Lithuanian national team captain Jonas Valanciunas has spoken openly about the crisis surrounding the country’s basketball program, questioning the leadership of the Lithuanian Basketball Association and calling for decisive action as the national team fights to keep its 2027 FIBA World Cup hopes alive.
In an extensive interview with BasketNews’ Donatas Urbonas, Valanciunas addressed his absence from the current qualifying window, organizational problems around the national team, and the growing divide within the Lithuanian basketball community.
The 34-year-old center, who recently returned to Lithuania by signing with Zalgiris Kaunas after a long NBA career, also directly questioned the position of Lithuanian Basketball Association president Mindaugas Balciunas, who has faced mounting criticism amid the national team’s struggles.
Lithuania enters the second round of World Cup qualifying in a critical position. After advancing from a first-round group featuring Italy, Iceland and Great Britain with only a 3-3 record, Lithuania sits fourth in Group J.
Turkiye leads the group at 6-0, followed by Italy at 5-1, Serbia at 4-2, Lithuania and Iceland at 3-3, and Bosnia and Herzegovina at 2-4.
With only three teams advancing to the 2027 World Cup in Qatar, Lithuania will very likely need to win five of its remaining six games against Turkiye, Serbia and Bosnia to secure qualification.
The 3-3 first-round record was met with heavy criticism from former players, experts and others around Lithuanian basketball, while Balciunas has become one of the central figures in an increasingly divided basketball community.
Credit LTU Basketball
Valanciunas explains why he is missing Qualifiers window
Valanciunas, who did not miss a single official FIBA tournament with Lithuania between 2007 and 2024, said his absence is primarily connected to a major change in his own career.
After years in the NBA, he is moving his life back to Lithuania and preparing for his first season with Zalgiris.
“A lot of things came together,” Valanciunas told BasketNews. “On one hand, there are quite a few changes in my life.
“After so many years, I’m coming back from the United States to live in Lithuania, where I’ll play such an intense season at the highest level. I need to prepare and get into that rhythm. Some nuances are changing, and I want to be ready for them from the very beginning.”
However, Valanciunas admitted that organizational issues surrounding the national team also contributed to his decision.
“When everything is good, you usually don’t run away from difficulties. And not everything with the national team was really that good,” he said.
“There were negatives and technical details which, to me as a veteran player, didn’t look good.
“We come because of our love for Lithuania, because of patriotism. But there also needs to be a certain process that allows you to work calmly and play for Lithuania.”
Credit Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS
Valanciunas criticizes changing schedules and uncertainty
Valanciunas stressed that his complaints are not related to luxury conditions such as hotels, transportation or charter flights.
Instead, he pointed toward communication and basic organization.
“We can sleep in a worse hotel. There are no problems with that,” he said. “But sometimes it’s about basic human consideration, the schedule.”
“Summer is an opportunity for us to spend more time with our families, especially those who aren’t in Lithuania during the year. You want to have a reasonable schedule and know what your agenda will look like, so you can combine family life with national team responsibilities.”
Valanciunas said frequent last-minute changes had become frustrating.
“Now the schedule changes, then it doesn’t change. It will happen, it won’t happen. There’s uncertainty, constant switching…
“Yes, the buses are good, charter flights are good, everything is fine. But when the schedule changes within 15 minutes when you’re almost already out the door, it looks strange. We’re grown men.
“The association hasn’t been doing this for the first year. The window is only two weeks. You can arrange all the gyms and the whole schedule in advance instead of sitting in the hotel lobby and deciding what we’re going to do today.”
Credit Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS
‘Everything starts from the top’
Valanciunas did not place all responsibility for Lithuania’s problems on head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis.
“My relationship with Rimas is good,” he said. “Maybe we disagree somewhere or see certain things differently. But he’s the coach, and he makes the basketball decisions.”
Instead, Valanciunas said responsibility should be shared by everyone involved.
“Nobody wants us to lose and be in a slump. We don’t want Lithuanian basketball to disappear altogether.
“But we’re going somewhere we shouldn’t be going.
“The responsibility falls on everyone – those participating, those who participated, and those making the decisions.”
Valanciunas acknowledged that individual basketball mistakes have contributed to Lithuania’s results, but argued that the larger structural problems have to be addressed by those in charge.
“One made shot, one turnover avoided, one rebound and maybe the situation changes.
“But the bigger picture… The leadership still decides a lot of things, especially regarding the future. But as we can see, there aren’t many decisions being made.
“Maybe we should stop pointing fingers and throwing each other under the bus. It’s all supposed to be for Lithuania. We didn’t gather here to make money. We gathered to improve Lithuanian basketball and take it to a higher level.
“But now we’re stopping. And in my opinion, everything starts from the top.”
Credit Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS
Valanciunas questions why officials are holding onto positions
Asked whether Lithuania needs a new national team coach or a new association president, Valanciunas did not explicitly demand either person’s dismissal.
But he made his frustration clear.
“If somebody had the answer and it would lead to success, I think it would be accepted. But something isn’t working,” he said.
“It’s just strange to me that people are holding onto their positions so tightly even though they can see Lithuanian basketball is going downhill.”
Valanciunas also criticized the fact that much of the conflict is playing out publicly through the media.
“The worst thing is that we’re all communicating through the media now. We’re adults – let’s meet and talk. Let’s say everything to each other.
“Now you hear from the side that everyone is blaming each other: one side didn’t do something, the players didn’t do something. Who needs that?”
Coaches turning down Lithuania role ‘says a lot’
The Lithuanian Basketball Association has faced additional criticism over its attempts to address the coaching situation.
According to BasketNews, the association offered the national team position to BC Siauliai head coach and former Spurs assistant Darius Songaila, while also consulting with former national team head coach Dainius Adomaitis and reigning BCL champion Giedrius Zibenas.
Valanciunas believes the reluctance of coaches to step into the situation is telling.
“Nobody wants to get involved,” he said.
“When you go to work, whatever the job is, you evaluate everything: the working environment, the boss’ attitude, the conditions, the atmosphere.
“Nobody gathered here because of money. And coaches aren’t rejecting it because they were offered too little money. They’re rejecting it because something doesn’t fit, something isn’t right. That says a lot.”
He called for greater transparency and an end to what he described as political games.
“This pushing back and forth, these resignations… Will he stay, won’t he stay? We found a coach – the next day there won’t be a coach.
“Let’s say things as they really are. Enough politics, enough playing games. Our goal is supposed to be the same.”
Credit Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS
Valanciunas challenges president Mindaugas Balciunas over patriotism
One of the strongest moments of the interview came when Valanciunas was asked about criticism directed at players who decline national team invitations and are subsequently accused of lacking patriotism.
Valanciunas turned that argument toward association president Balciunas.
“If we’re such non-patriots because we didn’t come, then I have a question for Mindaugas: Why doesn’t he resign?” Valanciunas said.
“If you’re a patriot and you love Lithuania so much, and you see that it’s hell, that things are really bad and the division is terrible, then say: ‘For Lithuania, I’m leaving.’
“‘If that makes Lithuanian basketball better, I’ll leave, and we’ll make it better. Because I want Lithuanian basketball to improve. Because I’m a patriot.’
“But we, the players, are the non-patriots because we didn’t come… All right…”
Credit Teodoras Biliūnas/BNS
Balciunas has argued that Lithuanian basketball as an organization is functioning successfully and characterized the senior national team’s recent results as a temporary sporting decline.
He has also maintained that coaches and national team management carry direct responsibility for results on the court.
Valanciunas sees the situation differently.
“This isn’t about the result anymore,” he noted. “It’s about the image and reputation of all Lithuanian basketball. The division within basketball.
“For me, this is a scandal. And after scandals, usually you resign…”
Valanciunas stressed that he was not explicitly demanding that Balciunas step down.
“I’m not suggesting anything to him. I’m definitely not trying to remove him. I’m just thinking out loud.
“If we’re not patriots because we didn’t come, then where is the patriotism from his side if [his resignation] would help Lithuanian basketball? Maybe then none of us are patriots?”
Valanciunas leaves door open for Lithuania return
Despite his criticism and his absence from the current window, Valanciunas stressed that his national team career is not necessarily over.
He remains hopeful that Lithuania’s absent players can eventually return once the situation improves.
“I really believe that we’ll all come back,” Valanciunas said.
“That this nightmare will end, and we’ll move to a higher level. Back onto the winning path. Maybe even dominance. Improving the image and reputation of Lithuanian basketball.
“I really believe we’ll come back.”
Asked whether he could play in the next qualifying window even if nothing fundamentally changes, Valanciunas refused to rule it out.
“I never say ‘no.’
“Maybe to some people I’m not a patriot because I’m not here during this window, but damn it, I still love Lithuania. I still want Lithuanian basketball to be at the top. And if I can help in some way, I’m definitely ready to help.
“I’m definitely not saying ‘no’ to the next window. We’ll see what the situation is and how this window goes.”
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