Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valančiūnas

Valančiūnas going for a dunk in 2015
No. 17 – Toronto Raptors
Position	Center
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1992-05-06) 6 May 1992 (age 24) Utena, Lithuania
Nationality	Lithuanian
Listed height	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight	255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Playing career	2008–present
Career history
2008–2010	Perlas Vilnius
2010–2012	Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
2012–present	Toronto Raptors
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2013) LKL champion (2010) LKL MVP (2012) LKF Cup winner (2010) 3× LKL All-Star (2010–2012) 2× LKL All-Star Game MVP (2011, 2012) 3× Lithuanian Player of the Year (2011, 2012, 2014) 2× FIBA Young Player of the Year (2011, 2012) All-EuroCup First Team (2012) EuroCup Rising Star (2012) FIBA Under-19 World Championship MVP (2011) FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship MVP (2010) FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship MVP (2008)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Lithuania EuroBasket 2013 Slovenia 2015 France FIBA World Under-19 Championship 2011 Latvia Team FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship 2010 Lithuania Team FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship 2008 Italy Team 2007 Greece Team European Youth Olympic Festival 2007 Serbia

Jonas Valančiūnas (Lithuanian pronunciation: ​[ˈjoːnɐs vɐɫɐnʲˈt͡ʃûːnɐs]; born 6 May 1992) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been a member of the Lithuania men's national basketball team since age 19. Valančiūnas was selected by the Raptors with the fifth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. Valančiūnas has also appeared in the documentary The Other Dream Team.

Valančiūnas started playing professionally for Perlas in 2008. During the 2008–09 season the team played in the Lithuanian National Basketball League (NKL), Lithuania's second strongest league, but moved up to the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) the following season. In January 2009 Valančiūnas signed a long-term contract with Lithuanian powerhouse Lietuvos Rytas, but, as Perlas was Lietuvos Rytas' daughter club, he didn't move to Lietuvos Rytas instantly and stayed in Perlas for the first half of the 2009–10 season.

On 17 January 2010, Valančiūnas finally moved to Lietuvos Rytas. A month after that Lietuvos Rytas won the 2010 edition of Lithuanian Basketball Federation LKF Cup. While playing there, Valančiūnas has played in the LKL Finals three times, in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The team won the 2010 series against Žalgiris 4–3, but lost to the same team the following year 1–4 and 0-3 in 2012.