Artūras Karnišovas facts for kids
| Chicago Bulls | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Executive vice president of basketball operations | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | April 27, 1971 Klaipėda, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
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| Nationality | Lithuanian | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 2.04 m (6 ft 8.31 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 103 kg (227 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Seton Hall (1990–1994) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1994 / Undrafted | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1987–2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1990 | Statyba Vilnius | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Cholet | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | FC Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Olympiacos Piraeus | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Fortitudo Bologna | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | FC Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
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Medals
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Artūras Karnišovas (born April 27, 1971) is a Lithuanian basketball expert and former player. He is currently the executive vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls. This team plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Contents
Artūras Karnišovas's Early Life and College Basketball
Artūras Karnišovas was born in Klaipėda, Lithuania. His father, Mykolas, was also a basketball player. Artūras started his basketball journey in high school with a team called Statyba Vilnius in Lithuania. He played there until 1990. Interestingly, he and his father are the only father-son pair to have played for Statyba.
Karnišovas wanted to play and study in the United States. He got a chance to play college basketball at Seton Hall University. This happened after Šarūnas Marčiulionis recommended him to Seton Hall's coach, P. J. Carlesimo. Karnišovas was the first player from the Soviet Union to play at an American college. He arrived in the U.S. without knowing any English!
During his four years playing for the Seton Hall Pirates, Karnišovas helped his team win two Big East tournaments. They also made it to the NCAA tournament four times in a row. He was the only player to start in all those teams.
Artūras Karnišovas's Professional Playing Career
After college, Karnišovas tried to join an National Basketball Association (NBA) team but didn't succeed. So, he decided to play basketball overseas in Europe. His college coach, P. J. Carlesimo, believed Karnišovas didn't get enough attention from NBA scouts. Also, playing in Europe offered more guaranteed money at the time.
Karnišovas is special because he played in the top basketball leagues in four different European countries:
- Spain for FC Barcelona
- Italy for Fortitudo Bologna
- Greece for Olympiacos Piraeus
- France for Cholet
He reached the EuroLeague's Final Four three times. In the 1998–99 EuroLeague season, he was the best at making free throws, with an amazing 89.6% success rate. In 1996, FIBA Basket magazine named him FIBA's European Player of the Year.
Artūras Karnišovas and the National Team
Karnišovas was a key player for the Lithuanian national basketball team. He helped them win two bronze medals at the Summer Olympic Games. These were in 1992 (Barcelona) and 1996 (Atlanta).
He also played in the 1998 FIBA World Championship. At the EuroBasket 1995, he won a silver medal. He also played in the EuroBasket 1997 and EuroBasket 1999 tournaments.
Artūras Karnišovas's Career After Playing
After retiring as a player, Karnišovas continued to work in basketball. From 2003 to 2008, he worked in the National Basketball Association's basketball operations office.
Working as a Scout
For five years, he worked as an international scout for the Houston Rockets. A scout finds new talented players. He also helped manage the Adidas Eurocamp in 2011 and 2012. This event helps European players get ready for the NBA draft.
Becoming a General Manager
On July 16, 2013, Karnišovas became the assistant general manager for the Denver Nuggets. A general manager helps run a basketball team.
He was considered a top choice for general manager roles for other teams too. In 2016, he was a candidate for the Brooklyn Nets. In 2017, he was a candidate for the Milwaukee Bucks.
On June 15, 2017, the Nuggets promoted Karnišovas to their new general manager. Tim Connelly became the team's president of basketball operations. One of his first big moves as general manager was signing Paul Millsap to a contract in July 2017. In February 2019, Karnišovas signed a new contract extension with the Nuggets.
Joining the Chicago Bulls
On April 13, 2020, Artūras Karnišovas was named the executive vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls. This is a very important leadership role in the team.
Artūras Karnišovas's Personal Life
Artūras Karnišovas is married to Gina. They met while they were both at Seton Hall University. They live in Chicago with their three sons. Before moving to Chicago, his family lived in North Jersey and Englewood, Colorado.
Artūras Karnišovas's Awards and Achievements
College Awards
- Haggerty Award: (1994)
Professional Awards
- FIBA European Selection: (1995)
- EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer: (1996)
- EuroLeague All-Final Four Team: (1996)
- 3× Spanish League champion: (1996, 1997, 2001)
- FIBA Basket Magazine's European Player of the Year: (1996)
- 3× Spanish League All-Star: (1996, 2001 I, 2001 II)
- FIBA EuroStars MVP: (1997)
- 3× FIBA EuroStar: (1997, 1998, 1999)
- McDonald's Championship Finalist: (1997)
- Greek League All-Star (1997)
- Italian Supercup winner: (1998)
- FIBA EuroStars Top Scorer: (1999)
- Italian League champion: (2000)
- Spanish King's Cup winner: (2001)
Lithuanian National Team Awards
- 2× Summer Olympic Games:
Bronze (1992, 1996)
- EuroBasket:
Silver
(1995)
See also
In Spanish: Artūras Karnišovas para niños
