1994-95 season. Sarunas Marciulionis is on free throws. The Sonics are tied with Dallas. They need 2 points from Sarunas Marciulionis to win the match. The German Detlef Schrempf and Gary Payton come to challenge him. “Rooney” (his nickname in the United States) laughs before scoring. He should never have participated in this meeting. The guy is just happy. And we understand it.
In Barcelona, in 1992, with Lithuania, number 30 of the Sonics experienced paradise. When he returned to the United States, hell awaited him. Two years without playing, almost. Rupture of the right knee ligaments. Enough to ruin a career. But not his. Because Marciulionis is a rock. In his vocabulary, the word “Abandonment” does not exist. He's been on the circuit for too long.
In 1988, when Lithuania was still part of the USSR and he played in Vilnius, Sarunas established himself as the band leader of the Soviet selection for the Seoul Olympic Games. The result was a monumental feat with a 78-61 victory over the USA in the semi-finals. John Thompson's selection brought together some well-known names (David Robinson, Mitch Richmond, Stacey Augmon, Danny Manning, Dan Majerle, JR Reid, Hersey Hawkins, etc.). The kid from Kaunas, studying journalism in Vilnius, gave the whole America a buzz. Then to Yugoslavia. Beaten 76-63, Drazen Petrovic, Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc and other Dino Radja had to settle for silver. It is after Seoul that the American Federation will set up the Dream Team to restore its place as the best basketball nation.
Spotted by Donnie Nelson
Tears dried, business resumes its course. And gold makes Marciulionis' rating shine. A year earlier, the Warriors had selected him in the 6th round of the draft, in 127th position. A discovery by Donnie Nelson, son and assistant of the father, coach of Golden State from 1988, today happy president of the Mavs. “I was in the Soviet Union to observe several players. One day, I saw a match on TV. I don't know how many points Sarunas scored but every time he had the ball, he went towards the basket. His aggression was incredible! The defenders had only two choices: the 2 points or the foul. »
The Donnie-Sarunas meeting marks the beginning of a long friendship. Marciulionis obtained a guaranteed contract in California in June 1989. At 25, the gifted Baltic became the first player from the former Soviet Union to join the NBA. For his hazing, on November 3, the No. 13 of the Warriors set foot on the Suns floor. The game ball and his jersey will go directly to the Hall of Fame museum.
Schrempf's runner-up in the election of the 6th man
For three seasons, this 1.96 m and 98 kg shooting guard will do a real job coming off the bench. 12.1 points average the first season. 10.9 per second, over 50 matches, at a time when “the Run TMC” (Tim Hardaway-Mitch Richmond-Chris Mullin) is putting all the defenses in the League to death. 18.9 the third, after the departure from Richmond to Sacramento. During this 1991-92 season, “Rooney” ranked 3rd best scorer for the Warriors behind Mullin and Hardaway. His left paw is a disaster with 53.8% shooting success. And he plants his 19 pawns per match in less than 30 minutes, always coming off the bench… Don Nelson, who asked his son to act as interpreter – because Sarunas' English was very approximate -, is simply admiring. “When he doesn't have any physical problems, he can do anything on the floor. He has no limits. He plays like an All-Star. »
In 1991, Marciulionis finished 2nd in the election for Best 6th Man in the League behind another European, Detlef Schrempf (Pacers). In 1992, again. The secret of his success? “I am never completely satisfied with my game. I know every time that I can do better. When we lose, I always tell myself that it's my fault. If I am happy with myself, I express my joy most discreetly. I don't like putting myself forward. »
He pays everything for Lithuania to go to Barcelona
Except for Lithuania to be able to participate in the Barcelona Olympics after the proclamation of its independence in March 1990. In 1992, Sarunas approached the players, the sponsors, the equipment manufacturer and financed everything: the hotels, the plane tickets, the buying jerseys… The 1988 European Player of the Year knows how to invest his money. In Vilnius, he owns a 26-room hotel – the Sarunas Hotel -, the largest sports bar with all American satellite channels, a foundation to help Lithuanian kids, the largest basketball school – the SM Basketball Academy – , a basketball newspaper and a brand of non-alcoholic drink! His obsession: playing against the “Dream Team”, that of his Warriors friend Chris Mullin. Successful bet. In the semi-finals, Lithuania takes a lesson against the NBA stars (127-76). She won bronze ahead of the CIS, the enemy brothers of the former Soviet Republic (82-78).
But Sarunas' happiness does not last long. When he finds his No. 13 in San Francisco Bay, misfortune gets involved. He will only play 30 matches in two seasons. The team changed its face with the takeover of the duo Latrell Sprewell-Chris Webber. The second falls out with Don Nelson and obtains his transfer to Washington. For Sarunas too, the time of departure has come. When George Karl, stationed in Seattle, proposed a Ricky Pierce-Marciulionis exchange, the Warriors did not hesitate for a single moment. Sarunas has been on the sidelines for too long. At the Sonics, Karl has an idea in mind: “Sarunas will be our leader from the bench. The one who tumbles onto the floor to set the record straight. I guarantee him a minimum of 15 minutes per match. It's up to him to convince us. »
A complicated end to career
Flanked by No. 30, Sarunas resurfaces. He likes challenges and rose to this one by scoring more than 9 points over 18 minutes. Even the turbulent Gary Payton welcomes the contribution of one of the first Europeans to have had significant playing time and impact in the League. “Here, everyone had an inflated ego. Sarunas knows how to put everyone in their place. He just talks. Everyone listens to it. »
Sarunas enjoys his new life: “When I played in Golden State, I found the Sonics’ game a little crazy. This is verified. We run everywhere, we systematically look for interceptions, we play at a crazy pace to suffocate the opponent. Now that I'm with them, I realize that it's a diabolical system that works wonderfully. »
Having come out of hell, Marciulionis now wants to send all his adversaries there. But the story ended with a 3-1 elimination in the first round of the playoffs against the Lakers, while the Sonics had the second best record in the Pacific (57-25) behind the Suns. Sarunas is not participating in this campaign. The NBA adventure will last two more seasons. At 31, the Lithuanian was sold to Sacramento where he earned 10.8 points in less than 20 minutes. In June 1996, he took charge of Denver. The Kings trade him for Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Last year limited to 17 matches (6.8 pts). The Nuggets cut him in July 1997.
“After the Olympics, I played a little bit for the Nuggets. The team had almost no victories and in February decided not to continue. They told me they didn't want to torture me. In fact, I think that I should not have played these Olympic Games to prolong my sporting career a little longer, but I did not understand the seriousness of my situation. I thought it was a normal operation, but in fact there was nothing to operate on. At 32 years old, it is very difficult to understand that you are already considered useless, even if I do not regret having played in these Olympic Games. »
With relief after the 1989 earthquake
Father of Augustas who was playing this year at Saint Mary's in California, Marciulionis created the Lithuanian Basketball League in 1993, of which he became president, and it was in 2014 that he entered the Hall Of Fame. From his speech, we will remember his passage on the ice cubes.
“At our house, ice cubes are for whiskey. Two is good. Three is too many. But when I arrived in the Warriors locker room, I discovered the bags of ice cubes, the buckets of ice cubes. Ice cubes everywhere. I saw Chris [Mullin] putting my feet in buckets of ice scared me. Everything was new to me. In the NBA, for every training session, you had to bandage your ankles. In the USSR, we never did that. Or just after an injury… I also noticed at the end of my first season that you keep all the stat sheets after the matches. And I never understood why you did that in the NBA, even for losses. For me, when we lose a match, that's it, it's over. there is nothing else to say. »
But if we had to sum up the personality of “Rooney”, we would remember this gesture. It was October 17, 1989, and an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale left 63 dead and 3,700 injured in the San Francisco area. Marciulionis showed up in Warriors gear to help rescuers evacuate people trapped on a commuter train…
Article published in 2010, and updated in 2024
Prize list
Olympic champion: 1988 (USSR)
Bronze medal at the Olympics: 1992 (Lithuania), 1996 (Lithuania)
European vice-champion: 1987 (USSR), 1995 (Lithuania)
Bronze medal at the European Championship: 1989 (USSR)
1995 European Championship MVP
Records
35 points in New Jersey on 3/28/92
9 rebounds (3 times)
10 passes to the Clippers on 12/18/91
6 interceptions (2 times)
| Sarunas Marciulionis | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 1989-90 | GOS | 75 | 23 | 51.9 | 25.6 | 78.7 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 12.1 |
| 1990-91 | GOS | 50 | 20 | 50.1 | 16.7 | 72.4 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 10.9 |
| 1991-92 | GOS | 72 | 29 | 53.8 | 30.0 | 78.8 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 0.1 | 18.9 |
| 1992-93 | GOS | 30 | 28 | 54.3 | 20.0 | 76.1 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 0.1 | 17.4 |
| 1994-95 | SEA | 66 | 18 | 47.3 | 40.2 | 73.2 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 9.3 |
| 1995-96 | BAG | 53 | 20 | 45.2 | 40.8 | 77.5 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 10.8 |
| 1996-97 | DEN | 17 | 15 | 37.6 | 36.7 | 80.6 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 6.8 |
| Total | 363 | 22 | 50.5 | 36.9 | 76.8 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 12.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
