to join the North American league, and played four years with the Warriors, finishing as the runner-up for theSixth Man of the Year Award in 1992. Marčiulionis became one of the first Europeans to get significant playing time in the NBA, helping to lead the way for the internationalization of the league in the late 1990s. After missing a year and a half with a leg injury, he was traded, along withByron Houston, to theSeattle SuperSonics in 1994 in exchange forCarlos Rogers,Ricky Pierce, and two 1995 second-round draft picks. In 1995, Marčiulionis and Houston were traded to theSacramento Kings forFrank Brickowski. He finished his NBA career with theDenver Nuggets, in the 1996–97 season.[10][11][12]
In 1982 and 1983, Marčiulionis played sparingly with the Soviet juniors. He won a gold medal at the1982 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, and a silver medal at the1983 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, in Spain. Marčiulionis was frequently the last man cut from the seniorSoviet Union national basketball team training camps, until he finally got his chance with the senior team in 1987, having a breakout performance, while winning a silver medal at theEuroBasket 1987. Marčiulionis would also be one of the standout players, as the Soviets won the gold medal at the1988 Summer Olympics.[5][13]
Followingthe restoration of Lithuanian independence, in 1990, Marčiulionis almost single-handedly resurrected the seniorLithuanian national team. He contacted prospective players, encouraged several to join, selected the uniforms, negotiated a shoe deal, and arranged for sponsorships, along with friendDonnie Nelson.[14] Sponsor deals struck by him includedBank of America and the rock bandGrateful Dead, who were interested in supporting Lithuania after reading a story on Marčiulionis and the national team in theSan Francisco Chronicle. The Grateful Dead also helped launch a line oftie-dyed jerseys, that would featureLithuania's national colors,[4] along with a slam dunking skeleton, created by New York artist Greg Speirs.[15][16] Speirs became a major sponsor when he donated 100% of his profits from his design to fund the team, and to Lithuanian children's charities, amounting to at least $450,000.[17][18][19] Marčiulionis ultimately raised $200,000 for Lithuania men's national team's participation at the1992 Summer Olympics and the team went on to win a bronze medal, defeating theUnified Team, 82–78, which was composed from players of the former Soviet Union states, except forBaltic states, in the bronze game.[20][21]
Marčiulionis was again a bronze medalist with Lithuania, at the1996 Summer Olympics. In 1995, he was namedthe MVP of the1995 FIBA EuroBasket,[22] after leading Lithuania to a silver medal in the tournament.[23] In 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1991, he was votedthe best sportsman in Lithuania.
Marčiulionis' basketball career and journey to represent his native country Lithuania in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics is highlighted in the documentary film "The Other Dream Team".[24] The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012 and was distributed by Lionsgate in the U.S. and Disney internationally.[25]
In 1992, Marčiulionis opened the Šarūnas Hotel inVilnius. In 1993, he founded theLithuanian Basketball League (LKL), and also became its president. In 1999, Marčiulionis founded theNorth European Basketball League (NEBL), and also became its commissioner. The NEBL would later be absorbed into theBaltic Basketball League. Today, he is one of the most successful businessmen in Lithuania.[26] He was also the President of the Šarūnas Marčiulionis Basketball Academy.
On February 14, 2014, Marčiulionis was announced as a 2014player inductee, by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; he formally entered the Hall on August 8.[27][28] On September 19, 2015, Marčiulionis was inducted into theFIBA Hall of Fame.[29]
On October 2, 2015, it was announced that Šarūnas Hotel was closed.[30] The nearby Šarūnas Marčiulionis Basketball academy meanwhile, was closed after the 2015–16 season.[31]
On May 26, 2019, Marčiulionis was elected to theEuropean Parliament to serve in theNinth European Parliament.[32] However, on May 28, he announced that he decided to give up his seat in the European Parliament.[33]
Even with language barriers, Marčiulionis was a devoted teammate, and active in the communities he played in. In 1987, he helped aPanevėžys man get anartificial heart valve for his son, by appealing toDonnie Nelson, who arranged an operation for the teenager in the United States.[5] In the aftermath of the1989 San Francisco earthquake, Marčiulionis appeared at the site of a commuter train accident, wearing his Warriors warm up outfit, and he helped by pulling out trapped passengers and administering first aid.[34]
After he joined the Warriors, Marčiulionis's wife Inga enrolled atMerritt College, where shewalked on to their women's basketball team and was a star player for two seasons.[35] She became one of 147 women in women's college basketball history to score 50 or more points in a college game while at Merritt College, and joined the faculty of Merritt College after graduating. She served ashead coach of Merritt's women's basketball team, and is now the head of theirkinesiology department.[36][37]
Marčiulionis and Inga are divorced and have one daughter. Inga lives in the United States and continues her work at Merritt College.[38]
Marčiulionis married Laura Mikelionytė on March 10, 2012.[39]
Šarūnas' sonAugustas Marčiulionis made his debut in theLithuanian Basketball League on September 19, 2020, as a member of his father's first professional teamRytas Vilnius.[40] Augustas played on an amateur contract to preserve his eligibility to playNCAA basketball, and on June 16, 2021, signed aletter of intent to play atSaint Mary's College starting in the 2021–22 season.[41][42]
| 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 game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | Golden State | 75 | 3 | 22.6 | .519 | .256 | .787 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 1.3 | .1 | 12.1 |
| 1990–91 | Golden State | 50 | 10 | 19.7 | .501 | .167 | .724 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 1.2 | .1 | 10.9 |
| 1991–92 | Golden State | 72 | 5 | 29.4 | .538 | .300 | .788 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 1.6 | .1 | 18.9 |
| 1992–93 | Golden State | 30 | 8 | 27.9 | .543 | .200 | .761 | 3.2 | 3.5 | .8 | .1 | 17.4 |
| 1994–95 | Seattle | 66 | 4 | 18.1 | .473 | .402 | .732 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 1.0 | .0 | 9.3 |
| 1995–96 | Sacramento | 53 | 0 | 19.6 | .452 | .408 | .775 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.3 | .1 | 10.8 |
| 1996–97 | Denver | 17 | 0 | 15.0 | .376 | .367 | .806 | 1.8 | 1.5 | .7 | .1 | 6.8 |
| Career | 363 | 30 | 22.4 | .505 | .369 | .768 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.3 | .1 | 12.8 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Golden State | 9 | 0 | 22.9 | .500 | .000 | .897 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 1.2 | .1 | 13.2 |
| 1992 | Golden State | 4 | 0 | 33.3 | .532 | .500 | .829 | 2.3 | 5.0 | .8 | .3 | 21.3 |
| 1996 | Sacramento | 4 | 0 | 25.3 | .276 | .222 | .600 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 2.5 | .0 | 7.3 |
| Career | 17 | 0 | 25.9 | .469 | .238 | .821 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 1.4 | .1 | 13.7 | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Other Dream Team | Himself | Documentary about the Lithuania men's national basketball team at the1992 Summer Olympics. | [43] |
| 2014 | Arvydas Sabonis. 11 | Himself | Documentary aboutArvydas Sabonis, a teammate of Marčiulionis in the Soviet and Lithuania national basketball teams. | [44] |
Links to related articles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
