Traditional
sport in
Lithuania
Basketball
Lithuania is a country where
kids grow up shooting for the
basket rather than the goal.
Basketball is the national
sport. So much so that it is
frequently reffered to in
press and conversations as
the
“Second religion
of Lithuania”
Basketball is also the only of
world’s main sports where
Lithuania is certainly a Great
Power.
With three medals in Olympic Games,
three European Champions titles, a
constant place in the Top 10 of the
FIBA national team ranking this
“Great Power” title is certainly no joke.
Basketball, “The second religion of
Lithuania”, attracts the largest
crowds to arenas and TV screens.
Many Lithuanians follow
basketball, especially the
national team
so whenever there is a major
championship you may be caught
in the middle of a happy crowd
parading streets,
Basketball was brought to Lithuania
as early as 1930s by Pranas Lubinas,
a Lithuanian emigrant who
returned to his homeland from
America.