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 national team. Jankūnas played at either center or power forward, with power forward being his main position. He earned an

All-EuroLeague Second Team The All-EuroLeague Team is an award for Europe's premier level league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the league's top ten basketball players for each season, since the 2000–01 season. During the FIBA era of the EuroLeague, players were honor ...

selection in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Early years

Jankūnas played two seasons with the LKKA-Žalgiris, leading the team to a LKAL (Lithuanian League 2nd Division) title in 2003. He was named the Lithuanian 2nd Division MVP, after averaging 20.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. He competed at the Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso, in 2003.

Professional career

Žalgiris Kaunas

After playing in the Lithuanian 2nd Division with LKKA-Žalgiris, during the 2002–03 season, Jankūnas made his debut with the Lithuanian EuroLeague club Žalgiris Kaunas, in the 2003–04 season. He was originally an early entry candidate for the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players f ...

, before withdrawing his name from consideration. Jankūnas averaged 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, in the

2008–09 EuroLeague The 2008–09 Euroleague was the 9th season of the professional basketball competition for elite clubs throughout Europe, organised by Euroleague Basketball Company, and it was the 52nd season of the premier competition for European men's clubs o ...

season, and scored a season-high 23 points, in a win against the Polish League club

Asseco Prokom Sopot Arka Gdynia is a Polish professional basketball team, based in Gdynia. The team plays in the Polish PLK. The club's sponsorship name comes from the company Asseco. Historically the team is one of the most successful in Poland, mainly because of t ...

, on 18 December 2008. However, Žalgiris Kaunas finished the season with a 2–8 record, and did not qualify to the competition's Top 16 stage. Jankūnas was named the 2008–09 season's Baltic League MVP, after averaging 15.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

Khimki Moscow Region

On 14 August 2009, Jankūnas signed a two-year contract with the Russian EuroLeague club

Khimki Moscow Region BC Khimki (russian: БК Химки) is a Russian professional basketball team that is based in Khimki, Moscow Oblast. The club's senior men's first team participates in the Russian Basketball Super League 1. The club's full official name is BC Kh ...

. Jankunas only played one season with Khimki Moscow Region (2009–10), and competed with them in three leagues that season (

2009–10 EuroLeague The 2009–10 Euroleague was the 10th season of the professional basketball competition for elite clubs throughout Europe, organised by Euroleague Basketball Company, and it was the 53rd season of the premier competition for European men's clubs ...

2009–10 VTB United League The VTB United League 2009–10 was the first complete season of the VTB United League, which is Eastern Europe's (and the Baltic region's) top-tier level competition for men's professional basketball clubs. Teams of the 2009–10 season Group ...

, and 2009–10 Russian Super League A).

Return to Žalgiris Kaunas

On 24 July 2010, it was announced that Jankūnas was coming back to Žalgiris Kaunas. In May 2018, he was named to the

, of the 2017–18 season. During his time with Žalgiris Kaunas, Jankūnas helped the club to win thirteen Lithuanian League championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011–2019), and seven Lithuanian Cups, as he won five Lithuanian LKF Cups (2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2015), and two Lithuanian King Mindaugas Cups (2017, 2018). With Žalgiris Kaunas, he also won the Lithuanian Super Cup in 2012, and four Baltic League championships (2005, 2008, 2011, 2012). On 12 August 2021, Jankūnas re-signed with the team. He played his last EuroLeague game on 3 April 2022, scoring 13 points in an overtime home victory over Crvena Zvezda. On 3 June 2022, Jankūnas officially retired from professional basketball.

National team career

Lithuanian junior national team

Jankūnas was a member of the Lithuanian junior national teams. He played at the

2002 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The 2002 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was an international basketball competition held in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in ...

, and at the

2003 FIBA Under-19 World Cup The 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championship (Greek: 2003 Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα FIBA Under-19) was the 7th edition of the FIBA U19 World Championship. The men's U19 youth international basketball championship organized by FIBA. I ...

, where the Lithuanians won silver medals. Jankūnas also won a bronze medal at the

2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship The 2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was the seventh edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The city of Brno, in the Czech Republic, hosted the tournament. Slovenia won their second title. Teams * * * * * * * * * * * * Squads Q ...

, which he led in rebounding (12.3 rebounds per game), in addition to posting 12.5 points per game. He also helped Lithuania win the gold medal at the

2005 FIBA Under-21 World Cup The 2005 FIBA Under-21 World Championship was an international basketball competition, held from 5 to 14 August 2005, in Córdoba and Mar de Plata, Argentina. It was the last edition of the FIBA Under-21 World Championship The FIBA Under-21 Wo ...

. He averaged 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game during the tournament.

Lithuanian senior national team

Jankūnas was a member of the senior Lithuanian national team, for the first time at a major FIBA tournament, at the

2005 EuroBasket The 2005 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2005, was the 34th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. It also served as Europe qualifier for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, giving a berth ...

, where Lithuania finished in fifth place. During that tournament, he averaged 8.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He also helped the Lithuanians win a bronze medal at the

2007 EuroBasket The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to th ...

, and another

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

medal, at the

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

. He won a silver medal with Lithuania at the

2015 EuroBasket EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 S ...

. Jankūnas also competed with Lithuania at the following tournaments: the

2006 FIBA World Championship The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised by ...

, the

2011 EuroBasket EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's EuroBasket, European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted t ...

, the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, the

2014 FIBA World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

, the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

, and the

2019 FIBA World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, becoming the first since 1967 that did no ...

Player profile

A well built 2.05 m (6 ft. 8 in.) tall power forward, Jankūnas is a very good rebounder, and is also a good scorer. He prefers to score on the inside, and he often draws fouls from opposing team's players. He can also play as a stretch four, due to his consistent mid-range and three point shot.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=6, Žalgiris Kaunas , 16 , , 5 , , 13.6 , , .526 , , .000 , , .636 , , 2.9 , , .6 , , .5 , , .3 , , 4.6 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , 20 , , 12 , , 18.8 , , .544 , , .143 , , .581 , , 4.2 , , .6 , , .7 , , .1 , , 6.2 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , 20 , , 10 , , 24.5 , , .468 , , .250 , , .714 , , 6.8 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .3 , , 10.8 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , 13 , , 8 , , 27.0 , , .483 , , .208 , , .673 , , 4.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 9.5 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , 20 , , 19 , , 21.6 , , .469 , , .324 , , .771 , , 4.8 , , .8 , , .9 , , .4 , , 8.6 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , 9 , , 9 , , 31.1 , , .440 , , .296 , , .778 , , 8.0 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 13.8 , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;", Khimki Moscow , 16 , , 16 , , 25.0 , , .475 , , .377 , , .773 , , 4.9 , , .8 , , .8 , , .3 , , 8.2 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, style="text-align:left;" rowspan=12, Žalgiris Kaunas , 16 , , 8 , , 26.3 , , .476 , , .152 , , .818 , , 6.9 , , .9 , , .6 , , .4 , , 9.4 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , 16 , , 16 , , 23.4 , , .447 , , .333 , , .727 , , 5.6 , , .8 , , .8 , , .3 , , 7.8 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 17 , , 16 , , 24.8 , , .465 , , .292 , , .844 , , 4.8 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .2 , , 8.2 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , 21 , , 21 , , 26.2 , , .465 , , .257 , , .771 , , 6.5 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 8.8 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , 24 , , 23 , , 24.2 , , .480 , , .300 , , .800 , , 6.5 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .5 , , 9.1 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , 24 , , 23 , , 25.3 , , .540 , , .310 , , .838 , , 6.2 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .2 , , 12.3 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , 30 , , 30 , , 23.4 , , .548 , , .396 , , .868 , , 6.1 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .4 , , 13.0 , , 16.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , 35 , , 34 , , 22.1 , , .576 , , .375 , , .833 , , 4.9 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .3 , , 11.3 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , 17 , , 9 , , 16.0 , , .500 , , .250 , , .892 , , 3.1 , , .9 , , .2 , , .2 , , 6.2 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , 27 , , 12 , , 13.7 , , .384 , , .143 , , .759 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.0 , , 4.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , 34 , , 8 , , 15.9 , , .436 , , .276 , , .911 , , 4.4 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .1 , , 3.9 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , 17 , , 4 , , 12.7 , , .423 , , .409 , , .909 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .5 , , .2 , , 3.7 , , 4.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 392 , , 283 , , 21.4 , , .490 , , .297 , , .793 , , 5.1 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , 8.3 , , 10.4

Personal life

Jankūnas married his wife, Ieva, in the summer of 2007.

Early years

Professional career

Žalgiris Kaunas

Khimki Moscow Region

Return to Žalgiris Kaunas

National team career

Lithuanian junior national team

Lithuanian senior national team

Player profile

Career statistics

EuroLeague

Personal life

References

External links