Sarunas Marciulionis

Quick Hits

Name: Sarunas Marciulonis

Main Team: Golden State Warriors (‘89-’93)

Positition: Guard

Notables: 2-time NBA Sixth Man Award runner up; 18.9 ppg in just 29 min/game in ‘91-’92; Bronze Medalist at ‘92 Olympics; Europe to NBA pioneer

RFPoftheday.com: 6

Fan Poll: 5

Marciulonis and the Grateful Dead

In an attempt to gain support for his Lithuanian national team in the early 90’s, Sarunas Marciulionis (whose full name is officially Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis) got sponsors from around America. His most notable sponsor: The Grateful Dead. The Dead had one of its licensees design warm-ups for the team, which resulted in this:

and eventually led to this (that’s Sarunas in the pic):

If you love the design as much as I do, then you are in luck, because you can buy the original ‘92 Olympic warm-up tee from this site: Link

More Marciulionis:

-He was a 6th round draft pick (the NBA draft now has only 2 rounds)

-During the San Francisco earthquake of 1989, Marciulionis, clad in his Golden State warm-up outfit, helped pull trapped passengers out of a commuter train and administered first aid.

-Opened the Sarunas Hotel in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, in 1992

-Founded the Lithuanian Basketball League

-One of the most successful businessmen in Lithuania

If you doubt Marciulonis’s greatness, just watch #3 on this “plays of the week” video:

And just for good measure, check out play #6 on this one:

Here’s a biography on Sarunas, but it’s not in English:

Year inactive/irrelevant: 12 years and counting. Score: 7

Fan popularity: If you were a Golden State Warrior fan this would probably be a 10. Score: 6

Peak fame: Opened the doors for players like Manu. Score: 7

Rate of decline: Sarunas is still well known in Europe. Score: 4

Memorability: His flashy plays and bank jump-shots made him very fun to watch. Score: 6

RFPoftheday.com Overall Rating: 6 (You guys also rated him a 6, pretty dead on)