{"id":511484,"date":"2026-08-25T09:43:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T07:43:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/?p=511484"},"modified":"2026-08-25T09:43:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T07:43:33","slug":"jonas-valanciunas-calls-for-changes-in-lithuanian-basketball-responsibility-starts-from-the-top","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/jonas-valanciunas-calls-for-changes-in-lithuanian-basketball-responsibility-starts-from-the-top\/","title":{"rendered":"Jonas Valan\u010di\u016bnas calls for changes in Lithuanian basketball: \u201cResponsibility starts from the top\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jonas Valan\u010di\u016bnas has broken his silence on the difficult situation surrounding Lithuanian basketball. In an extensive interview with BasketNews<\/a>, the veteran center discussed the national team\u2019s struggles in the World Cup qualifiers, the divisions surrounding the program and the need for those in charge to take responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we see that things are not working and there is some kind of obstacle, maybe we need to make some changes? Instead of saying everything is fine and everything will be fine. Maybe there needs to be some initiative,\u201d Valan\u010di\u016bnas said.<\/p>\n

Valan\u010di\u016bnas: \u201cWe need unity\u201d<\/h2>\n

The 34-year-old, Lithuania\u2019s all-time leading scorer and a player who did not miss a single official FIBA tournament with the national team between 2007 and 2024, stressed the importance of unity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we need unity, and decisions have to be made by the people who are in charge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Valan\u010di\u016bnas also responded to criticism aimed at players who have not joined the national team, with some questioning their commitment to Lithuania.<\/p>\n

\u201cResponsibility falls on everyone. Those who are involved, those who have been involved and those who make the decisions. I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s only the coach or the management\u2019s fault. We all could have done something better.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Valan\u010di\u016bnas, however, the issue goes beyond individual results.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone needs to look at themselves. That is not happening now. Some say the players didn\u2019t do something, the players say the coach didn\u2019t do something. And we keep pushing the responsibility onto each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Valan\u010di\u016bnas questions Mindaugas Bal\u010di\u016bnas<\/h2>\n

The veteran center then addressed Mindaugas Bal\u010di\u016bnas, president of Lietuvos krep\u0161inis, with a direct question.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we are not patriots because we didn\u2019t come, then I have a question for Mindaugas: why doesn\u2019t he resign?\u201d<\/p>\n

Valan\u010di\u016bnas later clarified that he was not directly calling for Bal\u010di\u016bnas to step down, but was questioning the situation surrounding the Lithuanian basketball leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not asking him to leave. I\u2019m just thinking out loud. If we are not patriots because we didn\u2019t come, then where is the patriotism from his side if that would help Lithuanian basketball? Then maybe none of us are patriots?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are too attached to their positions\u201d<\/h2>\n

Valan\u010di\u016bnas also criticized the way the crisis is being handled and communicated publicly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s strange to me that people are so attached to their positions, even though they can see that Lithuanian basketball is going downhill.\u201d<\/p>\n

He believes those involved should stop communicating through the media and instead sit down and address their problems directly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst thing is that now everyone is communicating through the media. We are grown adults \u2014 let\u2019s meet and talk. Let\u2019s talk things through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organizational issues surrounding the national team<\/h2>\n

Valan\u010di\u016bnas also explained his decision not to join Lithuania for the current World Cup qualifying window.<\/p>\n

He said several factors played a role, including major changes in his personal life and the beginning of a new season, but also pointed to organizational issues surrounding the national team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not about hotels or buses. We can sleep in a worse hotel, that\u2019s not a problem. But sometimes there is basic humanity \u2014 a schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n

The center stressed that players need to know their schedules in advance, particularly during the summer, when many of them want to spend time with their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe schedule changes, doesn\u2019t change. There is uncertainty, constant changes. The buses are good, the charter flights are good, everything is fine. But when the schedule changes 15 minutes beforehand, when you are almost already walking out the door, it feels strange.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never encouraged anyone to boycott the national team\u201d<\/h2>\n

Valan\u010di\u016bnas also rejected the idea that the players\u2019 absences were the result of an organized boycott.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, let\u2019s not joke. Are we going to boycott and not come just to prove something to someone?\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Lithuanian center, every player has his own reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor one it might be the way we play, for another the schedule, for another communication, and for another injuries. For someone else it might be a new beginning or a new team.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also made it clear that he never encouraged anyone to refuse a national team call-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have my own reasons for not coming. But I did not encourage any player not to come. I did not encourage anyone to forget Lithuania. I have always been in favor of all of us playing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Valan\u010di\u016bnas on Rimas Kurtinaitis<\/h2>\n

Valan\u010di\u016bnas also addressed his relationship with Lithuania head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis, while avoiding placing the blame solely on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy relationship with Rimas is good. Yes, maybe we disagree on some things, maybe we see some things differently. But he is the coach and he makes the basketball decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The center insisted that this is not the time to look for a single person to blame.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody wants to lose and be in this situation. We don\u2019t want Lithuanian basketball to disappear. But we are going somewhere in the wrong direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything starts from the top\u201d<\/h2>\n

Asked who should lead Lithuanian basketball out of the current crisis, Valan\u010di\u016bnas called for unity and possible changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we see that things are not working and there is some kind of obstacle, maybe we need to make some changes? Instead of saying everything is fine and everything will be fine. Maybe there needs to be some initiative?\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked whether that meant a change of head coach or association president, Valan\u010di\u016bnas replied:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone had an answer and that answer would lead to success, I think it would be accepted. But something is not working.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Valan\u010di\u016bnas, the current crisis is about much more than the national team\u2019s results.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is no longer about the result, but about the image and reputation of Lithuanian basketball as a whole. About the division within Lithuanian basketball. To me, this is a scandal.\u201d<\/p>\n

He concluded by once again calling on everyone involved to take a hard look at their own actions:<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone needs to look at what we have done to make things better. Many people have done nothing. That is the worst part.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lithuanian center spoke to BasketNews about the national team\u2019s crisis in the World Cup qualifiers, calling for unity and changes within the country\u2019s basketball leadership<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":145,"featured_media":497574,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_spbk_hide_featured":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[271,369,383],"tags":[],"rumors":[],"typology":[],"posizionamento":[],"class_list":["post-511484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lithuania","category-national-teams","category-world-cup"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/Jonas-Valanciunas.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/145"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/497574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511484"},{"taxonomy":"rumors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rumors?post=511484"},{"taxonomy":"typology","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/typology?post=511484"},{"taxonomy":"posizionamento","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posizionamento?post=511484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}