Šarūnas Jasikevičius

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Šarūnas Jasikevičius

Position	Point guard
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	197 lb (90 kg)
Team	Golden State Warriors
Nationality	Lithuania
Born	March 5, 1976 (age 31) Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
College	Maryland
Draft	Not drafted
Pro career	1998–present
Former teams	Lietuvos Rytas (1998-99) Olimpija Ljubljana (1999-2000) FC Barcelona (2000-03) Maccabi Tel Aviv (2003-05) Indiana Pacers (2005-07)
Awards	Eurobasket 2003 MVP

Medal record
Competitor for Lithuania
Men's Basketball
Olympic Games
Bronze	2000 Sydney	Lithuania
European Championships
Gold	2003 Sweden	Lithuania

Šarūnas Jasikevičius (pronunciation (help·info), born March 5, 1976 in Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union (present-day Lithuania)) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He plays point guard.

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 went undrafted 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 had no chance.

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. 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 2004 and 2005 Euroleague championship with them.

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. Unfortunately, Lithuania couldn't repeat its triumph, losing to the U.S. in the bronze medal game.

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 Kaunas natives to play in the NBA, among them Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Arvydas Sabonis, and current players Žydrūnas Ilgauskas and Linas Kleiza.

Jasikevičius also has a younger brother, Vytenis, who is currently playing for the Žalgiris Kaunas junior team and is a candidate of the Lithuania national basketball team. In 2006, Jasikevičius married Linor Abargil, Israeli winner of the 1998 Miss World beauty pageant.^[1]

On January 17, 2007, Jasikevičius was dealt to 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]