Ramunas Siskauskas: Lithuanian Michael Jordan

In Lithuania there is no sport more popular than basketball. A tiny country with fewer inhabitants than in any district of Moscow has become the birthplace of a huge number of talented basketball players, such as Arvydas Sabonis and many others. Ramunas Siskauskas, one of the best attacking defenders of the European basketball of two thousand years, is not the last in this row. He was recognized as the most valuable player of the Euroleague of the season, became the champion of four countries and left only pleasant memories in all his clubs.

Player Characteristics

The Lithuanian basketball player is endowed with impressive physical parameters for the average person, but the most standard for a basketball player. With a height of 198 cm, it weighs 100 kg. Not being the highest among the fellow in the craft and having good speed and coordination, he seemed to have been created for the position of an attacking defender or an easy striker.

It is rather difficult to call a man with a weight of 100 kg easy, but on the basketball court Ramunas Siskauskas performed the duties of a mobile high-speed striker. BC CSKA clearly did not lose when he invited the Lithuanian into his ranks. He had a remarkable dribbling, easily beat any opponent one-on-one.

Easily seeping through the defensive redoubts of rivals to the ring, Ramunas Siskauskas could, if necessary, attack from a distant distance. Few of European basketball players had such a stable three-point shot. And the cold-blooded native of the Baltic States always turned up at the right time and brought a lot of points to the team in the decisive playoff games.

Lithuanian period

In Lithuania, basketball is the same as football for Brazil. A little tall boy spends all his free time on the basketball court in the yard or at school. Then, sharp mentors can choose from a huge mass of potential stars of the most promising and talented. Approximately this happened in Ramunas Siskauskas.

He was born in the small town of Kaishyadorys in 1978. Ramunas received a full basketball education already in independent Lithuania, in 1996 he became a player of the modest "Sakalaya". However, for a couple of seasons an incredibly accurate and technical athlete was invited to the ranks of one of the flagship of Lithuanian basketball. "Lietuvos Rytas" became the first big club for Siskauskas. It was with him that he twice won the Lithuanian championship, for the first time in his life participated in the Euroleague.

Wherever Ramunas would play later, he always spoke warmly of "Lietuvos Rytas", calling it his home and his family.

Euroleague Star

In the prime of life and his sporting career, Ramunas Siskauskas finally outgrew the level of the Lithuanian championship and, without hesitation, accepted an invitation from the Western European club. The Italian "Benetton" struck the Baltic with its clear organization, structure.

Ramunas instantly blended into the new club and became one of the most useful players. For two years, spent in the team, he managed to win in the championship of Italy, to win the Cup of the country. Playing in Euroleague matches, he proved himself as one of the best light forwards in continental club basketball.

Again it's time to go to the promotion. This time, Ramunas Siskauskas could not resist the proposal of the Greek Panathinaikos. The Athens club has always been part of the elite of European basketball, like Barcelona in football, and for Ramunas it has become an honor and at the same time a challenge to try your luck at the legendary team.

For "Panathinaikos" the Lithuanian basketball player spent only one season, but managed to win all possible titles. In that year, the Athens club won the championship and the cup of the country, and most importantly - won in the Euroleague draw, where in the final was defeated BC CSKA.

Moscow Life of Ramunas

It was the army team that became the longest working place for the Lithuanian light forward. He moved to Moscow in 2007, where he spent the remaining years as an active basketball player. From the "Panathinaikos" along with a Lithuanian, it seemed, brought a very real spirit of victory. In the first season with Siskauskas, CSKA managed to win the Euroleague, which was not the last role played by Ramunas.

Team player, Siskauskas possessed the qualities of a real leader. He was not afraid to take responsibility for the last seconds of the playoffs, and it was often the long-range strikes of a cold-blooded Lithuanian who saved CSKA in the most hopeless situations. The most valuable player of the Euroleague in 2008 is an indicator of the usefulness of Ramunas for CSKA of those years.

Sometimes the victories alternate with defeats, there were difficult periods for the Moscow army, too, when there was a change of generations in the team. However, until 2012, one of the leaders was a laconic and friendly guy from Kayshadoris. CSKA gave his player a lavish farewell when he retired, and this was done at the match with "Lietuvos Rytas" - the first big club of Siskauskas.