As Lithuania Stuns Team USA Again After 19 Years, American NBA All-Star Pays Respect to His First Team’s Home Nation

The USA’s loss to Lithuania in the FIBA World Cup stunned many. It proves that the collective experience of playing together makes it tough even for a powerhouse like the USA. This also reveals that just putting together a team a few months before the tourney doesn’t guarantee success. This loss is a testament to the team game that is basketball. It also reveals that a collective agenda can triumph over individual talent.

In this wake, someone who has experience with Lithuania’s franchise pitches his thoughts.

A repeat of 2006

The last time the USA lost to Lithuania was during the 2004 Athens Olympics. It was famous for the team choking despite rookie talents like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony. In the game against Lithuania, the USA lost 90-94 as Point Guard Sarunas Jasikevicius dropped 28 points. The sharpshooter turned the heat to shoot and controlling the tempo.

The latest 104:110 loss to Lithuania was different. Here, no player even touched the 20-point mark, with Vaidas Kariniauskas dropping 15 points to lead them. But the scoring balance was admirable, with ten players in the 9-15 points range. The team was splashing it from deep, nailing 15 out of their 26 attempts from the three-point line.

In this loss, the USA conceded 18 offensive rebounds, and they had just 12 points in the first quarter, giving up 31. The first unit for the team has struggled and even when there has been a switch among starters, it didn’t work. Lithuania’s physicality and player movement were too much to handle.

In this wake, LaMelo Ball, who started his pro-career in Lithuania, had a simple one-worded tweet, just mentioning the country’s name.

The Guard also saw the rigors of the pro-basketball when he played in Lithuania, but it didn’t end up well.

LaMelo Ball’s tenuous Lithuania stay

Led by their father LaVar Ball, the LiAngelo and LaMelo went to Lithuania for their early career. The two signed with Prienai of the Lithuanian Basketball League, also known as LKL. While Li’Angelo had some success, averaging around 12 points, LaMelo had an awful time.

He scored just 6.5 points a game and shot a horrendous 26.8%. After a season, LaVar Ball got fed up, citing the lack of playing time for his youngest son, and then left the country.

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In retrospect, did this experience help LaMelo work hard on his game and become an NBA All-Star in 2022? Only he knows better. But one thing is for sure, he knows Lithuanian national players better than anyone on the USA’s roster right now.

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