Šarūnas Marčiulionis

While Marčiulionis attended college, he rarely played basketball, but he eventually attracted a scout from Statyba, of the USSR Premier League, in 1981. He would play with Statyba, in the USSR League, from 1981 to 1989.

During a 1985 game against Athletes in Action, in Vilnius, Marčiulionis struck a friendship with one of the opponent players, Donnie Nelson, despite the language barrier. Nelson's father, Don Nelson would later be the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, and what he said about Marčiulionis' skills led the Warriors to draft him, in the 6th round of the 1987 NBA draft. Stan Kasten, president and general manager of the Atlanta Hawks, managed to void the pick, by showing Marčiulionis was age 23, one year older than the age the draft rules limited for European players. The Hawks then pursued Marčiulionis using then-owner Ted 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. While Marčiulionis signed a contract with Atlanta, the day after he won the gold medal in Seoul, the team wound up not submitting it to the National Basketball Association's offices, as the Soviets said they would not permit the player to leave.[6]

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][6][7] 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 the Sixth 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 to the Seattle SuperSonics, along with Byron Houston, in exchange for Carlos Rogers, Ricky Pierce, and two 1995 second-round draft picks in 1994. In 1995, Marčiulionis and Houston were traded to the Sacramento Kings for Frank Brickowski. He finished his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets, in the 1996–97 season.[8][9][10]

In 1982 and 1983, Marčiulionis played sparingly with the Soviet juniors. He won a gold medal at the 1982 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, and a silver medal at the 1983 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, in Spain. Marčiulionis was frequently the last man cut from the senior Soviet 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 the EuroBasket 1987. Marčiulionis would also be one of the standout players, as the Soviets won the gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.[5][11]

Following the restoration of Lithuanian independence, in 1990, Marčiulionis almost single-handed resurrected the senior Lithuanian national team. He contacted prospective players, encouraged several to join, selected the uniforms, negotiated a shoe deal, and arranged for sponsorships, along with friend Donnie Nelson.[12] Sponsor deals struck by him included Bank of America and the rock band Grateful Dead, who were interested in supporting Lithuania, after reading a story on Marčiulionis and the national team, in the San Francisco Chronicle. The Grateful Dead also helped launch a line of tie-dyed jerseys, that would feature Lithuania's national colors,[4] along with a slam dunking skeleton, created by New York artist Greg Speirs.[13][14] 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.[15][16][17] The team went on to win a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Marčiulionis was again a bronze medalist with Lithuania, at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In 1995, he was named the MVP of the 1995 FIBA EuroBasket, after leading Lithuania to a silver medal in the tournament. In 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1991, he was voted the 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". The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012 and was distributed by Lionsgate in the U.S. and Disney internationally.