February 09, 2012
 
50 YEARS CELEBRATION IN KAUNAS, LITHUANIA
Jordi Bertomeu, Arvydas Sabonis
Kaunas, Zalgiris party like it's 1999
Euroleague Basketball's season-long 50 Years of European Club Basketball celebration landed in Kaunas, Lithuania, on Thursday, December 13, as the greats of Zalgiris's rich basketball history were honored. A host of Zalgiris legends were welcomed to center court for an awards ceremony with presentations by Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu, Lithuanian Basketball Federation president Vladas Garastas, Lithuanian Basketball League president Sarunas Kliokys and Bank Snoras president Raimundas Baranauskas. The crowd at S. Darius & S. Girenas Sports Center applauded a parade of their heroes, starting with former Olympic and world champion, Modestas Paulauskas; 1982 World and 1988 Olympic champions Rimas Kurtinaitis and Valdemaras Chomicius, a former Zalgiris captain; and one of the protagonists of the 1999 Euroleague championship team, Eurelijus Zukauskas. Also honored from the 1999 team, Lithuania's only continental champion ever, were head coach Jonas Kazlauskas, who was represented by former Zalgiris star Algirdas Brazys and scoring star Saulius Stombergas, represented by Zukauskas. The loudest applause was reserved for the last man honored, Zalgiris president and world basketball icon Arvydas Sabonis, who took the club to the 1986 Euroleague final. The celebrations took place prior to the Euroleague Group A contest against visiting Virtus Bologna, the team Zalgiris defeated in Munich in the 1999 title game. "I want to thank Zalgiris Kaunas and its fans for being a very important part of European basketball history, which is all of our history," Bertomeu told the sellout crowd. "These outstanding players, these legends, they made our game exciting. Thanks to these legends, we all feel devotion for basketball."
Zalgiris, 1999 champs! (Photo: fibaeurope.com)
ZALGIRIS CHAMPS

HISTORIC VIDEOS

INTERVIEW: JIRI ZIDEK
Jiri Zidek - Zalgiris Kaunas
Few players of his generation can identify with European basketball history as closely as Jiri Zidek Jr., whose father played for - and lost - the European title 33 years before his son won it with Zalgiris in 1999, becoming the first Czech player ever crowned champion.
"I don't know if we set a standard but we played fun-to-watch basketball, that's for sure."