Robertas Javtokas
Encyclopedia
Robertas Javtokas is 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 professional basketball player. Javtokas is 2.11 m (6'11") in height and weighs 122 kg (270 lbs). He plays the center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

 position. He has been a member of the Lithuanian 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....

 since 2000. In the 2001 NBA Draft
2001 NBA Draft
The 2001 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player drafted with the first overall pick...

 he was selected by the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....

 with the 55th overall pick.

Player profile

Javtokas has very good athletic ability, long arms and good coordination. He is a good jumper who has a 40-inch vertical leap and can easily dunk in traffic. He still has to work on his technique and to improve his free-throw shooting. He can run the floor and make plays on the perimeter with his good athletic ability, nice size, and good hops. He is a good rebounder and a good defender as well. He once set a world record by dunking on a 12 foot high basketball goal.

Motorcycle crash

On May 1, 2002, while driving his Honda CBR1100XX
Honda CBR1100XX
The CBR1100XX Super Blackbird is a Honda motorcycle made from 1996 to 2007. The bike was developed to challenge the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 as the world's fastest production motorcycle, and Honda succeeded with a top speed of . Two years later the title passed to the Suzuki Hayabusa, which reached...

 motorcycle at a speed of around 140 kilometers per hour (87 miles per hour) towards Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...

, he had a serious accident. Approaching a side road, Javtokas started to pass a van, but the van driver did not see the motorcycle and turned left. There was no chance for Javtokas to stop and he hit the van, losing control but not the bike, which crashed into a car in the opposite lane. Javtokas flew dozens of meters and landed in bushes off the road, crushing his thighbone, breaking his shoulder, and injuring his knee and kidneys. He returned to basketball for the 2003-04 season.

Europe

In 2000 Javtokas joined 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 quickly became the best center in the Lithuanian League
Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...

. Javtokas, playing alongside with 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...

, Arvydas Macijauskas
Arvydas Macijauskas
Arvydas Macijauskas is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player. He announced termination of his career after his last club, Olympiacos, released him following a prolonged judicial litigation.-Early years:...

, Simas Jasaitis
Simas Jasaitis
Simas Jasaitis is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He is a small forward and currently plays for Türk Telekom B.K.. He also represents the Lithuanian national basketball team.-Pro career:...

 and Rimantas Kaukėnas
Rimantas Kaukenas
Rimantas "Rimas" Kaukėnas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He was also a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team...

 won the 2002 Lithuanian League
Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...

 championship and also the North European League
North European Basketball League
North European Basketball League - was short-lived basketball league founded in 1998 by Šarūnas Marčiulionis. This league was first commercial project of regional league in Europe, and initially intended for participation of best basketball teams from 5 countries - Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia,...

 Championship. After the motorcycle crash, Javtokas missed the entire 2003 season and came back in 2004. In 2005, he won the Eurocup
ULEB Cup
Eurocup Basketball is the second-tier level transnational professional basketball competition in Europe. The Eurocup is the level that is one tier below the Turkish Airlines Euroleague level...

 Championship and he was named the Eurocup Finals MVP.

In 2006, with his help, Rytas made a strong debut in 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...

, and also beat their main rival Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...

 4-0 in Lithuanian league finals series. The team also won the Baltic League
Baltic Basketball League
Baltic Basketball League is a Baltic states basketball league founded in 2004.Currently, the league is divided into two: the Elite division and the Challenge Cup division. The 10 strongest Baltic basketball clubs participate in the Elite division. The rest of the teams compete in the Challenge Cup...

 Championship. After the season, Javtokas was disappointed that Rytas was not able to offer him a bigger pare of money and also was returning to the Eurocup
ULEB Cup
Eurocup Basketball is the second-tier level transnational professional basketball competition in Europe. The Eurocup is the level that is one tier below the Turkish Airlines Euroleague level...

 instead of 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...

, so he decided to play in another club.

He joined Panathinaikos for the 2006-07 season
Euroleague 2006-07
The Euroleague is an international basketball club competition for elite clubs throughout Europe. The 2006-2007 season featured 24 competing teams from 13 different countries. The draw for the groups was held on September 14, 2006 in Athens. The competition began on October 24, 2006 at the Olympic...

 and with them he won the Greek Championship
A1 Ethniki
The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...

, the Greek Cup
Greek basketball Cup
The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup is an annual pro basketball national cup competition. It is organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation .-History and format:...

, and 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...

 (thus winning the coveted Basketball Triple Crown
Triple Crown in Basketball
The Triple Crown is a term in European professional club basketball that refers to a club winning their country's top tier national domestic league, primary national domestic cup, and the top tier European continental level competition in the same season. It is the highest accomplishment that a...

), although he played very limited minutes all season. On July 24, 2007, he signed a two-year contract with Dynamo Moscow
MBC Dynamo Moscow
MBC Dynamo Moscow is a Russian professional basketball team from Moscow, Russia.-Early Years:Created in 1923 when Russia was part of the Soviet Union, Dynamo is among the oldest sports clubs in the country. Its name was chosen because Dynamo means 'power in motion'. The club was backed by the...

 of the Russian League. In Dynamo, he improved his free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...

 percentage from 35.5% to 54.5%, and he improved in scoring average to 12.2 points per game. In 2009, he joined the Russian club Khimki Moscow Region. On July 15, 2010 he signed a two-year contract with the Spanish club Power Electronics Valencia. In June 2011 he signed a three-year contract with the pro club Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...

 of the Lithuanian LKL.

NBA

Javtokas was selected by the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....

 with 56th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft
2001 NBA Draft
The 2001 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player drafted with the first overall pick...

. Although Javtokas has not yet played with the Spurs, they still retain his NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 draft rights.

Lithuanian national team

At the 2005 FIBA European Championship
Eurobasket 2005
The EuroBasket 2005 was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Greece won the gold medal by defeating Germany, while France won the bronze medal over Spain...

 he played in 6 games for the Lithuanian national basketball 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....

. During the tournament he averaged 11.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. His 2-point field goal percentage was 61.7% and his free-throw percentage was 47.1%.

He also played for Lithuania at the 2010 FIBA World Championship
2010 FIBA World Championship
The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the...

, which won Bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

 medals.

Team titles

  • 3x Lithuanian League
    Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
    The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...

     Champion - 2000, 2002, 2006
  • North European League
    North European Basketball League
    North European Basketball League - was short-lived basketball league founded in 1998 by Šarūnas Marčiulionis. This league was first commercial project of regional league in Europe, and initially intended for participation of best basketball teams from 5 countries - Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia,...

     Champion - 2002
  • Eurocup
    ULEB Cup
    Eurocup Basketball is the second-tier level transnational professional basketball competition in Europe. The Eurocup is the level that is one tier below the Turkish Airlines Euroleague level...

     Champion - 2005
  • Baltic League
    Baltic Basketball League
    Baltic Basketball League is a Baltic states basketball league founded in 2004.Currently, the league is divided into two: the Elite division and the Challenge Cup division. The 10 strongest Baltic basketball clubs participate in the Elite division. The rest of the teams compete in the Challenge Cup...

     Champion - 2006
  • Greek Cup
    Greek basketball Cup
    The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup is an annual pro basketball national cup competition. It is organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation .-History and format:...

     Champion - 2007
  • 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...

     Champion - 2007
  • Greek League
    A1 Ethniki
    The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...

     Champion - 2007
  • Triple Crown
    Triple Crown in Basketball
    The Triple Crown is a term in European professional club basketball that refers to a club winning their country's top tier national domestic league, primary national domestic cup, and the top tier European continental level competition in the same season. It is the highest accomplishment that a...

     Champion - 2007
  • 2007 FIBA European Championship
    Eurobasket 2007
    -Group B:-Group C:-Group D:-Second round:- Group E :- Group F :-Championship bracket:- Quarterfinals :-Classification rounds:- Semifinals :- Third place game:- Final :...

     - Bronze Medalist
  • 2010 FIBA World Championship, Turkey
    2010 FIBA World Championship
    The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the...

     - Bronze Medalist

Personal awards

  • Lithuanian League
    Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
    The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...

     All-Star Game - 2001, 2002, 2006
  • Lithuanian League Rookie of the Year - 2001
  • Lithuanian All-Star Game MVP - 2002
  • Eurocup Finals MVP - 2005
  • Lithuanian League Finals MVP - 2006
  • Led the Lithuanian League
    Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
    The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...

     in blocked shots - 2006
  • Led the Baltic League
    Baltic Basketball League
    Baltic Basketball League is a Baltic states basketball league founded in 2004.Currently, the league is divided into two: the Elite division and the Challenge Cup division. The 10 strongest Baltic basketball clubs participate in the Elite division. The rest of the teams compete in the Challenge Cup...

     in blocked shots - 2006
  • 2x LKL Slam Dunk Champion
    LKL All-Star Game
    The Lithuanian Basketball League holds its All-Star Game once ever year. The participants are currently chosen in two ways. The first is via fan ballot, with the leading vote recipients at each position starting the game; secondly the reserves are chosen by a vote among the head coaches of each...

     - 2000, 2001

Personal

Javtokas attended to St. Vincent - St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...

, the same secondary school that LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...

 went to growing up. Javtokas also attended Bishop McGuinness High School in Winston Salem, North Carolina, for one year of high school during the 1997–1998 school year.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK