Gintaras Krapikas facts for kids
Krapikas with Lithuania in 2013
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | July 6, 1961 Kretinga, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
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| Nationality | Lithuanian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1980–1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2000–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1990 | Žalgiris Kaunas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1999 | Tus Iserlohn | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2006 | Žalgiris Kaunas (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Unics Kazan (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Žalgiris Kaunas (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Žalgiris Kaunas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Nevėžis Kėdainiai | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Azovmash Mariupol | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Unics Kazan (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Žalgiris Kaunas (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Žalgiris Kaunas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Nanjing Monkey Kings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Nanjing Monkey Kings (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Guangdong Southern Tigers (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2025 | Žalgiris Kaunas (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
As assistant coach:
As head coach:
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Medals
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Gintaras "Vytas" Krapikas, born on July 6, 1961, in Kretinga, Lithuania, is a famous Lithuanian basketball coach and a former player. He was part of the Lithuanian national basketball team that won a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Krapikas recently worked as an assistant coach for Žalgiris Kaunas.
Contents
Playing Basketball
Gintaras Krapikas played basketball for many years. From 1980 to 1990, he played for Žalgiris Kaunas. During his time with Žalgiris, he wore jersey number 9. He played as a small forward, which is a position in basketball. He also played for Tus Iserlohn from 1990 to 1999.
Winning as a Player
Krapikas achieved great success as a player.
- He helped his team, Žalgiris, become the Soviet Union champion in 1987.
- He also won the Intercontinental W. Jones Cup in 1986.
- A big highlight was winning a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona with the Lithuanian national team.
- He also won a silver medal at the European Championship in 1995.
Coaching Basketball Teams
After his playing career, Gintaras Krapikas became a basketball coach. He started coaching in 2000.
Early Coaching Roles
- In 2000, Krapikas became an assistant coach for Žalgiris Kaunas. He worked with head coach Antanas Sireika. They both left this role in 2006.
- From 2002 to 2005, he was also an assistant coach for the Lithuanian national team.
- From 2006 to 2008, he worked as an assistant coach for UNICS Kazan.
Leading as Head Coach
- In 2008, Krapikas became the head coach of Žalgiris Kaunas. He later resigned from this position in December 2009.
- He also coached Nevėžis for a short time during the 2010-2011 season.
- From 2011 to 2012, he was both an assistant and head coach for Azovmash.
- He returned to UNICS Kazan as an assistant coach in 2012.
Success with Žalgiris
- Before the 2013-2014 season, Krapikas came back to Žalgiris Kaunas as an assistant coach. He became the head coach in April 2014.
- This time, he was very successful. Under his leadership, Žalgiris played strong defense.
- The team had a good season in the Euroleague in 2014-2015, reaching the Top16 phase.
- Žalgiris also won the Lithuanian Cup in 2015.
- They won the LKL titles in both 2014 and 2015.
- The team was very strong against their main rival, BC Lietuvos rytas.
- However, by the 2015-2016 season, the team's results were not as good, especially in the Euroleague. Krapikas resigned in January 2016 and was replaced by Šarūnas Jasikevičius.
Coaching in China
- In 2018, Krapikas signed with the Nanjing Monkey Kings team in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
- For the 2019–2020 season, he became an assistant coach for the Nanjing Monkey Kings.
- In 2020, he moved to the Guangdong Southern Tigers. With this team, he won a CBA title in the 2020–2021 season.
Return to Žalgiris
- On April 11, 2022, Krapikas returned to Žalgiris Kaunas once again. He worked as an assistant coach under Kazys Maksvytis.
- As an assistant coach, he helped Žalgiris win the Lithuanian League in 2023 and 2025.
- They also won the King Mindaugas Cup in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Gintaras' Nickname
Gintaras Krapikas has an old nickname, "Vytas." This nickname started when he played for Kaunas Žalgiris. His last name, "Krapikas," sounds a bit like the Lithuanian word "Krapai," which means "Dill" in English. At that time, there was a famous dill farmer named Vytas from Petrašiūnai, and that's how the nickname came about!
See also
In Spanish: Gintaras Krapikas para niños
