Lukas Lekavičius

Lukas Lekavičius (born March 30, 1994) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in), he plays the point guard position. He was named to the LKL All-Tournament Team in 2017.[1]

Lukas Lekavičius
Lekavičius with Žalgiris Kaunas in 2015
No. 4 – Žalgiris Kaunas
PositionPoint guard
LeagueLKL
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1994-03-30) March 30, 1994
Šilalė, Lithuania
NationalityLithuanian
Listed height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Listed weight76 kg (168 lb)
Career information
NBA draft2016 / Undrafted
Playing career2012–present
Career history
2012–2017Žalgiris Kaunas
2012–2014→Žalgiris-2 Kaunas
2017–2019Panathinaikos
2019-presentŽalgiris Kaunas
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Lithuania
EuroBasket
2015 France
FIBA World U-19 Cup
2013 Czech RepublicUnder-19
FIBA European U-18 Championship
2012 Vilnius/LiepajaUnder-18
FIBA European U-16 Championship
2010 MontenegroUnder-16

Professional career

After spending his whole career in the Žalgiris Kaunas system, helping Žalgiris dominate the LKL scene, Lekavičius joined Panathinaikos, on a two-year contract, in 2017.[2] He was personally chosen by the Panathinaikos head coach, Xavi Pascual, who had previously observed Lekavičius playing for a couple of years.[3] Lekavičius chose the number 19 for his Panathinaikos jersey, which was previously used in the same club by Lithuanian players Robertas Javtokas, Ramūnas Šiškauskas, Jonas Mačiulis and Lekavičius' former coach Šarūnas Jasikevičius.[4]

After spending two years in Greece, Lekavičius returned to Lithuania and signed with Žalgiris on a two-year (1+1) deal on 17 June 2019.[5] He averaged 10.5 points and 2.8 assists per game. He re-signed with the club on 8 July 2020.[6]

National team career

Lekavičius had notable performances with the Lithuania youth national teams, winning two European silver medals, and the world bronze medal in 2013. In 2015, Lekavičius was included into the senior Lithuania men's national basketball team candidates list, by the team's head coach, Jonas Kazlauskas.[7] He was also invited to the team's training camp, and he then made it onto the main national team that competed at the EuroBasket 2015, where he won a silver medal.[8] In 2017, just before the start of the EuroBasket 2017 championship, Lekavičius suffered a foot injury that ultimately sidelined him for two months, and was replaced in the final 12-man squad by Adas Juškevičius.[9]

In 2019, Lekavičius represented Lithuania in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Despite the team falling short of its goals, he was a crucial asset, providing scoring off the bench as the backup point guard. In five games played, he averaged 13.0 points, with 65% overall shooting, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 13.4 point efficiency rating in just 17.7 minutes of playing time.[10]

Personal life

Lekavičius' has a couple of nicknames. His first nickname, Lightning McQueen (Žaibas Makvynas), was given to him by the Lithuanian TV broadcast commentator, and Lithuania national team staff representative, Linas Kunigėlis.[11] His second nickname, Lithuanian Isaiah Thomas, was given to him by the Lithuanian sports media, because of his similarities to Isaiah Thomas' (Thomas' height is 5'9", and Lekavičius' height is 6'0". They are both left-handed, and at one time, both of their club team's main colors were green and white).

Career statistics
Legend
  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  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

Note: The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the player participated for the team during the season. He also played in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.

EuroLeague
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2014–15 Žalgiris 24719.0.466.333.7781.82.7.4.05.55.1
2015–16 21314.2.354.516.7371.11.3.9.04.63.4
2016–17 30018.1.507.338.7591.93.5.6.08.58.8
2017–18 Panathinaikos 31312.4.464.486.8951.01.5.2.23.94.5
2018–19 33010.8.423.405.786.81.3.3.04.03.9
Career 1391314.7.438.397.7821.32.1.5.05.35.2

References
  1. "Paskelbtas simbolinis geriausių LKL žaidėjų penketas". BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  2. "Netikėta žinia: Lukas Lekavičius keliasi į "Panathinaikos"". BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  3. ""Panathinaikos" kabliukas Lekavičiui – šešiskart didesnis atlyginimas ir trenerio vilionės". BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  4. "Lietuviškos tradicijos: Lekavičius Atėnuose pasirinko Šaro numerį". BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  5. "Lukas Lekavicius returns to Zalgiris Kaunas". Sportando. June 17, 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  6. "Marius Grigonis and Lukas Lekavicius to stay at Zalgiris Kaunas". Sportando. July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  7. "Paviešintas Lietuvos rinktinės kandidatų sąrašas". Delfi.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  8. "Dvejonės baigėsi – Jonas Kazlauskas paskelbė galutinį rinktinės dvyliktuką". 24sek.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  9. "Lithuania's blowout against Iceland turns sour; Juskevicius to step in for injured Lekavicius - FIBA EuroBasket 2017 - FIBA.basketball". FIBA.basketball. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  10. "Lukas LEKAVICIUS (LTU)'s profile - FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 - FIBA.basketball". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  11. "Kas greitesnis: Lukas Lekavičius ar Žaibas Makvynas? Reikėtų padaryti lenktynes!". TV3.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 1 September 2015.
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