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Donatas Motiejūnas
Donatas Motiejūnas 20 AS Monaco Basket EuroLeague 20241212 (2).jpg
Motiejūnas with Monaco in 2024
No. 20 – AS Monaco
Center / power forward
Personal information
Born (1990-09-20) September 20, 1990 (age 34)
Kaunas, Lithuania
Listed height 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight 259 lb (117 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft 2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20th overall
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Pro career 2005–present
League LNB Pro A
EuroLeague
Career history
2005–2007 Žalgiris-Arvydas Sabonis School Kaunas
2007–2008 Žalgiris Kaunas
2007–2008 →Žalgiris-Arvydas Sabonis School Kaunas
2008–2009 Aisčiai Kaunas
2009–2012 Benetton Basket Treviso
2011–2012 →Asseco Prokom Gdynia
2012–2016 Houston Rockets
2012–2013;
2016		 →Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2017 New Orleans Pelicans
2017–2019 Shandong Golden Stars
2019 San Antonio Spurs
2019–2020 Shanghai Sharks
2020–2021 Xinjiang Flying Tigers
2021–present AS Monaco
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× LNB Pro A champion (2023, 2024)
  • French Cup winner (2023)
  • CBA rebounding champion (2021)
  • All-CBA Foreign First Team (2021)
  • Polish League champion (2012)
  • EuroCup Rising Star (2011)
  • Lithuanian League All-Star (2009)
  • Lithuanian League Most Improved Player (2009)
  • Lithuanian National Basketball League champion (2008)
  • Lithuanian Cup winner (2008)
  • Baltic League champion (2008)
  • FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship MVP (2008)
  • Nike International Junior Tournament MVP (2007)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Lithuania
EuroBasket
Silver 2013 Slovenia
European U-20 Championship
Silver 2008 Latvia U-20 Team
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
Silver 2008 Greece U-18 Team

Donatas Motiejūnas (born September 20, 1990) is a professional basketball player from Lithuania. He plays as a center or power forward. Donatas currently plays for AS Monaco Basket in France, which is part of the LNB Pro A league and the EuroLeague.

He was chosen as the 20th player in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Before joining the Houston Rockets in 2012, he won the Polish Basketball League championship with Asseco Prokom Gdynia. Donatas played for the Rockets for four seasons, from 2012 to 2016. After that, he joined the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017.

Donatas Motiejūnas' Basketball Journey

Early Career in Lithuania and Italy

Donatas started his basketball journey in 2005 with the junior team of Žalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania. This team was part of the National Basketball League. In the 2007–08 season, he played his first game for the main Žalgiris team. He scored 15 points in just 22 minutes.

In 2008, Donatas moved to Aisčiai Kaunas. During that season, he averaged almost 20 points and 7 rebounds per game. He even scored a season-high 29 points in one game.

In 2009, Donatas signed a deal with Benetton Treviso in Italy. He played well, averaging 9.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in his first season. He was named the EuroCup Rising Star in 2011. This award goes to a young player who performs very well in the EuroCup competition.

Diego Fajardo e Motiejūnas
Motiejūnas (front) with Benetton Treviso in 2011

Playing in Poland and the NBA Draft

On June 23, 2011, Donatas was picked 20th in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The very next day, his rights were traded to the Houston Rockets. Because of an NBA lockout (a time when players and teams couldn't agree on rules), Donatas went back to Europe.

He was loaned to Asseco Prokom in Poland for the 2011–12 season. There, he set a career record by getting 21 rebounds in a EuroLeague game. He also helped his team win their ninth straight Polish League title in 2012.

Time with the Houston Rockets

On July 6, 2012, Donatas signed a contract with the Houston Rockets. He joined them for the NBA Summer League, where he played great. In his first game, he scored 25 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. He even used a famous Lithuanian saying: "If you're scared of wolves, don't go into the woods." This meant he wasn't afraid to play hard.

Donatas Motiejunas and Hasheem Thabeet
Motiejūnas versus Hasheem Thabeet in October 2012

During his time with the Rockets, he sometimes played for their minor league team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. This helped him get more playing time and improve his skills.

In the 2014–15 season, Donatas really shined. He played a lot when other key players were injured. He averaged 14.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during this period. He even scored a career-high 26 points in a game against the Boston Celtics. He was known for his "post-up" moves, scoring well close to the basket.

Withey shot 2013-10-05
Motiejūnas defending Jeff Withey in October 2013

In December 2015, Donatas returned to play after having back surgery. He had been out since March 2015. He worked hard to get back on the court. In the 2016 playoffs, he had his first "double-double" (scoring double digits in two different stats, like points and rebounds) in a playoff game.

Moving to New Orleans and China

After the 2015–16 season, Donatas became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team. After some contract discussions, he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans in January 2017. He played 21 games for them.

In August 2017, Donatas signed a contract to play for the Shandong Golden Stars in the Chinese Basketball Association. He quickly became one of the best players in the league. In February 2018, he achieved a "triple-double" (double digits in three stats: points, rebounds, and assists) with 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.

He continued to set new personal records in China. In November 2018, he grabbed an amazing 32 rebounds in one game, along with 32 points! He had a fantastic 2018–19 season, averaging 27.3 points and 14 rebounds per game.

Back to the NBA and More in China

On April 4, 2019, Donatas briefly returned to the NBA, signing with the San Antonio Spurs. However, he soon decided to go back to China because the Shanghai Sharks offered him a much better contract.

He joined the Shanghai Sharks in August 2019. He continued to be a top player, leading the league in rebounds with 15.1 per game. In 2020, he signed with another Chinese team, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers.

Playing for AS Monaco

In August 2021, Donatas signed with AS Monaco Basket in France. He has been a key player for them, helping Monaco win the LNB Pro A championship twice, in 2023 and 2024. He also helped them win the French Cup in 2023. He extended his contract with Monaco through 2025.

Playing for His Country

Donatas has proudly represented his home country, Lithuania, in basketball. He played for the Lithuanian Under-16, Under-18, and Under-20 national teams.

In 2008, he helped Lithuania's Under-18 team win a silver medal at the 2008 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. He was even named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of that tournament!

In 2013, Donatas won a silver medal with the main Lithuanian national team at the FIBA EuroBasket tournament. He also played in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

About Donatas' Life

Donatas has a cool tattoo on his chest of an eagle holding a basketball. He says he likes eagles because "They never give up." He is also a fan of the German football club FC Bayern Munich and the Germany national football team.

Career Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

NBA Statistics

Regular Season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Houston 44 14 12.2 .455 .289 .627 2.1 .7 .2 .2 5.7
2013–14 Houston 62 3 15.4 .443 .250 .604 3.6 .5 .3 .3 5.5
2014–15 Houston 71 62 28.7 .504 .368 .602 5.9 1.8 .8 .5 12.0
2015–16 Houston 37 22 14.8 .439 .281 .642 2.9 1.1 .5 .1 6.2
2016–17 New Orleans 34 0 14.1 .413 .234 .510 3.0 1.0 .5 .3 4.4
2018–19 San Antonio 3 0 4.3 .500 — .000 1.0 .3 .0 .3 2.0
Career 251 101 18.2 .469 .300 .597 3.8 1.1 .5 .3 7.3

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013 Houston 1 0 5.0 1.000 — 1.000 1.0 — — — 5.0
2016 Houston 5 4 19.6 .432 .444 .471 5.2 1.0 .8 .4 8.8
2019 San Antonio 5 0 3.8 .600 .000 .500 1.4 .4 — — 2.6
Career 11 4 11.1 .490 .400 .500 3.1 .6 .4 .2 5.6

EuroLeague Statistics

* Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2007–08 Žalgiris 3 0 7.2 .200 .000 1.000 2.7 — — — 1.3 1.3
2011–12 Gdynia 10 10 31.3 .436 .304 .455 7.9 .9 .6 .8 12.5 13.7
2021–22 Monaco 38 34 19.5 .572 .327 .447 4.6 .7 .5 .3 9.7 10.8
2022–23 41* 37 17.8 .573 .250 .558 3.7 .8 .3 .1 8.5 10.0
2023–24 39 32 17.7 .550 .377 .727 3.4 .9 .4 .2 8.8 10.1
Career 131 113 18.9 .547 .319 .562 4.2 .8 .4 .3 9.1 10.3

EuroCup Statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2009–10 Benetton Treviso 12 7 19.7 .547 .714 .444 3.3 .6 1.2 .1 7.6 8.3
2010–11 16 16 27.4 .441 .154 .620 5.6 .8 .9 .6 10.9 10.9
Career 28 23 24.1 .473 .273 .561 4.6 .7 1.0 .4 9.5 9.8

Domestic Leagues Statistics

Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Lithuania Aisčiai LKL 20 30.1 .478 .422 .748 7.6 1.4 1.0 .8 21.0
2009–10 Italy Benetton Treviso LBA 31 20.3 .515 .357 .725 4.7 .6 1.2 .2 9.2
2010–11 Italy Benetton Treviso LBA 37 25.6 .525 .429 .715 4.3 .9 1.2 .4 12.8
2011–12 Poland Gdynia PLK 25 27.0 .468 .286 .667 6.6 1.3 1.2 .9 15.7
2011–12 Poland Gdynia VTBUL 16 26.7 .477 .326 .655 7.5 .7 .7 .4 13.4
2012–13 United States R. G. Valley Vipers D-League 31 34.5 .518 .174 .625 9.7 3.0 .9 .4 20.3
2015–16 United States R.G. Valley Vipers D-League 4 25.0 .525 .467 .500 5.7 3.0 1.0 1.0 13.0
2017–18 China Shandong G.S. CBA 48 34.2 .576 .352 .571 12.0 2.8 1.5 .6 23.6
2018–19 China Shandong G.S. CBA 37 34.2 .551 .323 .528 14.0 4.2 1.8 .8 27.3
2019–20 China Shanghai Sharks CBA 28 36.7 .530 .303 .503 15.1 3.5 1.8 .5 22.8
2020–21 China Xianjiang F.T. CBA 42 34.2 .586 .403 .421 13.7 4.2 2.0 .7 21.6
2021–22 France Monaco LNB Élite 36 20.9 .576 .279 .609 4.5 1.2 .7 .2 11.0
2022–23 France Monaco LNB Élite 36 17.9 .606 .512 .602 4.6 1.0 .5 .2 10.7
2023–24 France Monaco LNB Élite 24 14.3 .530 .344 .605 3.3 1.1 .4 .1 7.5

See also

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