By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Jonas Valanciunas last played in the EuroLeague on March 3, 2011. Then a 19-year-old prospect with Lietuvos Rytas, he recorded nine points and 11 rebounds in what proved to be his final appearance before leaving for the NBA.
More than 15 years and 1,002 NBA regular-season games later, Valanciunas returned to the competition as a Zalgiris player and helped the Lithuanian team defeat Crvena Zvezda 83-77 in Belgrade.
The 34-year-old center finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists in 21-and-a-half minutes, recording a team-high 24 PIR. A hard hit also left him with a bloody nose, but he stayed in the game.
“The most important thing for us is that he is Lithuanian and has returned to Lithuania. He wanted to come back and join our team, which shows that our organization is doing a good job,” Zalgiris coach Tomas Masiulis said. “He still wants to compete and play after spending 14 years in the NBA. He is a good person, everybody listens to him in the locker room, and he is ready to give everything for the team.”
Masiulis added that Zalgiris still needs time to adjust to its new center.
“We have a very good team, but the players and the style are different. We did not have Valanciunas before, and we have to learn how to play with him.”
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