Legends of Lithuanian Basketball Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Pranas Lubinas (also known as Frank Lubin), whose parents were both from Lithuania, played for which national team that won the gold medal in basketball at the 1936 Berlin Olympics?

Answer: USA

Pranas Lubinas (1910-1999) was born in Los Angeles and played college basketball at UCLA. He helped popularize basketball among Lithuanian communities in the USA. He served as a captain in some matches during the 1936 Olympic basketball tournament. In the final, the USA defeated Canada 19-8.

2. Who was the captain of the Lithuanian national basketball team when they won the gold medal at the 1937 EuroBasket in Riga?

Answer: Feliksas Kriauciunas

Feliksas Kriauciunas (1911-1977), born in Chicago, was captain of Lithuania at the 1937 EuroBasket. He studied and played basketball at Notre Dame University and DePaul University. Lithuania won the final against Italy 24-23. Kriauciunas played in 19 games for the national team, scoring 65 points, and coached the men's and women's teams.

3. Who served as the player-coach of the Lithuanian national basketball team when they won their second European Championship gold in 1939?

Answer: Pranas Lubinas

Pranas Lubinas, who won the Olympic gold with the United States in 1936, briefly visited Lithuania the same year. In 1938, his Lithuanian-American basketball team won the Lithuanian National Olympics. In 1938-39 he worked in Kaunas as a sports instructor, teaching Lithuanian players and playing for LFLS, a local team.

In 1939, as one of the coaches and the team's top scorer, he helped the Lithuanian national basketball team win the EuroBasket, playing in seven games and scoring 94 points.

4. Which Lithuanian player served as the captain of the Soviet Union basketball team that controversially won the gold medal defeating the USA at the 1972 Munich Olympics?

Answer: Modestas Paulauskas

Modestas Paulauskas played in all nine matches at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The Soviet Union won the gold medal by defeating the United States 51-50 in a highly controversial final. The last seconds of the game were replayed multiple times due to disputed referee decisions about the game clock and a timeout, allowing the Soviets to score the winning basket.

The United States team formally protested the result and refused to accept their silver medals.

5. Which Lithuanian player was part of the Soviet Union basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and later played for the Lithuanian national team?

Answer: Arvidas Sabonis

Arvydas Sabonis won a gold medal with the Soviet Union at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He played for Zalgiris Kaunas, a local team in Lithuania, where he became one of the top European players of his generation. In 1995 he joined the NBA Portland Trail Blazers, making a significant impact in the league despite joining at a later stage of his career. Sabonis also represented the Lithuanian national team in international competitions and, in 2010, was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.

6. How many players on the Lithuanian basketball team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics had previously won an Olympic gold medal with the Soviet Union in 1988?

Answer: 4

These four players on the Lithuanian basketball team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics - Arvydas Sabonis, Sarunas Marciulionis, Rimas Kurtinaitis, and Valdemaras Chomicius - had previously won a gold medal with the Soviet Union at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Lithuania went on to win the bronze medal at the Barcelona Games, which was the country's first Olympic basketball medal after regaining independence.

7. Which Lithuanian basketball player won bronze medals at three consecutive Olympic Games (1992, 1996, and 2000)?

Answer: Gintaras Einikis

Gintaras Einikis was the first Lithuanian player to win three consecutive Olympic bronze medals with the national team: 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, and 2000 Sydney. He played as a center for Zalgiris Kaunas and also won a silver medal with the Lithuanian national team at the 1995 European Championship in Greece.

8. Which Lithuanian basketball player was the first to play in the NBA in the modern era and had the nickname "Rooney"?

Answer: Sarunas Marciulionis

Sarunas Marciulionis joined the Golden State Warriors in 1989. He won a gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics with the Soviet Union and bronze medals at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympics with Lithuania. He also earned a silver medal at the 1995 EuroBasket. After his NBA career in 1997, he founded his own basketball school in Lithuania.

9. Which Lithuanian basketball player helped Lithuania win its third EuroBasket gold medal in 2003 and won four EuroLeague titles as a player in his club career?

Answer: Sarunas Jasikevicius

Sarunas Jasikevicius played a key role in Lithuania's 2003 EuroBasket victory, helping the team secure its third European championship. In his club career, Jasikevi�ius won four EuroLeague titles as a player, playing for top European clubs including Barcelona, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Panathinaikos. After retiring as a player, he also became a successful coach in EuroLeague.

10. Which two Lithuanian basketball players, both tall centers who have played in the NBA, have also been key members of the national team?

Answer: Jonas Valanciunas and Domantas Sabonis

Jonas Valan�i�nas and Domantas Sabonis are long-time NBA centers who have played key roles for the Lithuanian national team. They have competed in EuroBasket, FIBA World Cup, and Olympic tournaments. Domantas Sabonis has been selected to the NBA All-Star Game several times and has led the league in rebounds for multiple seasons in a row, highlighting his consistency and impact in the NBA.

Source: Author Ovaldas

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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