Zalgiris Kaunas

Zalgiris Kaunas is a synonym for basketball in Lithuania, a country that lives and breathes the sport. The club was founded in 1944 by the best basketball players in Kaunas and needed just three years to win its first Soviet championship. Four more Soviet titles followed, with triumphs in 1985 through 1987 marking the team’s first golden age. Led by club legend Arvydas Sabonis, Zalgiris twice came within a victory of a European trophy, but lost the 1984 Saporta Cup final to Barcelona and came up short in the 1986 EuroLeague Championship Game against Cibona Zagreb. After Lithuania gained its independence in 1990, Zalgiris won the first nine Lithuanian League championship and also lifted its first-ever European trophy, the 1997-98 Saporta Cup in 1998, downing Adecco Milan in the title game. A year later, Zalgiris shocked the continent by winning the 1999 EuroLeague behind an inspiring performance from Final Four MVP Tyus Edney. In 2004, Zalgiris was one win away from reaching the Final Four, losing a do-or-die Top 16 finale in overtime against eventual champ Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 2018, Zalgiris returned to the EuroLeague Final Four, losing against Fenerbahce Istanbul in the semifinals. A year later, the club reached the EuroLeague Playoffs. With its raucous fan base behind the team, Zalgiris will be looking to return to the postseason in 2024-25 after a one-year absence.