Darius Songaila facts for kids
Darius Songaila (born February 14, 1978) is a Lithuanian basketball coach and former player. He played as a power forward and center during his career. He is currently an assistant coach for Manisa Basket in Turkey. Darius also proudly represented the Lithuanian national basketball team in many important games.
Songaila playing for Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
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| Manisa Basket | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Assistant coach | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 14, 1978 Marijampolė, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
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| Nationality | Lithuanian | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | New Hampton School (New Hampton, New Hampshire) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 248 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Wake Forest (1998–2002) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2002 / Round: 2 / Pick: 50th overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2002–2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2015–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | BSL | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | CSKA Moscow | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Sacramento Kings | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Chicago Bulls | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Washington Wizards | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | New Orleans Hornets | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Philadelphia 76ers | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Galatasaray | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Blancos de Rueda Valladolid | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Donetsk | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Lietuvos rytas Vilnius | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Žalgiris Kaunas | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Žalgiris Kaunas (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2024 | San Antonio Spurs (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Manisa Basket (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
As assistant coach:
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| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 3,415 (6.9 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 1,689 (3.4 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 589 (1.2 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Contents
Starting His Basketball Journey
Darius Songaila began playing basketball in Lithuania. He started with Lietuvos rytas Marijampolė in 1995. This was in a league called the LKAL.
In 1997, he moved to the United States. There, he went to the New Hampton School in New Hampshire. He also played in the Nike Hoop Summit in 1998. He was even named to the All-European Under-22 Championship Second Team.
Playing College Basketball
Darius Songaila played college basketball at Wake Forest University. He was a great player there. In 2000, he was named Third Team All-ACC. Then, in 2002, he made the Second Team All-ACC. As a senior, he also received an Honorable Mention All-American award.
Darius Songaila's Professional Career
Darius Songaila was chosen in the 2002 NBA draft. The Boston Celtics picked him as the 50th player. However, his rights were later traded to the Sacramento Kings.
Playing in the NBA
Before joining the NBA, Darius played for CSKA Moscow in Russia. He helped them win the Russian Basketball Super League in 2003.
In June 2003, he signed with the Sacramento Kings. He played two seasons with them. He averaged about 6.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
In 2005, Songaila signed with the Chicago Bulls. This was his best season yet. He averaged 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds. But he got an ankle injury in March 2006. This made him miss the last 20 games.
On July 17, 2006, Darius joined the Washington Wizards. He missed the first 45 games due to back surgery. He still averaged 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds.
Darius became an important player for the Wizards. He often came off the bench or started games. In the 2008–09 season, he started 29 games. This was a career high for him. He averaged 7.4 points and 2.9 rebounds.
He was later traded to the New Orleans Hornets in 2009. In 2010, he moved to the Philadelphia 76ers. With the 76ers, he had lower stats. He averaged only 1.6 points per game. After this season, he became a free agent.
Playing Overseas
In July 2011, Darius signed a one-year contract with Galatasaray in Turkey. Later, in March 2012, he played for Blancos de Rueda Valladolid in Spain. That same year, he joined BC Donetsk.
In 2013, he signed with Lietuvos rytas Vilnius for one season. Then, in 2014, he joined Žalgiris Kaunas.
At the end of the 2014–15 season, Darius Songaila retired from playing professional basketball.
Becoming a Coach
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After retiring as a player, Darius Songaila started his coaching career. On August 5, 2015, he became an assistant coach for Žalgiris Kaunas.
In August 2018, he joined the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. He started as a quality assurance assistant. In 2019, he was promoted to a player development assistant. Then, in November 2020, he became an assistant coach for the Spurs.
On November 1, 2024, he signed with Manisa Basket in Turkey. He is now an assistant coach there.
