Modestas Paulauskas

Modestas Paulauskas
Paulauskas in 1970, as a member of the USSR national team
Personal information
Born (1945-03-19) 19 March 1945 (age 79)
Kretinga, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
NationalityLithuanian
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight206 lb (93 kg)
Career information
Playing career1962–1976
PositionSmall forward
Number5
Coaching career1977–1998
Career history
As player:
1962–1976Žalgiris Kaunas
As coach:
1991–1992Žalgiris Kaunas
1997–1998Statyba-Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
Career highlights and awards
As a player:
FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals
Representing the  Soviet Union
Summer Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich Team
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Mexico City Team
FIBA World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1967 Uruguay Team
Gold medal – first place 1974 Puerto Rico Team
Bronze medal – third place 1970 Yugoslavia Team
FIBA Eurobasket
Gold medal – first place 1965 Soviet Union Team
Gold medal – first place 1967 Finland Team
Gold medal – first place 1969 Italy Team
Gold medal – first place 1971 West Germany Team
Bronze medal – third place 1973 Spain Team
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1970 Turin Team
Bronze medal – third place 1965 Budapest Team
European Championship for Juniors
Gold medal – first place 1964 Italy Under-20

Modestas Paulauskas[note 1] (19 March 1945) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball coach and basketball player.

As a player, he was the youngest EuroBasket MVP in history, being only 20 years old at the time he won the award. He is known for having been one of the best Lithuanian basketball players of all time, and for having excellent dribbling ability. He was selected as the Lithuanian Sportsman of the Year, a record seven times, in 1965–1967, and 1969–1972.[1] He was a member of the Soviet team that achieved Olympic Gold in 1972 in Munich.

In 1991, he was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players.

In 2021, he was included into the FIBA Hall of Fame.[2]


Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Stankovic, Vladimir. "Modestas Paulauskas, the first Lithuanian "King"". Euroleague.net. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Modestas Paulauskas kartu su Nashu ir Pesičiumi įtrauktas į FIBA Šlovės muziejų". BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 30 March 2021.