It contributed to the emergence of the Sąjūdis national movement and the re-establishment of state independence. 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.
Žalgiris was emerging as one of the top clubs in Europe at the time. They also participated in 1987 FIBA Club World Cup. In 1986, Žalgiris won the William Jones Intercontinental Cup, defeating Dražen Petrović's Cibona Zagreb in the semi-finals and Ferro Carril Oeste in the finals. Despite the loss, Žalgiris participated in EuroLeague the next year as the Soviet Union champions, reaching the finals and losing to the rival Cibona. In 1985, they reached the Saporta Cup final, but lost to FC Barcelona. Sabonis soon became known for his versatility, being able to do everything on the court: play defense, assist his teammates, shoot three-pointers, and dominate inside the paint.ĭuring the 1980s, Žalgiris won three consecutive Soviet Union National League championships, from 1985 to 1987, beating CSKA Moscow (English: Central Sports Club of Army) in the finals. The biggest addition though was 17-year-old Arvydas Sabonis, who debuted in the club in 1981 at 209 centimetres (82 in) and grew another 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in the next couple years. Žalgiris became the dominant club in Soviet Union and Europe when they added new talents to the team – Valdemaras Chomičius and Rimas Kurtinaitis – and coach Vladas Garastas. In 1980, Žalgiris won the silver medals, and debuted in the 1980–81 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup the next season.ġ983–1987: Fame Valdemaras Chomičius played 11 straight seasons from 1978 to 1989 The team won bronze medals in the Soviet Union championship in 1971, 19. 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. The team at the time was led by Stepas Butautas, Vytautas Kulakauskas, Justinas Lagunavičius, Kazimieras Petkevičius, and later, by Stasys Stonkus and Algirdas Lauritėnas. Žalgiris also won the USSR Basketball Cup in 1953. In the following years, the club won two silver medals of the USSR league in 19, and four bronze medals from 1953 to 1956. The team quickly rose to prominence, winning the Soviet Union's top-tier USSR Premier Basketball League twice in 19, as well as multiple domestic Lithuanian championships. From 1950, the team was renamed Žalgiris. Initially, the team was named ASK (1945–47), then was renamed to SKIF (1947–1949). History 1944–1982 Arvydas Sabonis ( No. 11) was one of the most dominant centers in the worldīasketball Club Žalgiris was formed in 1944. Žalgiris is the most-decorated Lithuanian basketball club, having won 24 Lithuanian championships, five Soviet championships (second-most behind CSKA Moscow), and one EuroLeague championship. Nine of the fifteen Lithuanian basketball players to play in the North American 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, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, Arnoldas Kulboka). Žalgiris has featured many Lithuanian basketball legends during its history, including Arvydas Sabonis, Modestas Paulauskas and Šarūnas Jasikevičius. Both Žalgiris and Grunwald translate to "green wood". The club's name commemorates the victorious Battle of Žalgiris ( Battle of Grunwald). Since the 2011–12 season, Žalgiris plays its home games in Žalgiris Arena, which was built just before EuroBasket 2011. Žalgiris is one of 11 European clubs that holds long-term licenses with the EuroLeague, which provides a guaranteed place in the regular-season phase of the league. Founded in 1944, it is one of the oldest teams in the EuroLeague. It competes domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL, Lithuanian Basketball League).
Starsand legendz vilnius professional#
( June 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)īasketball Club Žalgiris ( Lithuanian: Krepšinio klubas Žalgiris) is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling.
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