Lithuanian Basketball Legend Calls for Protest Amidst International League Conflicts
Vilnius, Lithuania – November 30, 2023, 17:23:46 EET – Veteran basketball coach Jonas kazlauskas has urged the basketball community to actively protest the ongoing dispute between FIBA and the EuroLeague, expressing deep frustration over the impact on Lithuania’s national team preparations. Speaking to krepsinis.net journalist Gabrielė Miknevičiūtė at the LKL GALA awards ceremony on Saturday, Kazlauskas criticized the lack of resolution, which forces Lithuania to compete in qualifying rounds without key players.
The conflict stems from scheduling clashes between FIBA qualifying windows and the EuroLeague season, preventing top Lithuanian players contracted to EuroLeague clubs from participating in national team games. This situation,Kazlauskas argues,unfairly burdens national team coaches and diminishes the competitive strength of participating nations. He believes a unified response from the basketball world is crucial to resolving the issue, stating, “It is very bad. The basketball community needs to unite and express protests. Now is the time to solve this, as it is indeed bad for everyone.” He drew a parallel to football, questioning, “what can we demand from Kurtinaitis if he has 1-2 training sessions with new players? And those players are from different clubs, different systems.”
Kazlauskas further asserted that national team head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis should not be held accountable for potential setbacks resulting from incomplete rosters. “I don’t see any coach’s duty,” he stated,emphasizing the logistical challenges of integrating players from diverse backgrounds with limited preparation time.
Beyond the FIBA-EuroLeague impasse, Kazlauskas voiced his disapproval of the NBA‘s recent efforts to establish a new basketball league in Europe. He characterized the NBA’s approach as disruptive and counterproductive, suggesting that existing European leagues, like the EuroLeague, should be strengthened rather than fragmented. “NBA is communicating more closely with FIBA, sometimes they will buy, sometimes they won’t. What will you buy? Which teams? A good, engaging league has been created, it needs to be improved, not split, it needs to be improved,” Kazlauskas explained. He cited the evolution of Lithuania’s own LKL as a model for sustainable league advancement, advocating for a similar approach to the EuroLeague. he concluded, ”Now leagues are being created, they are trying to lure one from another with money – these are unserious things.”
