Basketball Club Neptūnas ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Neptūnas), commonly known as Neptūnas or Neptūnas Klaipėda, is a Lithuanian professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team based in
Klaipėda
Klaipėda (; ; german: Memel; pl, Kłajpeda; russian: Клайпеда; sgs, Klaipieda) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The capital of the eponymous county, it is the third largest city and the only major seaport in Lithuan ...
,
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. The club participates in the
Lithuanian Basketball League
Lithuanian may refer to:
* Lithuanians
* Lithuanian language
* The country of Lithuania
* Grand Duchy of Lithuania
* Culture of Lithuania
* Lithuanian cuisine
* Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...
and internationally in the
Champions League. It was founded in 1962 under the name BC Maistas (
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
: Food) and in 1964, BC Maistas's name was changed to BC Neptūnas. The club carries the name of the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
sea god
A water deity is a deity in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology and were usually more important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important. Anoth ...
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
. Neptūnas participated in the
2014–15 EuroLeague
The 2014–15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague was the 15th season of the modern era of Euroleague Basketball and the fifth under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous iteration as the FIBA Europe Champion ...
season and is only the third Lithuanian club to participate in the premier European basketball league, after
Žalgiris and
Rytas.
History
First steps (1962–1993)
In 1966 Neptūnas won the Žalgiris friendship championship and next year with the same roster became runners-up.
Since 1970 there have been many changes in the team: coaches and players left the team and were replaced with new team members, so the team did not achieve better results. In 1975 Klaipėda's community decided to change the team from its foundations based on people from
Klaipėda
Klaipėda (; ; german: Memel; pl, Kłajpeda; russian: Клайпеда; sgs, Klaipieda) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The capital of the eponymous county, it is the third largest city and the only major seaport in Lithuan ...
and the
Samogitia
Samogitia or Žemaitija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
region, who also finished studies in the cities of
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
and
Kaunas
Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...
. There were young and prospective players, whose energy helped to reach better results in a period of two years, including 3rd place in Lithuanian Spartakiada; in 1981 and 1982 they became runners-up of newspaper ''Sports championship, and also in 1983 they became champions of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
Professional Union championship.
Difficult start in the LKL (1993–1998)
The Lithuanian Basketball Association was founded in 1993, when eight of the strongest Lithuanian basketball clubs' officials met with the representatives of the
Šarūnas Marčiulionis
Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis () (born June 13, 1964) is a Lithuanian retired professional basketball player. Widely considered one of the greatest international players, he was one of the first Europeans to become a regular in the Nationa ...
basketball fund. Neptūnas was among that eight. This association would soon announce their basketball league that would start in the upcoming fall.
During the founding 1993–1994 LKL season, Neptūnas finished last, reaching only 4 victories per 36 games, despite the tireless efforts shown by Gintautas Bendžius, who averaged almost 20 points per game and was the third best scorer in the whole league. In the following season Neptūnas slightly improved, reaching 10 victories and suffering 30 defeats, with the help of a 21-year-old native
Eurelijus Žukauskas
Eurelijus Žukauskas (, born August 22, 1973) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, ...
, who quickly started becoming the star of the team and later was even nicknamed the "Lithuanian king of
blocks".
In the 1995–1996 LKL season, Neptūnas progressed even further. With Svajūnas Airošius, Aloyzas Vasiliūnas, and Artūras Jakubauskas averaging double-digits in points and Eurelijus Žukauskas often adding solid
double-double
In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...
s, the team qualified into the LKL playoffs for the first time with 17 victories as the 7th seed. But they were eliminated by the Lithuanian powerhouse
Žalgiris Kaunas 0–2, after failing to guard the Lithuanian star and Olympic champion
Rimas Kurtinaitis
Rimas Kurtinaitis (born May 15, 1960) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach, and a retired professional basketball player, who was a member of the senior Soviet and Lithuanian national basketball teams during his playing career. He won ...
, who averaged 25.5 points over these games.
Neptūnas continued to show progress in the 1996–1997 season, qualifying for the LKL playoffs again by accomplishing a solid 19–17 record, the first with over 50% victories ratio in the club's LKL history. Despite losing the first series game versus
BC Šiauliai
BC Šiauliai ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Šiauliai) is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League. It has won the 3rd place award (behind Lithuanian basketball giants Lietuvos Rytas ...
80–69, on April 4, 1997, Neptūnas achieved their first-ever victory in the LKL playoffs in a dominating fashion 88–60. Yet after Šiauliai's 88–73 revenge two days later, the series was lost 1–2. It was the last game for Eurelijus Žukauskas in a Neptūnas jersey, who, after averaging 15.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks, joined Žalgiris and soon became a
EuroLeague champion and a multiple medalist with the
Lithuania men's national basketball team
The Lithuania men's national basketball team ( lt, Lietuvos nacionalinė vyrų krepšinio rinktinė) represents Lithuania in international basketball competitions. They are controlled by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, the governing body f ...
. Another Neptūnas leader Artūras Jakubauskas left the team as well.
Following the loss of two long-term leaders, the team failed to compete with the same form during the 1997–1998 LKL season. Neptūnas finished as the 8th seed during the regular season with a 6–12 record, but after an unsuccessful second round they finished just 9th among 10 teams. The only consolation of the season was notable progress demonstrated by an 18-year-old
Arvydas Macijauskas
Arvydas Macijauskas (born January 19, 1980) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. Standing at tall, he played at the shooting guard position. He was one of the greatest Lithuanian players of the 2000s, as he won numerous individu ...
, who would later become one of the primary faces of Lithuanian basketball.
Participation in the Korać Cup (1998–2000)
The 1998–1999 season was remarkably different as on October 6, 1998, Neptūnas debuted in the
FIBA Korać Cup
The FIBA Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971–72 and 2001–02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the FIBA European Champions' Cup (later renamed th ...
, their first European tournament during a game versus the
Espoon Honka
237px, Petteri Koponen with Espoon Honka in 2007
Espoon Honka, also known as Honka Playboys, was a basketball club based in Espoo, Finland and it played in Korisliiga. The club was dissolved in 2011 due to financial difficulties.
History
Espoon ...
, which they lost 93–73. But afterwards the team, led by Svajūnas Airošius, Arūnas Seferis and Arvydas Macijauskas, finished with a 4–2 record, claimed the second place in the group and advanced into the sixteenth-finals. They were stopped at that stage by
Darüşşafaka, losing the series 0–2. Neptūnas also returned to the LKL playoffs that season after finishing 5th during the regular season. They were eliminated by
BC Šiauliai
BC Šiauliai ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Šiauliai) is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League. It has won the 3rd place award (behind Lithuanian basketball giants Lietuvos Rytas ...
yet again, this time 1–2. After the season, Arvydas Macijauskas signed with the
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius.
During the
1999–2000 FIBA Korać Cup
Teams
;Notes
First Round
Second round
Sources:
Playoffs Bracket
Third round
Top 16
Quarter finals
Semi finals
Finals
...
season, Neptūnas had less fortune than in the previous year. They were drawn into the group H, finished with just a 1–5 record, and after taking the 3rd spot in the group did not advance further. In the LKL, Neptūnas finished 8th and failed to challenge
Žalgiris Kaunas in the first round of LKL playoffs, losing the series 0–2 with an average of 30 points difference.
First sparks in the LKL playoffs (2000–2012)
![Tomas Delininkaitis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Tomas_Delininkaitis.2009-07-31.jpg)
After the 1999–2000 season, Neptūnas became a constant LKL playoffs participant, though at first they were unable to overcome the quarter-finals barrier. During the 2000–2001 LKL season, Neptūnas, led by one of the LKL's best scorer and playmaker
Vidas Ginevičius
Vidas Ginevičius (born May 11, 1978) is a 1.93 m (6'4") in height, 93 kg (205 pound) in weight, Lithuanian professional basketball point guard born in Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union, USSR.
Pro career
His career started in 1999, when ...
(19.59 points, 4.32 assists per game), finished in a desired 3rd seed during the regular season, but was shockingly eliminated 0–2 by the
Alita Alytus in the quarter-final. During the following 2001–2002 LKL season, Neptūnas triumphed just 10 times per 32 games, but that was enough to qualify for the LKL playoffs as the 8th seed, although they were quickly wiped out 0–2 by an uprising Lithuanian powerhouse
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius, led by young and hungry
Ramūnas Šiškauskas
Ramūnas Šiškauskas (, born September 10, 1978) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball player and basketball coach. At a listed height of 6'6" (1.98 m) tall,
he could play at both the shooting guard and small forward positions. His indi ...
,
Robertas Javtokas
Robertas Javtokas (born March 20, 1980) is a Lithuanian professional basketball executive and former player. He most recently served as sports director of Žalgiris Kaunas. Standing at , he played the center position. He has been a member of the ...
,
Simas Jasaitis
Simas Jasaitis (born 26 March 1982) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for BC Dzūkija of the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lithuania Basketball League (LKL). He also represented the Lithuania men's national basketball team, Lithuanian nat ...
,
Rimantas Kaukėnas
Rimantas "Rimas" Kaukėnas (born 11 April 1977) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. His long career has taken him to a number of countries, finding the most success in Italy. He has also been a member of the senior men's Lithu ...
and a former Neptūnas player Arvydas Macijauskas. The 2002–2003 LKL season was only slightly different; this time the Neptūnas squad finished 6th in the regular season, but yet again was smashed 0–2 in the quarter-final by
BC Šiauliai
BC Šiauliai ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Šiauliai) is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League. It has won the 3rd place award (behind Lithuanian basketball giants Lietuvos Rytas ...
, in spite of all of
Tomas Delininkaitis
Tomas Delininkaitis (born June 11, 1982) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He was a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship . He is 1.90 m (6 ft 2 in) and weighs 82 kg.
Profe ...
's efforts. In the 2003–2004 season, Neptūnas reached the all-time bottom by winning just 6 times per 36 games and finishing last in the league (10th), including an absolutely disastrous 22 game losing streak.
![Antonio Grant 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Antonio_Grant_2.JPG)
The 2004–2005 season was a bit more positive page in the club's history. During it, Neptūnas finished 4th during the regular LKL season and advanced to the TOP 5 teams of the league group, however Neptūnas was once again eliminated by BC Šiauliai in the knockout stage 1–2 and finished 5th in the final rankings. During the 2005 LKL All-Star Day, Petras Šalvis won the club's third
LKL Three-point Shootout title. The team also participated in the
Baltic Basketball League
Baltic Basketball League (BBL) was the Baltic states basketball league founded in 2004. The league mainly focused on teams from the Baltic states, but teams from Sweden, Russia, Kazakhstan, Finland, and Belarus have participated in the Baltic L ...
Elite Division for the first time as well, finishing 5th. Neptūnas slightly regressed again in the following 2005–2006 season, finishing 6th during the regular LKL season and, as previously, lost the first round of the LKL playoffs to BC Šiauliai 0–2 and finished only 10th in the BBL, with the only consolations being the club's fourth LKL Three-point Shootout title captured by Marius Kasiulevičius and the club's first-ever LKL Slam Dunk Contest champion title by Antonio Grant.
In the 2006–2007 season, Neptūnas finished 3rd during the regular LKL season for the second time in the club's history. Furthermore, they also finally sailed through the quarter-final stage of the LKL playoffs by overcoming the
Nevėžis Kėdainiai 2–0. But Neptūnas' journey was again stopped by Lietuvos rytas at semi-finals 0–2, and Neptūnas qualified for their first historical LKL bronze final. The aspiration for the first-ever LKL medal was crushed by gallingly losing the series 0–3 to BC Šiauliai, with two home games being lost by just three and two points. In BBL, the team finished 2 places lower than in the previous season (12th).
Before the 2007–2008 season, Neptūnas signed with 19-year-old
Deividas Gailius
Deividas Gailius (born Deividas Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions.
Pro ...
, who would soon lead Neptūnas during some of the club's most historic moments. However that season the team did not have much luck on the court. They ended up 5th during the regular LKL season and were once more eliminated in the quarter-final, this time by
BC Alytus
BC Alytus ( lt, Krepšinio Klubas Alytus) is the historical basketball club of Alytus, Lithuania. It was founded in 2005, as a successor to BC Alita, and participated in the Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga (Lithuanian Basketball League) and the Baltic ...
1–2. The first series game, which could have made the series completely opposite, was dramatically lost by just three points in
Alytus
Alytus is a city with municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the capital of Alytus County. Its population in 2022 was 53,925. Alytus is the historical centre of the Dzūkija region. The city lies on the banks of the Nemunas River. The maj ...
. Moreover, Neptūnas disappointingly finished only 16th in the BBL Elite Division. This was the club's worst and the last appearance in the elite division of the league.
The first part of the 2008–2009 LKL season finished almost identically when the club finished as the 5th seed, however the playoffs were drastically different. Neptūnas overcame the LKL quarter-final for the second time in history, beating Nevėžis 2–1. And after losing the semi-final to Žalgiris 0–2, Neptūnas returned to the bronze final for another try where they yet again faced a long-term rival BC Šiauliai. Despite the militant efforts and the thirst for a long-awaited revenge, the series was lost 2–3 following another dramatic defeat of 73–80 in
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
, with
Valdas Vasylius and
Arvydas Eitutavičius
Arvydas Eitutavičius (born 18 September 1982) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who last played for BC Gargždai-SC of the National Basketball League. He attended Norfolk Collegiate School and Laurinburg Institute before enrolling ...
scoring more than half of the team's points (45).
In the 2009–2010 LKL season, Neptūnas, led by a future team's manager Osvaldas Kurauskas, clinched the 5th spot during the regular season for a third straight year and was eliminated by the
Juventus Utena 0–2 in the quarter-final. The 2010–2011 LKL regular season achieved just one less victory than the previous season, however this resulted in finishing only 8th and facing off the upcoming champions
Žalgiris Kaunas in the first round of the playoffs. Regardless of being smashed 61–96 in
Kaunas
Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...
during the first series encounter, the team, led by a captain
Martynas Mažeika
Martynas Mažeika (born 29 January 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He is 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) tall. He can play point guard or shooting guard, preferring the ...
, mightily fought in their home arena, this time losing only 82–88. Nevertheless, with the
Švyturys Arena
Švyturio Arena ''(English: Lighthouse Arena)'' is an indoor arena in Klaipėda, Lithuania. The arena is named after the company ''Švyturys'', which bought the rights for the name. The capacity of the catamaran-shaped arena is 6,200 seats for bas ...
being built in the city, the historical victories and achievements were yet to come.
Historical victories and achievements (2012–2016)
2012–13 season: VTB United League debut
2012 was a memorable year for Neptūnas as they were invited to
VTB United League
VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus an ...
, despite the fact that they only took 6th place in
LKL the previous season. Club director Osvaldas Kurauskas said that they are not going to be group outsiders and that they will raise the club's budget for the next season. Neptūnas debuted in
VTB United League
VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus an ...
on October 7, 2012 against
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...
. Despite a powerful opponent Neptūnas won two quarters by one point (23–22, 14–13), however it was not enough to win the game as Neptūnas lost 72–83. After the season in the
VTB United League
VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus an ...
, they were last in the group, however they were invited to continue playing in this league for another season. Despite poor results in the VTB League, where they finished with a dismal 3–15 record, Neptūnas recovered in the LKL, thanks to very solid play from leader
Deividas Gailius
Deividas Gailius (born Deividas Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions.
Pro ...
, finishing 3rd and winning the bronze medals for the first time in club history, in a competitive series against
BC Prienai
BC Prienai ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Prienai), also known by the sponsor name Labas Gas, is a professional basketball club based in Prienai, Lithuania. They play domestically in Lithuanian Basketball League every year. During the 2008–09 season, ...
, winning 3–2.
2013–14 season: First time LKL finalists
The 2013–14 season was not less memorable for Neptūnas. During the regular season, Neptūnas defeated
LKL champion and constant
EuroLeague participant
Žalgiris Kaunas several times, with the results 81–73 at
Švyturys Arena
Švyturio Arena ''(English: Lighthouse Arena)'' is an indoor arena in Klaipėda, Lithuania. The arena is named after the company ''Švyturys'', which bought the rights for the name. The capacity of the catamaran-shaped arena is 6,200 seats for bas ...
and 79–88 at
Žalgiris Arena
Žalgiris Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New Town of Kaunas, Lithuania. The arena is located on an island of the Nemunas River. It is the largest indoor arena in the Baltics. The arena's maximum possible seating capacity for basketba ...
. In the regular
LKL season Neptūnas took third place and met
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
in the quarter-finals, who they eliminated with a series result of 2–1. Neptūnas also won the semi-finals against
Prienai TonyBet with a result of 2-0 and qualified to the LKL finals for the first time in club history. In the finals Neptūnas met previously defeated Žalgiris. Despite two former victories during the regular season, basketball experts were widely skeptical that Neptūnas could win any games there. Nevertheless, the militant Neptūnas showed that they can fight against Žalgiris and won their first LKL final series game with a 71–59 score in crammed Švyturys Arena, however then Neptūnas lost three games to Žalgiris and almost lost all the chances of winning the series. In spite of that, Neptūnas did not give up and won the fifth series game with a score of 87–86, however they failed to do that again in the sixth series game and after being crushed 90–70, lost the LKL final series with a result of 4–2. Despite a sufficiently successful LKL season, Neptūnas had tough times in international competitions. In the
second-tier European league
EuroCup Neptūnas won four games out of ten and after taking fifth place of sixth in the group did not qualify into the second stage. Neptūnas also participated in
VTB United League
VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus an ...
, however there, after winning five of eighteen games, Neptūnas did not qualify into the playoffs and took eighth place out of ten in the group. Following the best LKL season in club history, on June 25, 2014 Neptūnas was invited to join the prestigious
EuroLeague as an LKL vice-champion for the
2014–15 season.
2014–15 season: EuroLeague debut
![Mustafa Shakur Wizards 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Mustafa_Shakur_Wizards_2.jpg)
Before their debut in the EuroLeague, Neptūnas recalled former team leader
Deividas Gailius
Deividas Gailius (born Deividas Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions.
Pro ...
. Multiple
LKL champion
Donatas Zavackas
Donatas Zavackas (born 23 April 1980) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at University of Pittsburgh. Standing at , he plays the power forward position.
College career
During his successful career a ...
and
UBL champion
Michailas Anisimovas were signed as well. However, Anisimovas left the team shortly afterward without debuting in the EuroLeague due to the
military crisis in Ukraine. On October 15, 2014, Neptūnas played their first EuroLeague game against the
Laboral Kutxa
Laboral Kutxa is a Basque credit union that provides banking, savings and investment services.
It was created in March 2012 as a result of the merger of two smaller credit unions. The Caja Laboral Popular Sociedad Cooperativa de Crédito (known ...
, which they lost 69–88 despite playing more than two quarters point-to-point. On October 23, 2014, Neptūnas achieved the club's first EuroLeague victory against
KK Crvena zvezda
Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Кошаркашки клуб Црвена звезда, ), commonly referred to as KK Crvena zvezda mts for sponsorship reasons or simply Crvena zvezda, is a men's professional basketball Sports club, ...
with a score of 83–81 after the
Valdas Vasylius winning shot 3 seconds away from over-time. This was the first EuroLeague game played in the Neptūnas home-court. On October 31, 2014, Neptūnas lost their third EuroLeague game only after
OT 81–85 against one of the strongest tournament teams,
Olympiacos Piraeus, two times EuroLeague champion over the past three years. Despite being competitive and cherishing a chance of qualifying for the TOP16 stage, Neptūnas failed to accomplish this in their debut EuroLeague season, winning 4 games of 10 total and taking 5th place in the group. It was just one step from the TOP16's qualifier
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
, who also finished with a 4–10 record. As a result, Neptūnas was transferred to the
EuroCup Last 32 stage. The EuroCup was just a terrible place for Neptūnas. There they won only once against
Paris-Levallois Basket
Metropolitans 92 is a French professional basketball club that is based in Levallois-Perret, in the Paris metropolitan area. The club currently plays in the LNB Pro A, the highest-tier level in French basketball.
The club was established in 200 ...
, suffered five defeats and took last place in the group. A promising season in international competitions was finished painfully.
On February 20–22, Neptūnas participated in the
2015 LKF Cup
The 2015 LKF Cup was the 9th edition of this annual competition between Lithuanian basketball clubs held 20–22 February in Kaunas. Žalgiris Kaunas won its fifth title three years after its last one.
Participating teams
* Žalgiris Kaunas
* ...
. They surprisingly lost the quarter-finals game to
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
71–73 and ended the appearance in competition early.
Neptūnas recovered in the LKL, playing very solidly, even splitting the season series with Žalgiris. They defeated the Lithuanian powerhouse twice in two weeks: 67–65 in Klaipeda and 90–86 in Kaunas.
Deividas Gailius
Deividas Gailius (born Deividas Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions.
Pro ...
led Neptūnas during these two games. But they took only the third spot during the regular season due to the unfavorable results versus
Lietuvos rytas
''Lietuvos rytas'' (lit. 'Morning of Lithuania') is a Lithuanian daily newspaper.
History and profile
"Lietuvos rytas" was established in 1990 on a basis of newspaper "Komjaunimo tiesa". The paper is printed in Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also ...
. Neptūnas defeated
Dzūkija
Dzūkija or Dainava is one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. Dzūkija is a cultural region defined by traditional lifestyles and dialects of the local Lithuanian population (mostly rural farmers) and has never been defined as a politi ...
with the series result of 3–1, losing only once in
Alytus
Alytus is a city with municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the capital of Alytus County. Its population in 2022 was 53,925. Alytus is the historical centre of the Dzūkija region. The city lies on the banks of the Nemunas River. The maj ...
56–65. The semi-finals began unsuccessfully for the team versus Lietuvos rytas. Despite holding up close to the opponents the whole game, Neptūnas lost during the final minutes 88–79 in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
. But Neptūnas, led by Deividas Gailius (22 points) and
Arnas Butkevičius
Arnas Butkevičius (born 22 October 1992) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for BC Žalgiris, Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and EuroLeague.
Professional career
Arnas ...
(20 points), successfully got revenge in Klaipėda, overcoming Rytas 107–101 after
OT. The semi-final series was tied at 1–1. But Neptūnas lost another thriller 96–89 two days later in Vilnius and ended up on the edge of the precipice. Furthermore, primary Neptūnas center
Simas Galdikas
Simonas Galdikas (born 3 January 1987) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player who last played for BC Gargždai-SC of the Lithuanian National Basketball League.
Playing career
Galdikas joined Neptūnas Klaipėda in 2009, after s ...
suffered a painful leg injury, after stepping on
Kšyštof Lavrinovič
Kšyštof Lavrinovič ( pl, Krzysztof Ławrynowicz; born November 1, 1979) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the BC Vytis of the National Basketball League. He plays at the power forward and center positions.
Professional career ...
's feet. Despite that, the team's coach Kazys Maksvytis said that "we will meet in Vilnius again". This promise did not came true following the 87–92 loss at home. Neptūnas lost the semi-final series 3–1 to Lietuvos rytas. And then Neptūnas suffered the biggest fiasco of the season. They shockingly lost to
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
in the LKL bronze medals series 2–3, including an embarrassing defeat in the decisive game 69–84 in the home arena.
Neptūnas had the highest attendance rate in all of LKL during this season (3,022 spectators per game).
2015–16 season: Second EuroCup season
![Dainius Adomaitis by Augustas Didzgalvis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Dainius_Adomaitis_by_Augustas_Didzgalvis.jpg)
Following the lost LKL semi-final and the bronze final last season, Neptūnas did not automatically qualify into the
EuroCup. But on June 29, 2015, they received the wild card to the tournament. For the first time in history, three Lithuanian basketball clubs were invited to participate in the second-tier European league. Krasta Auto (authorized
BMW dealer in
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
) became one of the club sponsors, giving brand-new cars for the club members.
![Daniel Ewing, Neptunas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Daniel_Ewing%2C_Neptunas.jpg)
Neptūnas began the summer by losing former leader
Deividas Gailius
Deividas Gailius (born Deividas Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions.
Pro ...
, who signed with
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius. Gailius was replaced with one of the last season
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
leaders
Arvydas Šikšnius. Furthermore, former Juventus head coach
Dainius Adomaitis
Dainius Adomaitis (born 19 January 1974) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and the head coach for Alvark Tokyo of Japan's B.League.
Professional career
He started his career in Statyba Vilnius. Later he moved to Žalgiris ...
signed a two-year deal with Neptūnas as well. Past
Lithuania men's national basketball team
The Lithuania men's national basketball team ( lt, Lietuvos nacionalinė vyrų krepšinio rinktinė) represents Lithuania in international basketball competitions. They are controlled by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, the governing body f ...
head coach
Kęstutis Kemzūra, Olympic champion
Valdemaras Chomičius
Valdemaras Chomičius (also known as Valdemaras Homicius; born May 4, 1959) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player for the Soviet and Lithuanian national basketball team, and an assistant coach for the Lithuanian national team.
A ...
, Lithuania national team head coach assistant
Darius Maskoliūnas and
Gediminas Petrauskas were other solid candidates to replace
Kazys Maksvytis
Kazys Maksvytis (born 15 June 1977) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach for Lithuania men's national basketball team and Žalgiris Kaunas.
Coaching career
Professional clubs
From 2011 to 2012, Maksvyt ...
. Neptūnas captain
Martynas Mažeika
Martynas Mažeika (born 29 January 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He is 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) tall. He can play point guard or shooting guard, preferring the ...
signed a new two-year contract with the club. It was his 11th season at Neptūnas.
Vytautas Šarakauskas
Vytautas Šarakauskas (born 8 February 1982 in Belgrade Serbia) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas-Akvaservis.
Professional career
Šarakauskas started his career in SSK–Perlas Vilnius, which played in the LKAL l ...
and
Simas Galdikas
Simonas Galdikas (born 3 January 1987) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player who last played for BC Gargždai-SC of the Lithuanian National Basketball League.
Playing career
Galdikas joined Neptūnas Klaipėda in 2009, after s ...
stayed with Neptūnas as well, both signing two-year contracts with the club. One of
BK Ventspils's leaders
Jerai Grant
Harvey Jerai Grant (born January 10, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for BC Budivelnyk of the European North Basketball League and the Champions League. He played college basketball for Clemson University.
College career
In h ...
became the club's first foreigner in the summer of 2015.
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Island ...
graduate
Gilvydas Biruta, who represented the
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
during the
2015 NBA Summer League
The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA: the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League.
Ten teams participated in the week-long Orlando Pro Summer League a ...
, also joined BC Neptūnas. Three times
Polish league champion and experienced
EuroLeague player
Daniel Ewing
George Daniel Ewing, Jr. (born March 26, 1983) is an American professional basketball player.
College career
A guard from Duke University, Ewing played for four seasons at the college under coach Mike Krzyzewski from 2001 to 2005. Prior to Duk ...
became Neptūnas' main
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...
on August 15, 2015. Neptūnas also signed multiple
NCAA three-pointers record holder Travis Bader
Richard Travis Bader (born July 2, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Oakland University. Bader, a shooting guard, is second on the NCAA career leader for three-point field goals and fiel ...
to strengthen the
shooting guard
The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...
position.
On October 14, 2015 the new
2015–16 EuroCup season began with a loss to the powerful
Galatasaray S.K.
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
squad 90–94 in
Klaipėda
Klaipėda (; ; german: Memel; pl, Kłajpeda; russian: Клайпеда; sgs, Klaipieda) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The capital of the eponymous county, it is the third largest city and the only major seaport in Lithuan ...
. The second game versus the
Hapoel Jerusalem
Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's leadi ...
was not successful either, losing it 74–59. But afterwards the team began showing a very solid form. They won 6 of 7 games, including the noteworthy away games victories versus the
BC Nizhny Novgorod
BC Nizhny Novgorod (russian: БК «Нижний Новгород»), commonly known as simply Nizhny Novgorod, also known as Pari Nizhny Novgorod for sponsorship reasons, is a Russian professional basketball club from the city of Nizhny Novgorod ...
78–82 and
Galatasaray S.K.
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
76–82, both of them being EuroLeague Top 16 participants
last season. During the last match of the regular season versus the
AEK
A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelf ...
, Neptūnas was even able to guarantee the first place in the group, but after dissipating a 16-point advantage in the third quarter, lost it 75–71 and finished second. Just before the start of the EuroCup's Last 32 stage,
Trent Plaisted replaced
Simas Galdikas
Simonas Galdikas (born 3 January 1987) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player who last played for BC Gargždai-SC of the Lithuanian National Basketball League.
Playing career
Galdikas joined Neptūnas Klaipėda in 2009, after s ...
. Despite a very successful first stage, the Last 32 phase began with a desperate loss to
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to:
People
* Aris (surname)
Given name
* Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer
* Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player
* Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano
* Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter
* Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...
84–58 in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
. However, the team then created a feast in Klaipėda, defeating
Alba Berlin
Alba Berlin is a German professional basketball club that is based in Berlin, Germany. The club was founded in 1991, and is today the largest German national basketball club by membership figures. Alba Berlin hosts its home games at the Mercedes ...
73–65. Following it, Neptūnas suffered two close defeats to the Italian powerhouse
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (79–71 in Milan and 73–74 in Klaipėda). The pleasant 72–68 rematch with Aris left the Neptūnas hopes for the playoffs alive, though it vanished after losing to Alba 62–76 in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
and finishing with a 2–4 record in the second round.
On 19–21 February, Neptūnas competed in the newly formed
Karaliaus Mindaugo taurė
Karaliaus Mindaugo taurė (English: King Mindaugas Cup) is an annual national domestic basketball cup competition between Lithuanian professional teams. It is organised by the Lithuanian Basketball League (Lietuvos krepšinio lyga – LKL). The tou ...
tournament. The team easily overcame
BC Šiauliai
BC Šiauliai ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Šiauliai) is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League. It has won the 3rd place award (behind Lithuanian basketball giants Lietuvos Rytas ...
96–58 at the quarter-final, but was powerfully stopped at the semi-final by the upcoming champions
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius 97–79. Still, they rehabilitated by winning the club's first Lithuanian Cup bronze medals after crushing
Vytautas Prienai-Birštonas 88–51. Shortly after the competition, Gilvydas Biruta was replaced with
Angus Brandt
Angus John Brandt (born 26 October 1989) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Kagawa Five Arrows of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for Oregon State University before beginning his professional career wit ...
.
In
LKL, Neptūnas finished the regular season with a third seed and a 19–17 record.
Švyturys Arena
Švyturio Arena ''(English: Lighthouse Arena)'' is an indoor arena in Klaipėda, Lithuania. The arena is named after the company ''Švyturys'', which bought the rights for the name. The capacity of the catamaran-shaped arena is 6,200 seats for bas ...
had the most spectators in the LKL for a second straight season, this time with 3,474 per game. In the quarter-final, Neptūnas eliminated
BC Šiauliai
BC Šiauliai ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Šiauliai) is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League. It has won the 3rd place award (behind Lithuanian basketball giants Lietuvos Rytas ...
3–1. The semi-final series versus
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius was one of the most dramatic in the league's history. Neptūnas began it by shocking Rytas in their home arena with an 83–71 victory. Afterwards, the team also secured their home court in Game 2, winning 70–68. The fate of the historic series was to be determined in Game 5, following two dramatic Rytas victories: 66–64 and 74–73. During Game 5,
Daniel Ewing
George Daniel Ewing, Jr. (born March 26, 1983) is an American professional basketball player.
College career
A guard from Duke University, Ewing played for four seasons at the college under coach Mike Krzyzewski from 2001 to 2005. Prior to Duk ...
led Neptūnas to another stunning upset of the Lithuanian powerhouse 73–72, surprisingly won the intense series 3–2, and advanced into the LKL final just for a second time in club history. The final series was begun with an 83–72 loss to
Žalgiris Kaunas. Just three days later, Neptūnas by surprise swept Žalgiris 76–54 to tie the series 1–1. In spite of that, later Neptūnas failed to compete in the series, losing the next three games by an average of 25 points and the series 1–4.
Basketball Champions League participants (2016–2020)
2016–17 season: Basketball Champions League debut
On October 21, 2016, Neptūnas decided to choose the FIBA
Basketball Champions League
The Basketball Champions League (BCL) is an annual professional basketball competition for European clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the top-level competition organised by FIBA Europe, therefore the champion participates in the FIBA Intercontin ...
instead of the
EuroCup. On July 10, Neptūnas re-signed with the efficient center
Jerai Grant
Harvey Jerai Grant (born January 10, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for BC Budivelnyk of the European North Basketball League and the Champions League. He played college basketball for Clemson University.
College career
In h ...
for another season. On July 27,
Larry Drew II
Larry Donelle Drew II (born March 5, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player. He won the John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Award in 2008 before starting his college basketball career with the North Carolina Tar He ...
, son of the prominent
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
player and coach
Larry Drew
Larry Donnell Drew (born April 2, 1958) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Drew was named to the Kansas Sports ...
, joined the team to replace
Daniel Ewing
George Daniel Ewing, Jr. (born March 26, 1983) is an American professional basketball player.
College career
A guard from Duke University, Ewing played for four seasons at the college under coach Mike Krzyzewski from 2001 to 2005. Prior to Duk ...
who left the team. On August 4, former
Lithuania men's national basketball team
The Lithuania men's national basketball team ( lt, Lietuvos nacionalinė vyrų krepšinio rinktinė) represents Lithuania in international basketball competitions. They are controlled by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, the governing body f ...
member
Tadas Klimavičius
Tadas Klimavičius (born 10 October 1982) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player, who last played for Vytautas Prienai-Birštonas of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He is a power forward. He also represented Lithuania national basketb ...
signed a two-seasons deal with the club. On August 10,
Matas Jucikas signed a long-term (three-seasons) deal. On August 24, another Lithuanian,
Mindaugas Kačinas
Mindaugas Kačinas (born June 30, 1993) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for San Pablo Burgos of the LEB Oro. He plays at the power forward position.
Early career
Kačinas played for Word of Life Fire Traditional School in Wichit ...
, fresh out of the
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
US college basketball system at
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, was signed. On August 26,
Jimmy Baron became the last addition to the team's roster before the beginning of the season. On November 3, the front line was strengthened with
Omari Johnson.
On October 19, Neptūnas started the
2016–17 Basketball Champions League
The 2016–17 Basketball Champions League was the inaugural season of the Basketball Champions League (BCL), a European professional basketball competition for clubs that was launched by FIBA. The competition began on 27 September 2016, with the qu ...
season with a close 67–65 away victory over
Uşak Sportif
Uşak Sportif, also known as Uşak Üniversitesi Belediyespor, was a professional basketball team that is based in the city of Uşak, in Turkey. The team was founded in 2006. Their home arena was the Uşak Üniversitesi Sport Hall, which has a se ...
. Neptūnas ended up as the second team in the group, with a 10–4 record and a first round playoff bye.
In January, Tadas Klimavičius left after terminating his contract and signed with
BC Vytautas. While the Klimavičius departure was not as significant, team star and leader Jimmy Baron signed with
BC Lietuvos rytas
Rytas Vilnius is a Lithuanian professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania. The club was founded in 1997 from another club, Statyba, and has become one of the most successful Lithuanian basketball clubs. Rytas have won two EuroCup Ba ...
in February, shocking both the team and its fans. On February 10, just one day after Baron's departure, the team released Drew and Johnson, after reported discipline violations. Club director and longtime former player Osvaldas Kurauskas was fired as well. The departures affected the team, who were easily defeated in the first round of the
King Mindaugas Cup
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
by
BC Žalgiris
Basketball Club Žalgiris ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Žalgiris) is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania, and competes domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL, Lithuanian Basketball League). Founded in 1944, i ...
58:81. However, by the end of February, good news struck the team - Daniel Ewing returned to Neptūnas from Israel, replacing Larry Drew at the point guard position, and Neptūnas also signed
Chris Lofton
Christopher Franklin Lofton (born March 27, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Seoul SK Knights of the Korean Basketball League. He played college basketball with the University of Tennessee Volunteers.
High school
Chris Lof ...
to a deal, to replace Jimmy Baron. The changes did not help the team in the Champions League, ending with a loss on aggregate to
MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg
Riesen Ludwigsburg ( en, Giants Ludwigsburg), for sponsorship reasons MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, is a professional basketball club that is based in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The club currently plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the first tier of ...
in the quarterfinals 119:125 (61:73 away and 58:52 home).
While the season was over in the Champions League, Neptūnas went on a win streak in the LKL, climbing up the standings. They finished the regular season in fourth seed with 21 victories and 15 defeats balance. During the
2016–17 LKL Playoffs quarter-final Neptūnas eliminated
Juventus Utena 3–0, and advanced into the semi-finals where they faced Lithuanian champions
Žalgiris Kaunas. Game 1 of the series did not provide much intrigue in
Kaunas
Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...
, with Žalgiris desperately crushing Neptūnas 83–54. The view was completely different during Game 2 in
Klaipėda
Klaipėda (; ; german: Memel; pl, Kłajpeda; russian: Клайпеда; sgs, Klaipieda) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The capital of the eponymous county, it is the third largest city and the only major seaport in Lithuan ...
where Neptūnas defeated Žalgiris 73–70 to even the series 1–1. In Kaunas, Žalgiris won again, 83:60 and finished the series in Klaipėda, where Neptūnas lost the game 53:69 and the series 1–3. During the LKL bronze final Neptūnas faced
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius for the intense series. Both teams successfully defended their home courts with Neptūnas losing the opening game on May 29, 2017 in Vilnius 79–60, but winning 83–70 on June 1 in Klaipėda. Later the series continued in the same order with Lietuvos rytas defeating Neptūnas 71–54 for the second time in Vilnius on June 4, and Neptūnas doing the same 70–65 in Klaipėda on June 7 to force the Game 5 of the series. Neptūnas lost the series on June 10 in Vilnius after losing the crucial game 75–66 and the series 3–2, mostly because of two former Neptūnas players
Jimmy Baron and
Deividas Gailius
Deividas Gailius (born Deividas Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions.
Pro ...
who combined for more than a half of Rytas' points (39). A very promising season at the beginning ended on a very disappointing note.
2017–18 season: Second Basketball Champions League season
![Renaldas Seibutis by Augustas Didzgalvis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Renaldas_Seibutis_by_Augustas_Didzgalvis.jpg)
On June 28, 2017, it was announced that Neptūnas will compete in the
2017–18 Basketball Champions League
The 2017–18 Basketball Champions League was the second season of the Basketball Champions League (BCL), a European-wide professional basketball competition for clubs, that was launched by FIBA. The competition began on 19 September 2017, with th ...
season without participating in the qualifying tournament. On the same day former head coach
Kazys Maksvytis
Kazys Maksvytis (born 15 June 1977) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach for Lithuania men's national basketball team and Žalgiris Kaunas.
Coaching career
Professional clubs
From 2011 to 2012, Maksvyt ...
returned to the team, replacing the newly chosen
Lithuania men's national basketball team
The Lithuania men's national basketball team ( lt, Lietuvos nacionalinė vyrų krepšinio rinktinė) represents Lithuania in international basketball competitions. They are controlled by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, the governing body f ...
head coach
Dainius Adomaitis
Dainius Adomaitis (born 19 January 1974) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and the head coach for Alvark Tokyo of Japan's B.League.
Professional career
He started his career in Statyba Vilnius. Later he moved to Žalgiris ...
due to the difficulties to match two coaching positions.
Edgaras Želionis
Edgaras Želionis (born June 4, 1989) is a professional Lithuanian basketball player for New Taipei CTBC DEA of the T1 League. He plays at the power forward and center positions.
Professional career
On July 5, 2017, Želionis signed with Nep ...
became club's first player addition for the upcoming season on July 5, 2017. Afterwards, the team has signed two long-term Lithuania national team members
Tomas Delininkaitis
Tomas Delininkaitis (born June 11, 1982) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He was a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship . He is 1.90 m (6 ft 2 in) and weighs 82 kg.
Profe ...
and
Renaldas Seibutis
Renaldas Seibutis (born July 23, 1985) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball player. He represented the senior Lithuanian national team internationally.
Professional career
Europe
In the 2010–11 season, Seibutis played for Olin Edi ...
. On July 27, 2017, Neptūnas reached an agreement with
Laimonas Kisielius and signed a two-years deal. On August 10, 2017, the team signed
Juan Palacios to replace
Jerai Grant
Harvey Jerai Grant (born January 10, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for BC Budivelnyk of the European North Basketball League and the Champions League. He played college basketball for Clemson University.
College career
In h ...
. On August 14, 2017, former team member
Simas Galdikas
Simonas Galdikas (born 3 January 1987) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player who last played for BC Gargždai-SC of the Lithuanian National Basketball League.
Playing career
Galdikas joined Neptūnas Klaipėda in 2009, after s ...
returned to the team. Due to the departure of the previous long-term captain
Martynas Mažeika
Martynas Mažeika (born 29 January 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He is 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) tall. He can play point guard or shooting guard, preferring the ...
, Simas Galdikas was chosen to replace him in the position.
On September 21, 2017, Neptūnas began the
2017–18 LKL season
The 2017–18 Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, also called Betsafe-LKL for sponsorship reasons, was the 25th season of the top-tier level professional basketball league of Lithuania, the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL). The season started in September 201 ...
by defeating
BC Šiauliai
BC Šiauliai ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Šiauliai) is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League. It has won the 3rd place award (behind Lithuanian basketball giants Lietuvos Rytas ...
73–82. On the next day,
Malcolm Armstead
Malcolm Ray Armstead (born 1 August 1989) is an American-born naturalized Kosovan-Romanian professional basketball player for Golden Eagle Ylli of the Kosovo Basketball Superleague. After playing college basketball for Chipola College, Universit ...
, known for his scoring ability, was signed. After a solid 5–1 LKL season start, including a 73–64 victory versus the reigning champions
Žalgiris Kaunas, on October 10, 2017, Neptūnas successfully started the
2017–18 Basketball Champions League
The 2017–18 Basketball Champions League was the second season of the Basketball Champions League (BCL), a European-wide professional basketball competition for clubs, that was launched by FIBA. The competition began on 19 September 2017, with th ...
season with a last seconds 75–73 victory over the
French League champions
Élan Chalon
Élan Sportif Chalonnais, commonly known as Élan Chalon, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. The team's main colors are red and white, and their mascot is a moose. The team's home arena is called ...
. On October 25, 2017, Malcolm Armstead was replaced with
Jerry Johnson due to his poor sport form. On November 1, 2017, Neptūnas crushed
Gaziantep Basketbol
Gaziantep Basketbol is a professional basketball team based in the city of Gaziantep in Turkey that plays in the Turkish Basketball Super League. Their home arena is the Karataş Şahinbey Sport Hall with a capacity of 6,400 seats.
History
The ...
during the Champions League away game 114–73 and achieved their highest victory in the history of the tournament. More wins followed - a dominating away against
Betaland Capo d'Orlando
Orlandina Basket, known as Infodrive Capo d'Orlando for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Capo d'Orlando, Sicily. It plays in the second tier Serie A2 Basket.
Founded in 1978, it was one of the youn ...
90:60, and a home win against
P.A.O.K. BC - 82:69. Neptūnas also picked up home wins over
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius 81:76 and
Lietkabelis Panevėžys 86:76, and moved up to 2nd place in the LKL standings. However, financial problems surfaced - Neptūnas was badly beaten in the Champions League by defending league champion
Iberostar Tenerife
Club Cantera Base 1939 Canarias S.A.D., also known as Lenovo Tenerife for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team that is based in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. Domestically, the team plays in the top level league i ...
67:90, and lost team leaders
Mindaugas Girdžiūnas
Mindaugas Girdžiūnas (born 20 January 1989) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player currently playing for BC Neptūnas, Neptūnas Klaipėda.
Professional career
Girdžiūnas joined BC Neptūnas, Neptūnas in 2009, after showing good perf ...
and
Arnas Butkevičius
Arnas Butkevičius (born 22 October 1992) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for BC Žalgiris, Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and EuroLeague.
Professional career
Arnas ...
, who left the team to sign with Lietuvos rytas. On December 14, 2017, team manager Artūras Žalys was fired and was replaced by a prominent Lithuanian basketball agent Virginijus Bulotas. This proved to be false, as the man that wanted to hire Bulotas, Artūras Jakubauskas, was fired and was replaced by Giedrius Vasilkevičius. Sigitas Ambrazevičius became the new team owner. After some more bad news - Palacios leaving for
Beşiktaş J.K., some good news arrived - Neptūnas signed
Vytautas Šulskis
Vytautas Šulskis (born August 8, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player.
High school
Born in Vilnius, Šulskis attended The Rock of Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Florida, where he played soccer and basketball. During his ...
and new point guard Brandon Fields, who replaced the departed Girdžiūnas. In the second round of the Champions League, Neptūnas struggled - they lost to Élan Chalon 81:86, but won the away game against Ventspils 84:69 (Neptūnas had won at home 87:80 in the first round). Neptūnas suffered their first loss of the season at home against
MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg
Riesen Ludwigsburg ( en, Giants Ludwigsburg), for sponsorship reasons MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, is a professional basketball club that is based in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The club currently plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the first tier of ...
71:87 (Neptūnas lost the first round away game 83:95). In an away game against Gaziantep, Neptūnas were down by double digits for most of the game - but managed to force overtime, and lost 94:98 after coach Maksvytis got ejected. After a dominating home win against Betaland Capo d'Orlando 99:62, Neptūnas lost the final two games of the regular season against P.A.O.K. 70:91 in Thessaloniki and against Iberostar at home, 67:83. Neptūnas finished the regular season with a 7–7 record, but made the playoffs. On February 13, Neptūnas suffered one of the most embarrassing losses of the season, losing to
BC Dzūkija
BC Dzūkija ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Dzūkija) was a basketball club located in Alytus, Lithuania. It was founded in 2012 and participated in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL). It was the newest basketball club based in Alytus after BC Alita and B ...
77:85 in the quarterfinals of the
King Mindaugas Cup
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
. The loss was especially painful, because the final four of the tournament was held in Klaipėda. In the Champions League playoffs, Neptūnas suffered another heartbreak, losing the
SIG Basket
Strasbourg Illkirch-Graffenstaden Basket, most commonly known as SIG Basket or SIG Strasbourg, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Strasbourg. The club, founded in 1929, competes domestically in the French Pro A League, and i ...
on aggregate 151:158, winning the first match at home 73:68, but losing a thriller at Strasbourg in overtime, 78:88. In the LKL, Neptūnas rebounded and defeated Lietuvos rytas 99:86 in Vilnius, thus showing signs of improved play. Neptūnas then signed center
Jameel McKay
Jameel McKay (born September 14, 1992) is an American former professional basketball player. He played two seasons of college basketball for Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball, Iowa State, where as a junior in 2014–15, he was named Big 12 Con ...
, to help the team in the LKL. McKay, however, played poorly and was released in May.
Neptūnas finished 3rd in the regular season in the LKL, and defeated
BC Pieno žvaigždės
BC Pieno žvaigždės ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Pieno žvaigždės) is a professional basketball club from Pasvalys, Lithuania which currently plays in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). The club name comes from the main sponsor Pieno žvaigžd ...
3:1 in the quarterfinals, including a dominating 101:64 win in the deciding game four in Pasvalys. Neptūnas faced rival
BC Lietuvos rytas
Rytas Vilnius is a Lithuanian professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania. The club was founded in 1997 from another club, Statyba, and has become one of the most successful Lithuanian basketball clubs. Rytas have won two EuroCup Ba ...
in the semifinal. After winning the first game 84:79 in Vilnius and taking the series lead, Neptūnas had one of the worst shooting performances of all time, losing 49:67 in Klaipėda, with Rytas tying the series 1:1. Rytas then won the third game in Vilnius 74:67, and took a 2:1 lead in the series. Led by Želionis, Seibutis, Delininkaitis and Galdikas, Neptūnas tied the series with a 74:70 win in Klaipėda. In the decisive fifth game in Vilnius, Neptūnas lost a close game 82:88, and lost the series 2:3. In the series for 3rd place, Neptūnas faced previous year's finalist,
BC Lietkabelis
BC Lietkabelis ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Lietkabelis), also currently known as BC 7bet-Lietkabelis or 7bet-Lietkabelis for sponsorship reasons, is a Lithuanian professional basketball team based in Panevėžys, Lithuania, participating in the Lithu ...
. Having home court advantage, Neptūnas started the series with an embarrassing 69:83 loss - Lietkabelis had led by 29 points at one point and only when young players like
Matas Jucikas and
Laurynas Beliauskas
Laurynas Beliauskas (born 3 May 1997) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski of the Polish Basketball League (PLK).
Professional career
Beliauskas made his debut with Neptunas Klaipeda during the 2014-15 se ...
were in, did Neptūnas cut the deficit. Down 0:1 in the series, Neptūnas was down for much of the game in Panevėžys, including an 11-point deficit in the 2nd quarter, before coming from behind and winning the game 71:69, after a last second layup by Seibutis. The series was tied 1:1. In the third game at home, Neptūnas took the lead in the first quarter and never looked back, winning 79:71 and taking a 2:1 series lead. In the fourth game in Panevėžys, Neptūnas started slowly, but led by Želionis, who scored 27 points in the game, Delininkaitis and Johnson, took the lead by half-time, and went on to win the game 89:78, winning the series 3:1 and winning the bronze medals for the second time in club history. After all the turmoil all season long, the win helped the team finish the season on a high.
2018–19 season: Third Basketball Champions League season
After the season ended, Neptūnas entered the off-season with uncertainty. Team leaders Seibutis and Želionis departed, and players like Fields, Johnson, Šulskis and Kačinas were released. Coach Maksvytis remained with the team, and all the chaos with the management was sorted out. Neptūnas signed
Paulius Dambrauskas and
Lorenzo Williams from rival BC Lietkabelis, as the new point guards. Neptūnas then signed back
Jerai Grant
Harvey Jerai Grant (born January 10, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for BC Budivelnyk of the European North Basketball League and the Champions League. He played college basketball for Clemson University.
College career
In h ...
, who returned after a one-year absence, at center. Žalgiris loaned Neptūnas
Gytis Masiulis
Gytis Masiulis (born 10 April 1998) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Rytas Vilnius of the LKL and the Basketball Champions League.
Professional career
Masiulis started his professional career when he signed with BC Žalgiris- ...
, one of the team's top prospects, to get more playing time. Neptūnas also signed
Osvaldas Olisevičius
Osvaldas Olisevičius (born January 10, 1993) is a professional Lithuanian basketball player for Reggio Emilia of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He can play both small forward and power forward positions.
Professional career
In 2014 Ol ...
, the leader of
BC Pieno žvaigždės
BC Pieno žvaigždės ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Pieno žvaigždės) is a professional basketball club from Pasvalys, Lithuania which currently plays in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). The club name comes from the main sponsor Pieno žvaigžd ...
, to a one-year deal.
Kyle Weaver
Kyle Donovan Weaver (born February 18, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Washington State University, and was drafted 38th overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2008 NBA draft. Weaver, ...
signed with Neptūnas in August. Neptūnas showed a lot of promise during the pre-season, winning a couple of tournaments. On January 14, 2019,
Deividas Gailius
Deividas Gailius (born Deividas Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions.
Pro ...
returned to Neptūnas, signing for the rest of the season. On April 4, 2019, Weaver was released by Neptūnas.
Neptūnas started the
2018–19 LKL season
The 2018–19 Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, also called Betsafe-LKL for sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of the top-tier level professional basketball league of Lithuania, the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga
Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL) (''Engl ...
with a 100:76 home win over
BC Nevėžis
BC Nevėžis ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Nevėžis), commonly known as Nevėžis Kėdainiai, also known as Nevėžis-OPTIBET due to sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Kėdainiai, Lithuania. The club currently competes in ...
. On October 14, Neptūnas shocked champions
BC Žalgiris
Basketball Club Žalgiris ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Žalgiris) is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania, and competes domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL, Lithuanian Basketball League). Founded in 1944, i ...
with a dominating 75:60 win in Kaunas, and climbed to first place in the LKL standings. On November 3, Neptūnas picked up another shocking away win, beating rivals
BC Rytas
Rytas Vilnius is a Lithuanian professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania. The club was founded in 1997 from another club, Statyba, and has become one of the most successful Lithuanian basketball clubs. Rytas have won two EuroCup ...
in Vilnius, 78:66. The seven game win streak ended on November 18, in a home defeat against BC Rytas, 78:93, also losing the 1st place in the standings to Žalgiris. Neptūnas recovered from the loss by crushing rival
BC Lietkabelis
BC Lietkabelis ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Lietkabelis), also currently known as BC 7bet-Lietkabelis or 7bet-Lietkabelis for sponsorship reasons, is a Lithuanian professional basketball team based in Panevėžys, Lithuania, participating in the Lithu ...
100:76 in Panevėžys, tying Rytas for second place in the standings. On January 6, the first game of the new year, Neptūnas shocked Žalgiris again, this time winning a double overtime thriller at home, 98:93. This win helped Neptūnas retain the second place over Rytas in the standings. A shocking loss to
BC Pieno žvaigždės
BC Pieno žvaigždės ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Pieno žvaigždės) is a professional basketball club from Pasvalys, Lithuania which currently plays in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). The club name comes from the main sponsor Pieno žvaigžd ...
at home, 77:80, lead to Neptūnas giving the spot up to Rytas. Neptūnas returned to the second place the next week, after Rytas suffered a loss themselves. On March 3, Neptūnas shocked Žalgiris again, with an 81:71 win at home, and becoming the first team in since 2014 to beat Žalgiris in a season series. The win helped Neptūnas retain second place in the standings over Rytas. On March 30, however, after a very poor fourth quarter, Neptūnas lost to Rytas in Vilnius, 52:70, and lost the second place to Rytas. On April 11, Neptūnas picked up a dominating home win over Rytas, 89:74, continuing the battle for second place. An 8-game win streak followed, and even after an 80:90 loss to Žalgiris on May 9 snapped it, Neptūnas had already secured second place and homecourt advantage in the playoffs. Neptūnas finished with a 28–8 record. Neptūnas defeated
SkyCop Prienai 2:1 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Neptūnas faced rivals Rytas. Having homecourt advantage for the first time, Neptūnas started the series at home – however, Neptūnas played the worst game of the season, with Rytas taking a lead at halftime, and increasing it by the end, taking a 75:46 win in Klaipėda, with Neptūnas even hearing boos from the fans. In the second game, Neptūnas desperately needed the win, to take the series back to Klaipėda - in a tension filled match, where team captain Galdikas even received an ejection, Neptūnas started poorly, with Rytas taking a huge lead at halftime. By the end, Neptūnas was only able to cut down the deficit – 70:83 and a very disappointing 0:2 loss. In the 3rd place series, Neptūnas faced Lietkabelis, in a rematch from last season, which Neptūnas won, and the
King Mindaugas Cup
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
of 2019, where Neptūnas lost. Neptūnas won the series 3:0, with wins at home 89:77 and 84:77, and away 88:75.
At the star of the
2018–19 Basketball Champions League
The 2018–19 Basketball Champions League was the third season of the Basketball Champions League (BCL), a European-wide professional basketball competition for clubs, that was launched by FIBA. The competition began in September 2018, with the qu ...
, Neptūnas lost to
Virtus Bologna
Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna.
The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...
in an away game, 78:83. Neptūnas got their first win by defeating
Beşiktaş Sompo Japan
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, a ...
78:63 at home the next week. After a hard-fought away loss to
B.C. Oostende
Basketball Club Oostende, for sponsorship reasons Filou Oostende, is a Belgian professional basketball team. The club is based in Ostend and was founded in 1970. The club competes domestically in the BNXT League and internationally in the Baske ...
, 89:91, Neptūnas rebounded by scoring two wins - a home victory and revenge over
SIG Strasbourg
Strasbourg Illkirch-Graffenstaden Basket, most commonly known as SIG Basket or SIG Strasbourg, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Strasbourg. The club, founded in 1929, competes domestically in the French Pro A League, and i ...
92:83, and finally, an away win against
KK Olimpija
Košarkarski klub Olimpija ( en, Olimpija Basketball Club) was a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Olimpija has won 23 National League championships, including eight consecutive titles between 1992 and 1999. They ...
, 97:88, being led by Jerai Grant and a resurgent Delininkaitis. The win streak was stopped at home by
Promitheas Patras B.C.
Promitheas Patras B.C. (Greek: Προμηθέας Πατρών K.A.E.) is a Greek professional basketball club that is based in Patras, Greece. The club currently competes in the Greek Basket League and the EuroCup. It is Patras' prominent baske ...
, with Neptūnas losing the match 82:83 after some turnovers in the end. In the final game of the first round, Neptūnas suffered one of the worst losses in European competitions, losing to
Medi Bayreuth
Medi Bayreuth, official stylized as medi bayreuth, is a German professional basketball club that is based in Bayreuth, Germany. It was re-founded as BBC Bayreuth in 1999. The team plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the highest division o ...
78:102 in an away loss, finishing with a 3–4 record. Neptūnas recovered at the start of the second round, handing Virtus their first loss in the competition with an 88:85 home win. In Istanbul, Neptūnas lost to Beşiktaş 70:77. Another heartbreaking loss to Oostende, this time at home, 77:79, plummeted Neptūnas to a disastrous 7th place in the standings. However, Neptūnas recovered - sparked by the return of Gailius, Neptūnas finished the regular season with four consecutive wins - an away win over SIG Strasbourg 90:80, a home win over KK Olimpija 82:74, getting revenge over Promitheas Patras with a dominating 82:69 away victory, and defeating Medi Bayeruth 83:73 at home, finishing with an 8–6 record. After Oostende lost at home to SIG, Neptūnas qualified to the playoffs for the third consecutive season, and finished 3rd in standings. In the playoffs, Neptūnas faced
Hapoel Jerusalem
Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's leadi ...
, one of the top teams in the competition. In the first game at home, Neptūnas lost 74:86. In the rematch, Neptūnas lost 64:84, losing the series on aggregate 138:170.
2019–20 season
![Gytis Masiulis 20 BC Žalgiris EuroLeague 20180223](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Gytis_Masiulis_20_BC_%C5%BDalgiris_EuroLeague_20180223.jpg)
The third-place finish helped Neptūnas directly qualify for the
2019-20 Basketball Champions League. Coach Maksvytis, team leader Grant, Williams, Dambrauskas, Bieliauskas, Kisielius and Mikalauskas left during the summer. Assistant coach
Tomas Rinkevičius was named as Maksvytis replacement. Neptūnas signed
Andre Williamson as the new center to replace Grant, while
Darrin Dorsey was a replacement for Williams as the new point guard.
Žygimantas Janavičius
Žygimantas Janavičius (born February 20, 1989) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League. Standing at tall and weighing , he plays as a point guard.
Career
Janavičius made his ...
was also signed to strengthen the point guard position. Masiulis was loaned for one more season by Žalgiris, while another Euroleague team,
Kirilobet Baskonia, loaned
Tadas Sedekerskis
Tadas Sedekerskis (born January 17, 1998) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Cazoo Baskonia of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.
Professional career
During his early career at age of just thirteen Sedekerskis played for Kuršia ...
for Neptūnas.
Matas Jogėla signed just before the season started. Team veterans Gailius and Delininkaitis remained with the team. Neptūnas won the
Vladas Garastas Cup, defeating
BC Dnipro
Basketball Club Dnipro ( uk, баскетбольний клуб "Дніпро"), commonly known as simply Dnipro, is a Ukrainian professional basketball club that is based in Dnipro. The home court of the club is Palace of Sports Shynnik. The wome ...
75–63 in the finals, which also served as the club's 55 year anniversary tournament. Longtime captain
Martynas Mažeika
Martynas Mažeika (born 29 January 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He is 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) tall. He can play point guard or shooting guard, preferring the ...
returned to the team in January.
Neptūnas started off the
2019–20 LKL season by defeating
BC Juventus
BC Juventus ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Juventus), also known as Uniclub Casino Juventus for sponsorship reasons, is a Lithuanian professional basketball club based in Utena, Lithuania. Founded in 1999, the club currently plays in the Lithuanian Bas ...
80–67 at home. Neptūnas struggled in the LKL, and in February, with an 11–9 record and 5th place in the standings, and an early exit in the Champions League also, replaced coach Rinkevičius with assistant
Jurica Žuža
Jurica Žuža (born April 4, 1978) is a Croatian basketball coach and former basketball player serving as assistant coach for Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League.
Professional career
Žuža started his professional career at Zadar under ...
. Under Žuža, Neptūnas qualified for the
King Mindaugas Cup
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
, by beating
BC Dzūkija
BC Dzūkija ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Dzūkija) was a basketball club located in Alytus, Lithuania. It was founded in 2012 and participated in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL). It was the newest basketball club based in Alytus after BC Alita and B ...
92:89 away and 73:72 at home, avenging the loss in 2018, and qualifying for the Final Four tournament, held on Neptūnas homecourt
Švyturio Arena. Despite promising statements from the management and coach Žuža, the tournament ended with Neptūnas finishing in a disappointing 4th place, suffering a blowout loss in the semifinals to
BC Rytas
Rytas Vilnius is a Lithuanian professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania. The club was founded in 1997 from another club, Statyba, and has become one of the most successful Lithuanian basketball clubs. Rytas have won two EuroCup ...
71:96, and a loss in the 3rd place game to
BC Lietkabelis
BC Lietkabelis ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Lietkabelis), also currently known as BC 7bet-Lietkabelis or 7bet-Lietkabelis for sponsorship reasons, is a Lithuanian professional basketball team based in Panevėžys, Lithuania, participating in the Lithu ...
, 73:84. Coach Žuža was then replaced by the coach of the reserve team
Neptūnas-Akvaservis,
Tomas Gaidamavičius Tomas may refer to:
People
* Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name
* Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name
* Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name
* Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian surna ...
. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, the LKL season was ended prematurely, with Neptūnas finishing in 4th place.
In the Basketball Champions League, Neptūnas defeated
Happy Casa Brindisi 81–71 in the home opener. In the second game, Neptūnas faced
JDA Dijon
Jeanne d'Arc Dijon Basket, commonly known as JDA Dijon Basket or simply Dijon, is a professional basketball club from the city of Dijon, France. The club currently plays in the LNB Pro A, the French French basketball league system, first tier divis ...
, also at home - despite the best efforts from Neptūnas, JDA Dijon took a huge lead at halftime, and won the game 89–75. Tied at 1-1, Neptūnas won the first away game of the tournament, beating
PAOK 94–72 in Thessaloniki. Neptūnas then defeated
Casademont Zaragoza
Basket Zaragoza 2002 S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Basket Zaragoza and as Casademont Zaragoza for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Zaragoza, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. Their home arena is th ...
91–73 at home. Neptūnas lost to
Telekom Baskets Bonn
Telekom Baskets Bonn, also known as Baskets Bonn, is a German professional basketball club that is based in Bonn, Germany. The club plays in the Basketball Bundesliga, which is German basketball league system, the highest level pro basketball le ...
, 85–97, in an away game. Neptūnas finished the first round with a home win over
Beşiktaş J.K. 86–80, and an away loss to
Falco KC
Falco Kosárlabda Club, for sponsorship reasons named Falco Volvo Alpok Autó Szombathely, is a Hungarian professional basketball club based in Szombathely. The team play their home games at Arena Savaria, a multi-use complex, which was opened in ...
, 73–97, tied for 3rd place with a 4–3 record. The second round, however, ended up with failure - Neptūnas suffered away losses to both Brindisi and JDA Dijon, 82:96 and 71:92, a very painful home loss to PAOK 80:86, and lost to Casademonet Zaragoza, 70:86, losing 5 consecutive games for the first time in the competition. While Neptūnas defeated Telekom Baskets 93:68 at home, an away loss to Beşiktaş, 69:76, ended any hope for Neptūnas to reach the playoffs, for the first time since joining the competition. Neptūnas finished the competition with a win at home over Falco KC, 87:83, finishing 6th with a 6–8 record.
The pandemic difficulties (2020–present)
2020–21 season
Neptūnas faced off with the financial difficulties when the rest of the 2019–20 season was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, therefore the club formed its next season roster mostly from young Lithuanian players and had no foreign players. Starting the 2020–21 season, Neptūnas participated in the
2020–21 Basketball Champions League
The 2020–21 Basketball Champions League was the 5th season of the Basketball Champions League (BCL), the premier European-wide professional basketball competition for clubs launched and managed by FIBA. The season began on 15 September 2020 and ...
season Qualification Group D, where it defeated the
London Lions 77–73 in the semi-finals, however the team failed to qualify to the regular season after losing the qualification final to the
BC Tsmoki-Minsk
Basketball Club Minsk ( be, Мінск) is a professional basketball club that is based in the city of Minsk, Belarus. They play in the Belarus Premier League and the VTB United League. The team plays its home games at the Minsk Arena.
Establis ...
69–59, and played only in the Lithuanian League. In the LKL, Neptūnas became the surprise team of the year. Under coach
Tomas Gaidamavičius Tomas may refer to:
People
* Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name
* Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name
* Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name
* Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian surna ...
, the young team with some veteran leadership, led by guys like
Martynas Mažeika
Martynas Mažeika (born 29 January 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He is 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) tall. He can play point guard or shooting guard, preferring the ...
,
Žygimantas Janavičius
Žygimantas Janavičius (born February 20, 1989) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League. Standing at tall and weighing , he plays as a point guard.
Career
Janavičius made his ...
and
Martynas Jogėla, were in playoff contention all season long.
Benas Griciūnas,
Evaldas Šaulys
Evaldas Šaulys (born 4 March 1993) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for BC Juventus of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).
National team career
Šaulys won gold medal with the Lithuanian team during the 2017 Summer Universi ...
,
Džiugas Slavinskas, among others, also had good seasons.
Deividas Gailius
Deividas Gailius (born Deividas Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions.
Pro ...
returned near the end of the season to Neptūnas, immediately becoming the team leader and leading Neptūnas to the 6th seed in the regular season. In the playoffs, Neptūnas also nearly upset the heavily favored
Lietkabelis Panevėžys in the playoffs, and while getting swept in the playoffs, gave Neptūnas fans hope for the future. In the
King Mindaugas Cup
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
, Neptūnas also reached the semifinals.
2021–22 season
Before the 2021-2022 season, Neptūnas largely kept the same core as in the previous season, re-signed Deividas Gailius, and also signed the returning
Edgaras Želionis
Edgaras Želionis (born June 4, 1989) is a professional Lithuanian basketball player for New Taipei CTBC DEA of the T1 League. He plays at the power forward and center positions.
Professional career
On July 5, 2017, Želionis signed with Nep ...
, one of the best players for Neptūnas back in the 2017-2018 season. Neptūnas, having higher expectations for the season, expected to continue where they left off the previous season. However, the season began disastrously for Neptūnas. By December, Neptūnas was coming off a losing streak, which included many blow-out loses, and was out of playoff contention in the LKL. Needing changes, coach Gaidamavičius was released by Neptūnas, and in a surprising move,
Dainius Adomaitis
Dainius Adomaitis (born 19 January 1974) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and the head coach for Alvark Tokyo of Japan's B.League.
Professional career
He started his career in Statyba Vilnius. Later he moved to Žalgiris ...
returned as the head coach of Neptūnas. Neptūnas regained their form - in the LKL, by April, Neptūnas had rose up to the 7th seed in the standings. Neptūnas finished the LKL regular season with a memorable 93-88 win over
Rytas Vilnius in the regular season final. In the playoffs, Neptūnas faced
Žalgiris Kaunas, now coached by former Neptūnas head coach
Kazys Maksvytis
Kazys Maksvytis (born 15 June 1977) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach for Lithuania men's national basketball team and Žalgiris Kaunas.
Coaching career
Professional clubs
From 2011 to 2012, Maksvyt ...
. Neptūnas surprised all critics – they managed to stretch the series out to all five games, and only in the deciding fifth game did Žalgiris finish off Neptūnas and won the series 3-2. Gailius and
Benas Griciūnas, along with the biggest surprise of the series,
Nojus Mineikis, all shined during the series. After the season, Adomaitis once again left Neptūnas.
Players
Retired numbers
On May 22, 2014 Neptūnas retired their first two numbers:
Current roster
Depth chart
Squad changes for/during the 2022–23 season
In
Out
Loaned Out
Logos
Bc neptunas logo until 2010-2011 season.gif, Neptūnas classic logo (1964–2011)
BC Neptunas logo 2.png, Neptūnas new logo (2011–2019)
BC_Neptūnas_anniversary_logo.png, Neptūnas anniversary logo (2019–2020)
Neptunas2020.png, Neptūnas logo (2020–present)
Honours
Domestic competitions
*
Lithuanian SSR Championship
: Winners (1): 1962
Club achievements
::
Detailed information of former rosters and results.
LKL playoffs
* 2001–2002 season 8th (lost
quarter-finals
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
against
Lietuvos Rytas
''Lietuvos rytas'' (lit. 'Morning of Lithuania') is a Lithuanian daily newspaper.
History and profile
"Lietuvos rytas" was established in 1990 on a basis of newspaper "Komjaunimo tiesa". The paper is printed in Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also ...
0:2)
* 2002–2003 season 6th (lost
quarter-finals
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
against
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
0:2)
* 2004–2005 season 5th (lost
quarter-finals
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
against
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
1:2)
* 2006–2007 season 4th (lost
bronze final
A third place match, game for third place, bronze medal game or consolation game is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The tea ...
against
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
0:3)
* 2008–2009 season 4th (lost
bronze final
A third place match, game for third place, bronze medal game or consolation game is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The tea ...
against
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
2:3)
* 2009–2010 season 5th (lost
quarter-finals
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
against
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
0:2)
* 2010–2011 season 8th (lost
quarter-finals
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
against
Žalgiris 0:2)
* 2011–2012 season 6th (lost
quarter-finals
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
against
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
1:2)
* 2012–2013 season 3rd (won
bronze final
A third place match, game for third place, bronze medal game or consolation game is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The tea ...
against
Prienai
Prienai () is a city in Lithuania situated on the Nemunas River, south of Kaunas. In 2011 the city had 9,867 inhabitants. The name of the city is a derivative from a surname ''Prienas''. Pociūnai Airport is associated with the city.
History
...
3:2)
* 2013–2014 season 2nd (lost
grand final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
against
Žalgiris 2:4)
* 2014–2015 season 4th (lost
bronze final
A third place match, game for third place, bronze medal game or consolation game is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The tea ...
against
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
2:3)
* 2015–2016 season 2nd (lost
grand final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
against
Žalgiris 1:4)
* 2016–2017 season 4th (lost
bronze final
A third place match, game for third place, bronze medal game or consolation game is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The tea ...
against
Lietuvos Rytas
''Lietuvos rytas'' (lit. 'Morning of Lithuania') is a Lithuanian daily newspaper.
History and profile
"Lietuvos rytas" was established in 1990 on a basis of newspaper "Komjaunimo tiesa". The paper is printed in Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also ...
2:3)
* 2017–2018 season 3rd (won
bronze final
A third place match, game for third place, bronze medal game or consolation game is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The tea ...
against
Lietkabelis 3:1)
* 2018–2019 season: 3rd (won
bronze final
A third place match, game for third place, bronze medal game or consolation game is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The tea ...
against
Lietkabelis 3:0)
Notable players
* A foreign international player who has significantly contributed into the results of the club.
* A Lithuanian player who has significantly contributed into the results of the club.
* Lithuanians:
* Tomas Vanagas
1993–2000
* Gintautas Bendžius
1993–1996, 1999–2000
* Artūras Jakubauskas
1994–1997
* Aloyzas Vasiliūnas
1994–1997
*
Eurelijus Žukauskas
Eurelijus Žukauskas (, born August 22, 1973) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, ...
1994–1997
* Martynas Purlys
1995–1997
* Svajūnas Airošius
1995–2000
*
Donatas Zavackas
Donatas Zavackas (born 23 April 1980) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at University of Pittsburgh. Standing at , he plays the power forward position.
College career
During his successful career a ...
1996–1998, 2003, 2006, 2014–2016
*
Alvydas Pazdrazdis
Alvydas Pazdrazdis (born 20 July 1972) is a Lithuanian former basketball player from Kretinga, Lithuania, who won the bronze medal with the Lithuania men's national basketball team, Lithuania national basketball team at the 1992 Summer Olympics. ...
1997–1999
*
Arvydas Macijauskas
Arvydas Macijauskas (born January 19, 1980) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. Standing at tall, he played at the shooting guard position. He was one of the greatest Lithuanian players of the 2000s, as he won numerous individu ...
1997–1999
* Mindaugas Mockus
1997–2004, 2006–2008
* Dainius Miliūnas
1998–2000
* Rolandas Urkis
1998–2001
* Audrius Mineikis
1999–2005, 2005–2006
* Gintautas Vileita
1999–2000, 2005–2006
* Petras Šalvis
2000–2005
*
Vidas Ginevičius
Vidas Ginevičius (born May 11, 1978) is a 1.93 m (6'4") in height, 93 kg (205 pound) in weight, Lithuanian professional basketball point guard born in Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union, USSR.
Pro career
His career started in 1999, when ...
2000–2001
* Sigitas Kažukauskas
2000–2002
* Vaidotas Pridotkas
2000–2008
*
Mantas Ruikis
Mantas Ruikis (born June 28, 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays as a shooting guard for BC Gargždai-SC of the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL).
On 31 August 2005, Mantas Ruikis left Neptūnas after playing four season ...
2001–2005, 2010–2012
*
Tomas Delininkaitis
Tomas Delininkaitis (born June 11, 1982) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He was a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship . He is 1.90 m (6 ft 2 in) and weighs 82 kg.
Profe ...
2001–2002, 2017–2020
* Osvaldas Kurauskas
2005–2006, 2008–2010
* Vitalijus Stanevičius
2005–2008
* Vaidotas Pečiukas
2005–2006, 2007–2008
*
Marius Runkauskas
Marius Runkauskas (born May 20, 1986) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Gargždai-SC of the National Basketball League (NKL). He plays primarily at the shooting guard position, but he can also play point guard, if needed.
Ear ...
2007–2008, 2011–2014
*
Arvydas Eitutavičius
Arvydas Eitutavičius (born 18 September 1982) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who last played for BC Gargždai-SC of the National Basketball League. He attended Norfolk Collegiate School and Laurinburg Institute before enrolling ...
2008–2009, 2013–2014
*
Valdas Vasylius 2008–2009, 2010–2011, 2013–2015
* Lithuanians (cont):
*
Martynas Mažeika
Martynas Mažeika (born 29 January 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He is 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) tall. He can play point guard or shooting guard, preferring the ...
2000–2004, 2008–2009, 2010–2017, 2020–present
*
Giedrius Gustas
Giedrius Gustas (born 4 March 1980) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball player. At the height of 1.90 m (6'2 3⁄4") tall and a weight of 86 kg (190 lbs.), he mainly played at the point guard position. During his club playing career, a ...
2012–2013
*
Martynas Andriuškevičius
Martynas Andriuškevičius (; born March 12, 1986) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. He is a 2.18 m (7 ft 2 in) tall and 113 kg (250 lb) center (basketball), center. Andriuškevičius has noted perimeter skill f ...
2012–2013
*
Vytautas Šarakauskas
Vytautas Šarakauskas (born 8 February 1982 in Belgrade Serbia) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas-Akvaservis.
Professional career
Šarakauskas started his career in SSK–Perlas Vilnius, which played in the LKAL l ...
2012–2017
*
Deividas Gailius
Deividas Gailius (born Deividas Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions.
Pro ...
2007-2009, 2012–2013, 2014–2015, 2019–2020
*
Renaldas Seibutis
Renaldas Seibutis (born July 23, 1985) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball player. He represented the senior Lithuanian national team internationally.
Professional career
Europe
In the 2010–11 season, Seibutis played for Olin Edi ...
2017–2018
*
Džiugas Slavinskas 2018–2021
* Foreigners:
* Jeff Halloway
2000–2001
* Kipp Christianson
2002–2003
*
Willie Mitchell 2003–2004
*
Jānis Porziņģis
Jānis Porziņģis (born 13 July 1982) is a Latvian former professional basketball player. At a height of , he played at the small forward position. He is the older brother of Washington Wizards forward Kristaps Porziņģis.
Professional playing ...
2003–2004
* Antonio Grant
2004–2005, 2010
* Sheiku Kabba
2004–2005
* Jerome Coleman
2005–2006
* Latece Williams
2005–2006
*
Ron Dorsey 2006–2007
*
Michailas Anisimovas 2007–2008, 2014
*
Arinze Onuaku
Arinze Christopher Onuaku (born July 13, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Syracuse University.
High school career
Onuaku attended DuVal High School in Lanham, Maryland before transferr ...
2011
*
Rashaun Broadus
Rashaun Eneal Broadus (born August 5, 1984) is an American-born naturalized Albanian former professional basketball player. Born in Seattle, Washington, he attended Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii. A tall point guard, Broadus then compet ...
2012–2013
*
Mustafa Shakur
Mustafadeen "Mustafa" Abdush-Shakur (born August 18, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Arizona and has previously played professionally in Europe, Lebanon, the NBA D-Le ...
2014–2015
*
Keith Benson
Keith Anderson Benson Jr. (born August 13, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Juventus Utena of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He played college basketball for Oakland University. A 6-foot-11 center, Benson ...
2014–2015
*
Daniel Ewing
George Daniel Ewing, Jr. (born March 26, 1983) is an American professional basketball player.
College career
A guard from Duke University, Ewing played for four seasons at the college under coach Mike Krzyzewski from 2001 to 2005. Prior to Duk ...
2015–2016, 2017
*
Jerai Grant
Harvey Jerai Grant (born January 10, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for BC Budivelnyk of the European North Basketball League and the Champions League. He played college basketball for Clemson University.
College career
In h ...
2015–2017, 2018–2019
*
Travis Bader
Richard Travis Bader (born July 2, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Oakland University. Bader, a shooting guard, is second on the NCAA career leader for three-point field goals and fiel ...
2015–2016
*
Jimmy Baron 2016–2017
*
Chris Lofton
Christopher Franklin Lofton (born March 27, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Seoul SK Knights of the Korean Basketball League. He played college basketball with the University of Tennessee Volunteers.
High school
Chris Lof ...
2016–2017
*
Juan Palacios 2017
*
Darrin Dorsey 2019–2020,
2021
Head coaches
*
Robertas Usaris (1964–1968)
*
Antanas Kašiuba (1968–1974)
*
Saulius Vilkas Saulius is a Lithuanian masculine given name.
People named Saulius include:
*Saulius Ambrulevičius (born 1992), Lithuanian figure skater
* Saulius Atmanavičius (born 1970), Lithuanian footballer
* Saulius Binevičius (born 1979), freestyle swim ...
(1974–1983)
*
Eugenijus Milkontas (1983–1993)
*
Stasys Kaupys (1993–1995)
*
Grigorijus Pancerovas (1995–1996)
*
Rimas Girskis (1996–1999)
*
Grigorijus Pancerovas (1994–2004)
*
Robertas Kuncaitis
Robertas Kuncaitis (born January 9, 1964, in Šilutė, Lithuania) is a Lithuanian basketball coach who is currently an assistant coach for BC Khimki. He was a head coach of Neptūnas and assistant coach of the Lithuania national basketball te ...
(2004–2005)
*
Dean Murray (2005–2006)
*
Robertas Kuncaitis
Robertas Kuncaitis (born January 9, 1964, in Šilutė, Lithuania) is a Lithuanian basketball coach who is currently an assistant coach for BC Khimki. He was a head coach of Neptūnas and assistant coach of the Lithuania national basketball te ...
(2006–2007)
*
Aloyzas Rudys Aloyzas is a masculine given name of Lithuanian origin. People with that name include:
* Aloyzas Kveinys (1962-2018), Lithuanian chess Grandmaster
* Aloyzas Sakalas (born 1931), Lithuanian politician
* Aloyzas Stasiulevičius (born 1931), Lithua ...
(2007–2008)
*
Rytis Vaišvila
Rytis Vaišvila (born May 23, 1971) is a retired Lithuanian basketball player and current coach. He currently serves as head coach of BC Sūduva.
National team career
Vaišvila was a member of the Lithuanian national team which won bronze medal ...
(2008–2009)
*
Paulius Juodis
Paulius Juodis (born August 24, 1978 in Klaipėda, Lithuanian SSR, USSR) is a Lithuanian basketball coach. He most recently coached BC Gargždai of the LKL.
Career
*2005: BC Panevežys assistant coach
*2005–2006: BC Panevežys assistant co ...
(2009–2010)
*
Rytis Vaišvila
Rytis Vaišvila (born May 23, 1971) is a retired Lithuanian basketball player and current coach. He currently serves as head coach of BC Sūduva.
National team career
Vaišvila was a member of the Lithuanian national team which won bronze medal ...
(2010)
*
Robertas Kuncaitis
Robertas Kuncaitis (born January 9, 1964, in Šilutė, Lithuania) is a Lithuanian basketball coach who is currently an assistant coach for BC Khimki. He was a head coach of Neptūnas and assistant coach of the Lithuania national basketball te ...
(2010–2011)
*
Paulius Juodis
Paulius Juodis (born August 24, 1978 in Klaipėda, Lithuanian SSR, USSR) is a Lithuanian basketball coach. He most recently coached BC Gargždai of the LKL.
Career
*2005: BC Panevežys assistant coach
*2005–2006: BC Panevežys assistant co ...
(2011–2012)
* Osvaldas Kurauskas (2012)
*
Kazys Maksvytis
Kazys Maksvytis (born 15 June 1977) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach for Lithuania men's national basketball team and Žalgiris Kaunas.
Coaching career
Professional clubs
From 2011 to 2012, Maksvyt ...
(2012–2015)
*
Dainius Adomaitis
Dainius Adomaitis (born 19 January 1974) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and the head coach for Alvark Tokyo of Japan's B.League.
Professional career
He started his career in Statyba Vilnius. Later he moved to Žalgiris ...
(2015–2017)
*
Kazys Maksvytis
Kazys Maksvytis (born 15 June 1977) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach for Lithuania men's national basketball team and Žalgiris Kaunas.
Coaching career
Professional clubs
From 2011 to 2012, Maksvyt ...
(2017–2019)
*
Tomas Rinkevičius (2019–2020)
*
Jurica Žuža
Jurica Žuža (born April 4, 1978) is a Croatian basketball coach and former basketball player serving as assistant coach for Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League.
Professional career
Žuža started his professional career at Zadar under ...
(2020)
*
Tomas Gaidamavičius Tomas may refer to:
People
* Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name
* Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name
* Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name
* Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian surna ...
(2020–2021)
*
Dainius Adomaitis
Dainius Adomaitis (born 19 January 1974) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and the head coach for Alvark Tokyo of Japan's B.League.
Professional career
He started his career in Statyba Vilnius. Later he moved to Žalgiris ...
(2021–2022)
*
Mindaugas Brazys (2022-)
Team management
Board Representative
Sigitas Ambrazevičius
Board members
Arunas Tuma
Alvydas Vaiciunas
Edvinas Vaickus
Vytautas Lygnugarys
Vidmantas Dambrauskas
Director of the Club
Sigitas Ambrazevičius
Statistical leaders
All time points per game in all tournaments (PPG)
Youth academy
Neptūnas closely works with
Vladas Knašius Basketball School as a ladder for youth to professional basketball. Players such as
Arvydas Macijauskas
Arvydas Macijauskas (born January 19, 1980) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. Standing at tall, he played at the shooting guard position. He was one of the greatest Lithuanian players of the 2000s, as he won numerous individu ...
,
Eurelijus Žukauskas
Eurelijus Žukauskas (, born August 22, 1973) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, ...
,
Tomas Delininkaitis
Tomas Delininkaitis (born June 11, 1982) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He was a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship . He is 1.90 m (6 ft 2 in) and weighs 82 kg.
Profe ...
, and many players of the current Neptūnas roster attended V. Knašius Basketball School.
Video game
Neptūnas basketball club was featured in the
NBA 2K16
''NBA 2K16'' is a 2015 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It is the 17th installment in the ''NBA 2K'' franchise and the successor to ''NBA 2K15''. It was released on September 29, 2015 fo ...
video game.
References
External links
Official website of Neptūnas
BC Neptūnas LKL.lt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bc Neptunas
Sport in Klaipėda
Basketball teams established in 1962
EuroLeague clubs
1962 establishments in Lithuania