Arvydas Macijauskas
Encyclopedia
Arvydas Macijauskas is a retired Lithuania
n professional basketball
player. He announced termination of his career after his last club, Olympiacos, released him following a prolonged judicial litigation.
junior team.
. He only played 3 games in his rookie season and spent most of the season with the Klaipėda University
-Irvinga team. He spent three seasons with the Neptūnas and averaged 12.7 points on 53 percent shooting.
He played the next four seasons with Lietuvos Rytas
and led them to two Lithuanian league
titles in 2000 and 2002 and a Northern Europe League title in 2003. He was named the Lithuanian league MVP in 2002 and 2003. He averaged 15.3 points on 61% shooting in 143 games with the Rytas.
Macijauskas joined the Tau Ceramica
for the next two seasons and helped them win a Spanish Cup
in 2004. On December 17, 2003, he scored a career-high 40 points against Asvel Lyon. The team reached the Euroleague
finals in 2005, but lost to Maccabi, which was led by a Lithuania
n Final Four MVP Šarūnas Jasikevičius
. Macijauskas was selected to the All-Euroleague First Team. He played in 42 Euroleague games over 2 seasons with TAU and averaged 18.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Macijauskas signed with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets in 2005. He was rarely used in his only season in the NBA, totaling 135 minutes and 44 points in 19 games. He was bought out by the Hornets after the season. After returning to Europe, he criticized the Hornets and the NBA through the press. When asked if he put the last season behind him, Macijauskas responded: "I want to forget that year. Everything went wrong. A really bad coach, a bad franchise. At the end of the season, I didn't even think of returning to New Orleans next season. From the third game on, I was already sentenced to zero minutes for the rest of the year. The NBA isn't funny. Teams are (not) teams. There's not true commitment between the teammates."
On July 20, 2006, Macijauskas signed with the Olympiacos
. The deal was worth 9 million euros over four years. However, he suffered a devastating Achilles' tendon injury in September and missed the rest of the regular season.
Macijauskas was healthy for the next season and was named the Euroleague MVP for November, 2007, shooting a staggering 80 percent from the field. However, his team came up short again. Olympiacos lost to eventual champion CSKA Moscow
in the semi-finals. Ironically, they were led by a Lithuania
n again, Ramūnas Šiškauskas
.
Later that year, Olympiacos sued Macijauskas for violating the contract terms (he injured his ankle during holiday). The club wanted to cancel the contract without paying a compensation. However, the court made a decision in Macijauskas' favor. But Olympiacos appealed and eventually won the case in November 2009. He played in 14 Euroleague games in 2 seasons with the Olympiacos and averaged 13.8 points and 2.1 rebounds.
In June 2010, he announced his retirement from basketball career because of health reasons.
n U-18 and U-20 national teams. He played at the 1998 European U-18 Basketball Championship and the 2000 European U-20 Championship.
Macijauskas led the Lithuania national team
in scoring in the 2003 European Championship
with 15.8 points per game. The Lithuanians prevailed to win the gold medals. However, Šarūnas Jasikevičius
was named the tournament MVP.
He played at the 2004 Olympics
, where the Lithuanians were fourth. He averaged 15.9 points on 54% shooting and scored a tournament-high 32 points against China
in the quarter finals.
Macijauskas also played at the 2006 World Championship
, where the team finished seventh. He was a candidate for the Eurobasket 2009
in Poland
, but at the last minute, he declared that he will not participate in the tournament.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. He announced termination of his career after his last club, Olympiacos, released him following a prolonged judicial litigation.
Early years
Early in his career, Macijauskas was a member of the NeptūnasKK Neptunas
BC „Neptūnas“ is the major basketball club of Klaipėda, Lithuania participating in Lithuanian Basketball League and Baltic Basketball League. BC „Maistas“ basketball club was founded in 1962...
junior team.
Pro career
Macijauskas made his pro debut in 1996 with NeptūnasKK Neptunas
BC „Neptūnas“ is the major basketball club of Klaipėda, Lithuania participating in Lithuanian Basketball League and Baltic Basketball League. BC „Maistas“ basketball club was founded in 1962...
. He only played 3 games in his rookie season and spent most of the season with the Klaipėda University
Klaipeda University
- Overview :The University was formally founded on January 1, 1991 by a decree of Seimas . The new university incorporated existing institutions of higher education in the city. At its inception, it comprised 3,000 students and three faculties...
-Irvinga team. He spent three seasons with the Neptūnas and averaged 12.7 points on 53 percent shooting.
He played the next four seasons with Lietuvos Rytas
BC Lietuvos Rytas
BC Lietuvos rytas is a professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania playing in the Lithuanian Basketball League , the VTB United League, and the Eurocup...
and led them to two Lithuanian league
Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...
titles in 2000 and 2002 and a Northern Europe League title in 2003. He was named the Lithuanian league MVP in 2002 and 2003. He averaged 15.3 points on 61% shooting in 143 games with the Rytas.
Macijauskas joined the Tau Ceramica
Saski Baskonia
Saski Baskonia, S.A.D., known as Caja Laboral for sponsorship reasons, is a Spanish professional basketball club from the Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain...
for the next two seasons and helped them win a Spanish Cup
Copa del Rey de Baloncesto
The Copa del Rey de Baloncesto is an annual cup competition for Spanish basketball teams organized by Spain's top professional league, Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto. It was originally known as the Copa de España de Baloncesto and was first played in 1933. It was the first nationwide...
in 2004. On December 17, 2003, he scored a career-high 40 points against Asvel Lyon. The team reached the Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
finals in 2005, but lost to Maccabi, which was led by a Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n Final Four MVP Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarunas Jasikevicius
Šarūnas Jasikevičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for Panathinaikos BC. He is a member of the Lithuanian national team, and plays the point guard position.-Early years:...
. Macijauskas was selected to the All-Euroleague First Team. He played in 42 Euroleague games over 2 seasons with TAU and averaged 18.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Macijauskas signed with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets in 2005. He was rarely used in his only season in the NBA, totaling 135 minutes and 44 points in 19 games. He was bought out by the Hornets after the season. After returning to Europe, he criticized the Hornets and the NBA through the press. When asked if he put the last season behind him, Macijauskas responded: "I want to forget that year. Everything went wrong. A really bad coach, a bad franchise. At the end of the season, I didn't even think of returning to New Orleans next season. From the third game on, I was already sentenced to zero minutes for the rest of the year. The NBA isn't funny. Teams are (not) teams. There's not true commitment between the teammates."
On July 20, 2006, Macijauskas signed with the Olympiacos
Olympiacos BC
Olympiacos B.C. , also known simply as Olympiacos and Olympiacos Piraeus, is a Greek professional basketball club, part of Olympiacos CFP, based in Piraeus. The basketball club, founded in 1931, is one of the most successful in Greece and a traditional powerhouse in European competitions...
. The deal was worth 9 million euros over four years. However, he suffered a devastating Achilles' tendon injury in September and missed the rest of the regular season.
Macijauskas was healthy for the next season and was named the Euroleague MVP for November, 2007, shooting a staggering 80 percent from the field. However, his team came up short again. Olympiacos lost to eventual champion CSKA Moscow
PBC CSKA Moscow
PBC CSKA Moscow is a Russian professional basketball team that is based in Moscow, Russia. The club is a member of the VTB United League. It is often referred to in the West as "Red Army" for its past affiliation with the Soviet Army. CSKA has won two titles between 2006 and 2009 in Europe's...
in the semi-finals. Ironically, they were led by a Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n again, Ramūnas Šiškauskas
Ramunas Šiškauskas
Ramūnas Šiškauskas in height and he weighs 220 lbs. . He is currently with CSKA Moscow.-Player profile:Šiškauskas is a physical forward who can easily play, both on offense and defense, at the guard positions, on the wing, and also in the paint...
.
Later that year, Olympiacos sued Macijauskas for violating the contract terms (he injured his ankle during holiday). The club wanted to cancel the contract without paying a compensation. However, the court made a decision in Macijauskas' favor. But Olympiacos appealed and eventually won the case in November 2009. He played in 14 Euroleague games in 2 seasons with the Olympiacos and averaged 13.8 points and 2.1 rebounds.
In June 2010, he announced his retirement from basketball career because of health reasons.
Coaching career
On June 19, 2010, he became the assistant coach of Perlas Vilnius, but in August it was announced that he left Perlas due to personal reasons.National team
Macijauskas was a member of the LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n U-18 and U-20 national teams. He played at the 1998 European U-18 Basketball Championship and the 2000 European U-20 Championship.
Macijauskas led the Lithuania national team
Lithuania national basketball team
The Lithuanian national basketball team is the representative for Lithuania in international men's basketball. Lithuania won bronze medals in three out of five Olympic tournaments it participated in....
in scoring in the 2003 European Championship
Eurobasket 2003
-5th to 8th place:-Awards:-All-Tournament Team : Tony Parker Šarūnas Jasikevičius Saulius Štombergas Andrei Kirilenko Pau Gasol-Top scorers :# Pau Gasol 25.8# Andrei Kirilenko 23.1# Dirk Nowitzki 22.5# Mehmet Okur 18.7...
with 15.8 points per game. The Lithuanians prevailed to win the gold medals. However, Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarunas Jasikevicius
Šarūnas Jasikevičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for Panathinaikos BC. He is a member of the Lithuanian national team, and plays the point guard position.-Early years:...
was named the tournament MVP.
He played at the 2004 Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, where the Lithuanians were fourth. He averaged 15.9 points on 54% shooting and scored a tournament-high 32 points against China
China national basketball team
The Chinese men's national basketball team is the basketball team representing China in international competitions. The governing body of Chinese basketball operations is the Basketball Association of China...
in the quarter finals.
Macijauskas also played at the 2006 World Championship
2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...
, where the team finished seventh. He was a candidate for the Eurobasket 2009
EuroBasket 2009
The EuroBasket 2009 was the 36th EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September 2009 and concluded with the final on 20 September 2009...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, but at the last minute, he declared that he will not participate in the tournament.