In 2003, twelve great men presented gold medals of the European Basketball Championship to Lithuania. In commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of this resounding victory, on September 21, Vilnius "Avia Solutions Group" in the arena, the members of the "golden" national team will run to the court for one evening and play an exhibition match with the joint team of Lithuanian U20 national team members, basketball stars and national celebrities.
20 years ago, at the European Championship held in Sweden, Lithuanian basketball players led by coach Antanas Sireika defeated the Spanish national team in the final of the tournament with a score of 93:84. The historic victory gave our country the first medals of European champions since 1939.
Arvydas Macijauskas, Ramūnas Šiškauskas, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Saulius Štombergas, Mindaugas Žukauskas, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Donatas Slanina, Virginijus Praškevičius, Dainius Šalenga, Giedrius Gustas, Darius Songaila and Kšištofs Lavrinovičius defended the honor of Lithuania in the team that conquered three million hearts.
On September 21, in the "Avia Solutions Group" arena in Vilnius, the spectators will see almost all members of the "golden" national team on the field. At that time, on the other side of the field, they were challenged by a joint team of members of the Lithuanian U20 national team, famous Lithuanian basketball players and several national celebrities who adore basketball, who remain a secret for now.
"We were not considered favorites in Sweden because the generation of basketball players had changed. I was one of the younger players, but the team had a good balance between young and experienced basketball players. I remember that we lived together with Macijauskas and in the evenings, when we went out into the city, we dreamed aloud how wonderful it would be to reach the next stage. And after reaching every stage, we dreamed of it," says Kšištofs Lavrinović, a member of the "golden" national team.
"Even though 20 years have passed, I remember very well how many Lithuanian fans gathered for the match, we felt great unity. Sometimes it felt like we were playing at home. Even Valdas Adamkus arrived, and the whole arena chanted: "Valdai, Valdai!". Shivers ran through his body. I hope the shivers run through my body and in September, when we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the victory in Vilnius, a wonderful event awaits event", K. Lavrinović adds
Spectators of the match will not only enjoy basketball, but also musical and dance performances, a light show, a unique opportunity to chat with legendary basketball players, special games, prizes and many unexpected surprises. Not only that, during the event, Lithuanian Basketball Federation prizes will be awarded to people deserving of basketball.
"We are extremely happy and proud to be able to contribute to such an impressive basketball celebration. We want to give the fans the opportunity to once again see the basketball "gods" who shaped the basketball culture in Lithuania with their talent, dedication and charisma", says Tomas Inčikas, head of the company "Seven Live", which organizes the event.
The profit earned from event tickets will be donated to Lithuanian and Ukrainian support organizations. The event is organized by Seven Live. Ticket sales will start on the Bilietai.lt website from August 22 at 10 a.m. morning
