Sabonis to take control of Kaunas Zalgiris  From The Baltic Times

VILNIUS – Legendary basketball player Arvydas Sabonis will hold a controlling stake in the Kaunas Zalgiris club after buying a 42.5 percent stake from the chairman of the club.

Mindaugas Plukas, chairman of the Sabonis Zalgiris Basketball Center, announced on the club’s Web site that he intended to sell his stake to Sabonis.
“I want to inform the basketball community that I decided to sell my shares in Sabonis Zalgiris Basketball Center to Sabonis,” he said.

“The decision was determined by particular circumstances,” he explained, adding that Zalgiris couldn’t compete with other professional basketball teams whose budgets exceeded Zalgiris’ by ten times.

Plukas admitted that the club has had budget difficulties in recent years.

Recently it was announced that Sabonis, 38, will not return to Portland next year – which would have meant $7 million if he had decided to stay on. He played in the NBA for 7 years.

Although no confirmation has been made, there are rumors that Sabonis will play next year for Zagiris, where he started his career. Lithuania’s best basketball player has stated in the past that he would like to end his career in the same place he began it.

According to Plukas, Sabonis’ return to Kaunas would be a monument event not only for Lithuanian, but for European basketball as well.


**  ARVYDAS SABONIS INTERVIEW: 08/21/2003  **
                  THANKS to Marius for the tip and the translation! 

" ...So today's 'Respublika' issue has all the hottest news about Sabas and 'Zalgiris'. 'Lietuvos Rytas', on the other hand, could only get crumbles, and their today's article is only speaking about some hazy 'rumours' ... The two papers really don't like each other, BTW :). There was a real war between them during the latest finals of LKL (Lithuanian Basketball League) between 'Zalgiris' and 'Lietuvos Rytas'... "

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Respublika:  Could you once and for all deny all the speculations and say
straightly whether you'll the next season for "Zalgiris?
Arvydas Sabonis:   I know that I will certainly play. It there isn't any injury during
the preparation for the season.

R:  Word has it that you've started to train ...
AS:   We played with friends for a couple of days, I made some running.  I need to get the rhythm again, so that I can rejoin the team for training later on. I've been doing nothing for three months. It's not easy getting into the rhythm again, when you're of such an age.

R:  Mindaugas Plukas passes his stake in Zalgiris to you. Does he sell them? Or gives them as a present?
AS:  Most of the shares are being passed over for a symbolic fee. Maybe, not all. We'll handle all the paperwork in a couple of days.

R:  So now the biggest part of the club's problems will lie on your shoulders?
AS:   First of all, we need to clear up the financial situation, to normalise the internal workings of the club. There are debts dragging for several years now. We'll go and make contacts, search for possibilities, negotiate -- will try to bring "Zalgiris" to the shape that it has to be in. Of course, one cannot do it in a year. We'll try to start the rise to the top again.

R:  What is your vision of "Zalgiris"?
AS:   I have travelled much and seen many basketball clubs. "Zalgiris" is one of the oldest not only in Lithuania, but in Europe as well. The team does not have its basis. There are initial works begun - a school, administration with professional staff. But one needs a basis,
a reverse. All of this has be be created. And this won't happen quickly. Nothing happens quickly. We'll rise gradually.

R:   Is the club seriously indebted?
AS:   I don't know the figures, but there are debts. They are left over from the time when "Zalgiris" won the Euroleague. So this trail is following the club ...

R:  When did you finally make up your mind not to play for the National Team? During the summer, you were not saying that you won't play.
AS:   I didn't say anything to anybody. Journalists wrote loads of various stuff. I stopped playing for the NT in after 1999. Now it is the year 2003. I'm 38 year old.  Soon will be turning 39. How can I help the NT? I can play one or two matches. But I can't make 7 matches
in 10 days.

R: But if Zydrunas Ilgauskas would have agreed to play for the NT?  You'd have joined in as well?
AS:  If the old lady had the balls ... Then she'd be an old gentleman. Of course, it's a pity that everything is like it is. But there are reasons for that. Ilgauskas himself is like on a razor blade - no one knows what can happen to him during a match.  But if he played for the NT, this would be a complete set.

R:  Including you?
AS:  I don't consider myself a part of the set. There are players beside me in Lithuania who can sit on the bench or go and play for five minutes. I'm such a player as well. Anyway - there are young powerful guys out there with lots health and energy.  They can run and do things when it's needed and the way it's needed.

R: How would you explain to the people who cannot understand such a thing - Sabonis forwent 7 million USD offered by "Trail Blazers", and instead goes to play for "Zalgiris" almost for free?
AS:  For free? Well, I hope to get some sort of salary.

R: But it's not comparable to 7 million ...
AS:  I had kind of ended my career and said it's enough. Then I played for one more year. The next year could have been in Portland again. Anyway, everything converges into one thing - one has to make up one's mind. While I'm still riding the wave, while someone says hello to me, recognises me, I have to use it and do something for "Zalgiris".  When no one will say hello and will forget - then it's harder to do something for the team. Come on, "Zalgiris" has such a history, and now finds itself in such a position - it's embarassing. It makes you want to change something.

R: The spectators are hoping - Arvydas will join in, and it will rain victories ...
AS:  I will help with whatever I can. In the previous season, there was already a decent team. I don't imagine myself playing for 30 minutes.  Or maybe I can do that. All will depend on the injuries as well.

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Knowing Sabonis, there's great probability that he'll wait until October 20th, sign the papers, and leave a voicemail on Herb Rudoy's cell saying something like "I'm retired from the NBA, I talkto you in 6 months..." 

I'm sure the news will eventually make its way to me right as the 2003-04 NBA season starts...

...until then, i'll be hanging out somewhere in between "Anger" and "Despair"

Stuart