Šarūnas Jasikevičius
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| Nickname | Saras, Sharas |
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| Position | Point guard |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| League | A1 Ethniki/Euroleague |
| Team | Panathinaikos BC |
| Number | 19 |
| Born | March 5, 1976 Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR |
| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| High school | Solanco (Quarryville, Pennsylvania, U.S.) |
| College | Maryland |
| Draft | Not drafted, 1998 |
| Pro career | 1998–present |
| Former teams | Lietuvos Rytas (1998–1999) Olimpija Ljubljana (1999–2000) FC Barcelona (2000–2003) Maccabi Tel Aviv (2003–2005) Indiana Pacers (2005–2007) Golden State Warriors (2007) |
| Awards | Eurobasket 2003 MVP Liga ACB Finals MVP 2003 Euroleague Final Four MVP 2005 Euroleague 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors 2008 |
Šarūnas Jasikevičius (pronunciation , born March 5, 1976 in Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, USSR) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He is currently playing for Panathinaikos in Greece, as well as the Lithuanian national basketball team. He plays the point guard position.
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[edit] Player Biography
Jasikevičius moved to the United States at a young age, playing high school basketball at Solanco High School in Quarryville, Pennsylvania and college basketball at the University of Maryland. Although he was moderately successful on that level, he was not selected in the 1998 NBA Draft and returned to Lithuania to play for Lietuvos Rytas for one season (1998-99). He spent 1999-2000 in Slovenia with Olimpija Ljubljana.
Jasikevičius won a bronze medal for Lithuania in the 2000 Summer Olympics, when his team lost to The United States by just two points in the semifinals. The margin was the closest at the time since the U.S. started to use professionals, as Jasikevičius' last-second desperation three-pointer that could have won the game for Lithuania missed.
Šarūnas Jasikevičius moved to Spain and FC Barcelona, playing there from 2000 to 2003. He blossomed into one of the best players in Europe, winning the 2003 Euroleague 2003. That same year, he led Lithuania to the European Basketball Championship, being named MVP in the process. Jasikevičius then moved to Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv, and promptly won the Euroleague 2004 and Euroleague 2005 championships with them. During his time in Israel he was known by the nickname Sharas (Hebrew: שאראס).[1]
In the 2004 Summer Olympics, Jasikevičius had an amazing performance against The United States, hitting seven three-pointers and scoring 28 points, leading Lithuania to a terrific win. Lithuania couldn't repeat its triumph, losing to the U.S. in the bronze medal game.
[edit] NBA
After having great success in Europe, Jasikevičius finally decided to try his luck in the NBA, signing a three-year deal worth $12 million with the Indiana Pacers in July 2005. He became the latest of several Lithuanian natives to play in the NBA, among them Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Arvydas Sabonis, Arvydas Macijauskas, Martynas Andriuškevičius and current players Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, Darius Songaila and Linas Kleiza.
On January 17, 2007, he was acquired by the Golden State Warriors along with teammates Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, and Josh Powell for Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Jr., Ike Diogu, and Keith McLeod.[2]
On September 20, 2007, the Golden State Warriors reached a contractual buyout agreement with Jasikevičius and placed him on waivers.[3]
[edit] Back to Europe
On September 25, 2007, Panathinaikos announced the 2-year agreement with Jasikevičius.[4] His contract (€7,000,000 for 2 years) and the total cost of the transfer (€8,700,000 including his €1,700,000 buyout) made Jasikevičius' move to Panathinaikos the most expensive athlete transfer in Greek sports history.
[edit] Personal
Jasikevičius also has a younger brother, Vytenis, who is currently playing for the Arvi-Sūduva Marijampolė team and is a candidate of The Lithuanian National team. In 2006, Jasikevičius married Linor Abargil, Israeli winner of the 1998 Miss World beauty pageant, in Manlleu, near Barcelona.[5]
[edit] Honors and Awards
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Competitor for  Lithuania |
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| Men's Basketball | |||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Bronze | 2000 Sydney | Lithuania | |
| European Championships | |||
| Gold | 2003 Sweden | Lithuania | |
| Bronze | 2007 Spain | Lithuania | |
[edit] Club
- FC Barcelona
- Liga ACB: 2001, 2003
- Copa del Rey: 2001, 2003
- Euroleague 2003
- Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Israeli Premier League: 2004, 2005
- Israeli Cup: 2004, 2005
- Euroleague 2004
- Euroleague 2005
- Panathinaikos
- Greek Cup: 2008
- Greek Championship: 2008
[edit] Country
- Olympic Games: 2000 (bronze)
- EuroBasket 2003: (gold)
- EuroBasket 2007: (bronze)
[edit] Individual
- Liga ACB Final MVP 2003
- Eurobasket 2003 MVP
- Euroleague Final Four 2005 MVP
- 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors 2008
[edit] References
- ^ Marzel to beauty queen: Don't marry a goy Ynetnews, 3 February 2006
- ^ Pacers, Warriors announce 8-player deal. Associated Press (2007-01-17). Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ Warriors Request Waivers On Sarunas Jasikevicius
- ^ Greens land Jasikevicius, too
- ^ Saras, Baston Hope To Rekindle Title Chemistry by Conrad Brunner, Oct. 6, 2006
[edit] External links
- Euroleague.net Profile - Sarunas Jasikevicius
- Official Panathinaikos profile
- NBA.com historical playerfile - Sarunas Jasikevicius
- Sarunas-online.net - Sarunas Jasikevicius Fansite
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