Artūras Karnišovas facts for kids
| Chicago Bulls | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Executive vice president of basketball operations | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | April 27, 1971 Klaipėda, Lithuania |
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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 famous Lithuanian basketball star. He was a professional player and is now a top executive. He is currently the executive vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls. This team plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Contents
Early Life and College Basketball Journey
Artūras Karnišovas was born in Klaipėda, Lithuania. His father, Mykolas, was also a basketball player. Artūras started his basketball career in Lithuania with Statyba Vilnius. He played for them while still in high school until 1990. Interestingly, his father also played for Statyba. They are the only father-son pair to have played for that team.
Artūras 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. Artūras was the first player from the USSR to play in an American college. He arrived in the U.S. without knowing any English!
He played for the Seton Hall Pirates for four years. During his time there, he helped his team win two Big East tournaments. The team also made it to the NCAA tournament four times in a row. Artūras was the only player to start in all those teams.
Professional Playing Career in Europe
After college, Artūras tried to join an NBA team. When that didn't work out, he decided to play basketball overseas. His former college coach, P. J. Carlesimo, believed that NBA teams didn't scout him enough. Also, playing in Europe offered a more secure financial future for him.
Artūras is one of the few players who played in Europe's four strongest national basketball leagues. He played in Spain for FC Barcelona. He also played in Italy for Fortitudo Bologna. His career also took him to Greece with Olympiacos Piraeus. Finally, he played in France for Cholet.
He reached the EuroLeague's EuroLeague Final Four three times. In the 1998–99 EuroLeague season, he led the league in free throw percentage, making 89.6% of his shots. In 1996, FIBA Basket magazine named him FIBA's European Player of the Year.
Playing for His Home Country: The National Team
Artūras Karnišovas was a key player for the Lithuanian national basketball team. He helped his team win two bronze medals at the Summer Olympic Games. These medals were won in 1992 (Barcelona) and 1996 (Atlanta).
He also played in the 1998 FIBA World Championship. In addition, he competed in the EuroBasket 1995, where his team won a silver medal. He also played in EuroBasket 1997 and EuroBasket 1999.
Life After Playing: A Career in Management
After retiring as a player, Artūras Karnišovas continued his career in basketball. From 2003 to 2008, he worked for the NBA's basketball operations office. After that, he became an international scout for the Houston Rockets for five years. He also directed the Adidas Eurocamp in 2011 and 2012. This camp helps European players get ready for the NBA draft.
On July 16, 2013, he became the assistant general manager of the Denver Nuggets. He was considered a top candidate for the general manager job for the Brooklyn Nets in 2016. In 2017, he was also a strong candidate for the general manager position for the Milwaukee Bucks.
On June 15, 2017, the Nuggets promoted Artūras 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 multi-year contract on July 13, 2017. On February 15, 2019, Artūras signed a multi-year contract extension with the Nuggets.
On April 13, 2020, Artūras Karnišovas was named executive vice president of basketball operations by the Chicago Bulls. He continues to hold this important role today.
Personal Life
Artūras Karnišovas is married to Gina, whom he 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.
Awards and Achievements
College Honors
- Haggerty Award: (1994)
Professional Honors
- 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 Medals
- 2× Summer Olympic Games:
Bronze (1992, 1996)
- EuroBasket:
Silver
(1995)
See also
In Spanish: Artūras Karnišovas para niños
