Paulius Jankūnas
 |
|
| No. 13 – Žalgiris Kaunas | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward |
| League |
Lithuanian Basketball League Euroleague |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
April 29, 1984 Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2006 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 2003–present |
| Career history | |
| 2002–2003 | LKKA-Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 2003–2009 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 2009–2010 | Khimki |
| 2010–present | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Paulius Jankūnas (born April 29, 1984) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He is also a member of the Lithuanian national team. He plays either forward position.
Jankūnas played two seasons with the LKKA-Žalgiris and led them to a LKAL (Lithuanian League 2nd Division) title in 2003 and was named the 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.
Jankūnas made his pro debut with the Žalgiris in the 2003-04 season. When asked about playing with European basketball legend Arvydas Sabonis in his rookie season, Jankūnas responded: "No doubt it was the most remarkable season. It was fantastic to play with Arvydas Sabonis. I was very young and it was very exciting. In the beginning, I was little bit afraid and uncomfortable, but later things got easy and I learned a lot from him. When I was a kid, I used to watch him playing on TV and never dared to dream that I would be playing with Arvydas Sabonis. One day I woke up and Sabonis was my teammate. It was great. He had huge experience and gave a lot of advice to me. It was big honor to play with him and I hope I learned something from Sabonis."
He was originally an early entry candidate for the 2005 NBA Draft before withdrawing his name from consideration.
Jankūnas helped Žalgiris win three Baltic League titles in 2005, 2008, and 2011, six Lithuanian League titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2012 and four Lithuanian Cups in 2007 and 2008, 2011 and 2012.
He averaged 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in the 2008-09 Euroleague season and scored a season-high 23 points in a win against the Asseco Prokom Sopot on December 18, 2008. However, the Žalgiris finished with a 2-8 record and did not qualify to the Top 16.
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