The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL) Finals is the championship finals series for the top-tier level professional club

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 ...

league 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 ...

, the LKL, and the conclusion of the league's postseason. The Finals have been played in either a best-of-seven, or a best-of five format. The first LKL Finals series was held in 1994, and was contested by Žalgiris and Atletas, with Žalgiris winning the series 3–1. Žalgiris Kaunas has been the most successful team, having won 22 out of the 27 LKL Finals series that have been played so far. Lietuvos rytas Vilnius is the only other team to win the LKL Finals.

History

1994–2000: Early dominance by Žalgiris Kaunas

Žalgiris Kaunas won the first 6 LKL Finals series, from 1994 to 1999. The team's dominance in the LKL Finals came to an end in the 2000 LKL Finals, when they lost to Lietuvos rytas Vilnius. During that same period, Žalgiris had also won the second tier level European-wide

FIBA Saporta Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA ...

in the 1997–98 season, and the first tier level European-wide 1999 FIBA EuroLeague Final Four. From 1994 to 2000,

Atletas Kaunas FK Atletas Kaunas (former:LKKA ir Teledema) was a Lithuanian football club from the city of Kaunas. The majority of the players was recruited from the Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education. LKKA ir Teledema earned promotion to the A Lyga, L ...

was the only other club that came close to winning the LKL Finals, as they won the first two games of the 5 game 1996 LKL Finals.

2000–2010: Lietuvos rytas Vilnius and Žalgiris rivalry

Lietuvos rytas Vilnius finally ended Žalgiris Kaunas' run of winning the first 6 LKL Finals, when they won the finals in 2000. Over an 11-year period, from 2000 to 2010, all of the LKL Finals were won by the two clubs, with Lietuvos rytas winning 5 LKL Finals series, and Žalgiris Kaunas winning 6 LKL Finals series.

2011–present: Žalgiris Kaunas again dominates

Starting with the 2011 LKL Finals, Žalgiris Kaunas began another long run of dominance, winning 10 straight LKL Finals series, from 2011 to 2021.

LKL Finals series results

LKL Finals won by head coach

List of winning head coaches: * 1994 –

Jaak Salumets Jaak Salumets (born 30 January 1949 in Paide) is a retired Estonian professional basketball player and coach who played mostly at the forward position. Salumets is also a former Estonian Reform Party politician who was a member of the Riigikogu ...

* 1995 –

Jonas Kazlauskas Jonas Kazlauskas (born 21 November 1954) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach of the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Playing career Kazlauskas ...

* 1996 – Jonas Kazlauskas (2) * 1997 – Jonas Kazlauskas (3) * 1998 – Jonas Kazlauskas (4) * 1999 – Jonas Kazlauskas (5) * 2000 –

Šarūnas Sakalauskas Šarūnas Sakalauskas (September 24, 1960 in Kaunas) is a former Lithuanian basketball coach. He was the coach of Sakalai, Lietuvos rytas Vilnius and Eisbären Bremerhaven. During the 2005–06 season he was named Coach of the Year in the Germa ...

* 2001 – Algirdas Brazys * 2002 – Jonas Kazlauskas (6) * 2003 –

Antanas Sireika Antanas Sireika (born May 11, 1956
FIBA.co ...

* 2004 – Antanas Sireika (2) * 2005 – Antanas Sireika (3) * 2006 –

Neven Spahija Neven Spahija (born 6 November 1962) is a Croatian professional basketball coach who was most recently the head coach for Bitci Baskonia of the Liga ACB. He spent four years in the NBA as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis G ...

* 2007 –

Rimantas Grigas Rimantas Grigas (born 1962, Klaipėda) is a Lithuanian basketball coach, known for his stint with Žalgiris Kaunas. He was coaching Atletas Kaunas in the 1996-1999 season. Before entering Žalgiris Kaunas coach staff, he was signed with Žalg ...

* 2008 – Rimantas Grigas (2) * 2009 –

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 ...

* 2010 – Rimas Kurtinaitis (2) * 2011 –

Ilias Zouros Ilias Zouros or Elias Zouros (Greek: Ηλίας Ζούρος; born March 11, 1966) is a Greek professional basketball coach, who last managed Promitheas Patras of the Greek Basket League and the EuroCup. Club coaching career Some of the teams Z ...

* 2012 – Aleksandar Trifunović * 2013 –

Joan Plaza Joan Plaza Durán (born 26 December 1963) is a Spanish professional basketball coach, who was most recently worked for Coosur Real Betis of the Liga ACB. He trained Real Madrid Baloncesto for three years, winning one Liga ACB championship, an ...

* 2014 –

Gintaras Krapikas Gintaras "Vytas" Krapikas (born 6 July 1961 in Kretinga, Lithuanian SSR, USSR) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and a former international player. He was a member of the Lithuania national basketball team that won a bronze medal in ...

* 2015 – Gintaras Krapikas (2) * 2016 –

Šarūnas Jasikevičius Šarūnas "Šaras" Jasikevičius (; born 5 March 1976) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. During his playing career, standing ...

* 2017 – Šarūnas Jasikevičius (2) * 2018 – Šarūnas Jasikevičius (3) * 2019 – Šarūnas Jasikevičius (4) * 2020 – ''Finals were not held'' * 2021 – Martin Schiller * 2022 –

Giedrius Žibėnas Giedrius Žibėnas (born 6 April 1984) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach. He currently serves as a head coach for Rytas Vilnius of the Lithuanian basketball League. Coaching career Giedrius Žibėnas on 2012 started his coaching ca ...

* 2023 –

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 ...

LKL Finals Most Valuable Player

The LKL Finals Most Valuable Player Award is the annual

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...

that is given by the professional

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 ...

(LKL), to the

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of each season's LKL Finals.

Gintaras Einikis Gintaras Einikis (born September 30, 1969) is a Lithuanian retired professional basketball player and current coach. He stands at 6 ft 10 in (208 cm), and is a former center for the senior Lithuanian national team. Einikis is the only p ...

was the winner of the first Finals MVP award, in 1994. So far 5 players, Einikis,

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 ...

Tanoka Beard Tanoka Dwight Beard (born September 29, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. During his career, he was able to play both the power forward and center positions. He earned an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in ...

Paulius Jankūnas Paulius Jankūnas (born 29 April 1984) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player who mainly played for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He was also a member of the senior Lithuanian n ...

and

Edgaras Ulanovas Edgaras Ulanovas (born January 7, 1992) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He primarily plays at the small forward position. Professional career On ...

, have won multiple Finals MVP awards. To date, Beard is the only non-Lithuanian player to win multiple Finals MVP awards. The current holder of the award is

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 ...

LKL Finals MVPs

*Player nationality by

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

Multi-time winners

By player nationality

By club

References

External links

Official LKL website

Official LKL YouTube.com channel

Lithuanian league at Eurobasket.com
{{European Basketball MVP Awards

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

Lietuvos krepšinio lyga lists

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...