Virginijus Praškevičius facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Virginijus Praškevičius

Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1974-03-04) 4 March 1974 (age 51) Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
Nationality	Lithuanian
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
Pro career	1993–2011
Career history
1993–1995	Lavera Kaunas
1995–1998	Atletas Kaunas
1997	LaCrosse Bobcats
1997–1998	Žalgiris Kaunas
1998–2000	Beşiktaş Spor Kulubu
2000–2002	Telindus Ostende
2002–2003	Ülkerspor
2003–2004	Hapoel Tel Aviv
2004–2005	Ülkerspor
2005–2006	Upea Capo D'Orlando
2006–2007	Baloncesto Fuenlabrada
2008–2009	BC Šiauliai
2009–2010	Qianjiang Tan Tan
2010	Utena Juventus
Career highlights and awards
Belgian League MVP (2001)
Medals Representing  Lithuania Men's Basketball FIBA EuroBasket Gold 2003 Sweden

Virginijus Praškevičius was a professional basketball player from Lithuania. He was born on March 4, 1974. He played as a power forward and sometimes as a center. He was quite tall, standing at 2.06 meters (6 feet 9 inches).

Playing Career

Virginijus Praškevičius started his basketball journey with Banga Kaunas. In 1993, he joined Lavera Kaunas. Later, in 1995, he moved to Atletas Kaunas. There, he played alongside another famous player, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas.

In 1996, Praškevičius signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). This is the top basketball league in the United States. However, he did not play any games for them. Instead, he was sent to the LaCrosse Bobcats in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). He left the Timberwolves in early 1997.

Playing in Europe

In 1997, he returned to his hometown of Kaunas, Lithuania. He played for Atletas again and then for Žalgiris. With Žalgiris, he won the Saporta Cup, an important European basketball competition.

After that, he played for two years with Beşiktaş Spor Kulubu in the Turkish Basketball League. In 2000, he moved to Basketball Club Oostende in Belgium. There, he helped his team win the Belgian National Championship twice. He was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the league once.

From 2002 to 2005, Praškevičius played for Ülkerspor in Turkey. During this time, he also played one season for Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel. With Ülkerspor, he won the Turkish National Cup two times.

Later, in 2005, he played for Upea Capo d'Orlando in Italy's top basketball league. In 2006, he played for Baloncesto Fuenlabrada in the Spanish ACB league. His last professional team was Utena Juventus in Lithuania. He stopped playing professional basketball in the spring of 2010, when he was 36 years old.

National Team Career

Virginijus Praškevičius also played for the Lithuanian national basketball teams.

Junior National Team

He was part of the Lithuania Under-22 junior national team. With this team, he won a gold medal at the 1996 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. This was a big win for him and his country.

Senior National Team

He was also a key player for the senior Lithuanian national team. He played in several major international tournaments:

• EuroBasket 1997
• 1998 FIBA World Championship
• EuroBasket 1999
• 2003 EuroBasket

At the 2003 EuroBasket, he helped his team win a gold medal. This was a very proud moment for him and for Lithuanian basketball.

Career Statistics

Here are some of Virginijus Praškevičius's statistics from playing in the EuroLeague, a major European basketball competition.

EuroLeague

See also

In Spanish: Virginijus Praškevičius para niños