Remember When ... A Lithuanian First Played in the NBL

Lithuanian Next Star Mantas Rubstavicius will make history when he steps on to an NBL24 floor next season as the first Next Star to hail from the eastern European nation.

However, he won’t be the first Lithuanian to ever grace the NBL. That title goes to the first European import in the history of the competition, former Townsville scoring machine, Rimas Kurtinaitas.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Say it slowly - Mantas Rubštavi?ius ?<br><br>The Lithuanian phenom has signed a Next Stars contract with the <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NZBreakers</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL24?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL24</a> ??<br><br>Read more: <a href="https://t.co/UBjnkK3FAk">https://t.co/UBjnkK3FAk</a> <a href="https://t.co/2JqPcjmYll">pic.twitter.com/2JqPcjmYll</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1668758056291938305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Kurtinaitas arrived in the NBL ahead of the 1993 season with the Suns, and came to the competition with an extensive European resume, at the age of 33.

He had already won five USSR League titles over stints with CSKA Moscow and Zalgiris, and an Olympic gold medal with the Soviet national team, and was named top scorer of the 1990 German Bundesliga season.

He also participated in the NBA three-point contest in 1989 against Dale Ellis, Derek Harper, Danny Ainge, Reggie Miller, Jon Sundvold, Gerald Henderson, Craig Hodges and Michael Adams.

Kurtinaitas headed to Far North Queensland as a star recruit for the NBL’s newest side in 1993, and although he only played 21 of a possible 26 games, he left the league a cult hero, to head to Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid.

In an era of the NBL where scorers reigned supreme, he was amongst the best of them during his short stint in the NBL. While the Suns struggled in their inaugural season and ended the campaign with a league-worst 4-22 record, Kurtinaitas averaged 24.7 points per game, on 44.2 per cent shooting – a mark bettered only by import forward Ricky Jones.

He saved his best scoring performance for one of the Suns’ most important games of the season - a two-point win over the Adelaide 36ers.

Only two players scored in double-digits for the Suns in the high scoring win. Jones scored 26 points while grabbing 12 rebounds, but Kurtinaitas stole the show with an incredible 41-point performance, to drag his team to just the third win in franchise history.

But he didn't play in any more wins for the Suns in his sole NBL season, and his final game before departing our shores was a 20-point loss to the South East Melbourne Magic, in which Tony Ronaldson and Robert Rose starred.

The impact the affable Lithuanian guard had left on the people of Townsville was obvious though. Following the conclusion of the game and the presenting of gifts on centre court, Kurtinaitas ran a lap of honour through the crowd while the packed house of fans chanted “goodbye” in the guard’s native Lithuanian.

“I found here a second home, the same as in Lithuania,” Kurtinaitas said following his final game.

“We lost, I don’t know exactly, but six games by three points and we won four games. I think it’s a great result for the first year.

“I wish for the Townsville Suns to play better next season, be in the top eight and play in the playoffs.”

While Kurtinaitas did not get his wish while watching the 1994 season from afar, the Suns did improve to win six games for the season and made their first NBL post-season in 2000 under their new name – the Crocodiles.

He then added a Spanish League championship with Real Madrid and Lithuanian All-Star Game MVP award following his departure from the Suns, in a playing career that ran all the way until 2006. He held a player/coach role with Azerbaijani side Gala Baku and retired from playing at the age of 46, when he moved to become head coach of Russian side Ural Great.

Despite the enormous success the Lithuanian star experienced as a player, it’s entirely feasible that he was an even more successful coach.

He’s a three-time winner of the EuroCup and two-time Lithuanian League champion, and has been inducted into the VTB United League Hall of Fame.

The now 63-year-old is still coaching in the professional ranks and spent last season in charge of Lithuanian side, BC Wolves.

The international influence on basketball continues to grow around the world, and due to Lithuania’s traditional position as a hotbed of basketball talent – with the likes of Arvydas Sabonis, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Jonas Valanciunas all coming from the country, and American-born Damontas Sabonis currently representing the side internationally.

It may have taken 30 years for a Lithuanian to follow Kurtinaitas to the NBL, but the odds are it won’t take that long before another enters the competition’s ranks.