LKL Finals

The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL) Finals is the championship finals series for the top-tier level professional club basketball league in Lithuania, the LKL, and the conclusion of the league's postseason. The Finals have been played in either a best-of-seven, or a best-of five format. The first LKL Finals series was held in 1994, and was contested by Žalgiris and Atletas, with Žalgiris winning the series 3–1.

LKL Finals
StatusActive
GenreSporting event
Date(s)June
FrequencyAnnual
CountryLithuania
Inaugurated1994 (1994)
Lithuanian Basketball League awards
Team award
Individual awards

Žalgiris Kaunas has been the most successful team, having won 22 out of the 27 LKL Finals series that have been played so far. Lietuvos rytas Vilnius is the only other team to win the LKL Finals.

History

1994–2000: Early dominance by Žalgiris Kaunas

Žalgiris Kaunas won the first 6 LKL Finals series, from 1994 to 1999. The team's dominance in the LKL Finals came to an end in the 2000 LKL Finals, when they lost to Lietuvos rytas Vilnius. During that same period, Žalgiris had also won the second tier level European-wide FIBA Saporta Cup in the 1997–98 season, and the first tier level European-wide 1999 FIBA EuroLeague Final Four. From 1994 to 2000, Atletas Kaunas was the only other club that came close to winning the LKL Finals, as they won the first two games of the 5 game 1996 LKL Finals.

2000–2010: Lietuvos rytas Vilnius and Žalgiris rivalry

Lietuvos rytas Vilnius finally ended Žalgiris Kaunas' run of winning the first 6 LKL Finals, when they won the finals in 2000. Over an 11-year period, from 2000 to 2010, all of the LKL Finals were won by the two clubs, with Lietuvos rytas winning 5 LKL Finals series, and Žalgiris Kaunas winning 6 LKL Finals series.

2011–present: Žalgiris Kaunas again dominates

Starting with the 2011 LKL Finals, Žalgiris Kaunas began another long run of dominance, winning 10 straight LKL Finals series, from 2011 to 2021.

LKL Finals series results
Ramūnas Šiškauskas won 2 LKL Finals, as a player.
Paulius Jankūnas has won 14 LKL Finals, as a player.
SeasonChampionResultRunner-up
1994Žalgiris3–1Atletas
1995Žalgiris3–0Atletas
1996Žalgiris3–2Atletas
1997Žalgiris3–0Olimpas
1998Žalgiris3–1Atletas
1999Žalgiris3–0Lietuvos rytas
2000Lietuvos rytas3–1Žalgiris
2001Žalgiris3–2Lietuvos rytas
2002Lietuvos rytas4–3Žalgiris
2003Žalgiris4–2Lietuvos rytas
2004Žalgiris4–0Lietuvos rytas
2005Žalgiris4–0Lietuvos rytas
2006Lietuvos rytas4–0Žalgiris
2007Žalgiris4–2Lietuvos rytas
2008Žalgiris4–1Lietuvos rytas
2009Lietuvos rytas4–1Žalgiris
2010Lietuvos rytas4–3Žalgiris
2011Žalgiris4–1Lietuvos rytas
2012Žalgiris3–0Lietuvos rytas
2013Žalgiris4–0Lietuvos rytas
2014Žalgiris4–2Neptūnas
2015Žalgiris4–0Lietuvos rytas
2016Žalgiris4–1Neptūnas
2017Žalgiris4–1Lietkabelis
2018Žalgiris4–1Lietuvos rytas
2019Žalgiris3–0Rytas
2020Finals were not held
2021Žalgiris3–0Rytas
2022Rytas4–1Lietkabelis
2023Žalgiris3–2Rytas

LKL Finals won by head coach
Jonas Kazlauskas won a record 6 LKL Finals

List of winning head coaches:

LKL Finals Most Valuable Player
Lithuanian Basketball League awards
Team award
Individual awards

The LKL Finals Most Valuable Player Award is the annual award that is given by the professional Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), to the Most Valuable Player of each season's LKL Finals.

Gintaras Einikis was the winner of the first Finals MVP award, in 1994. So far 5 players, Einikis, Arvydas Macijauskas, Tanoka Beard, Paulius Jankūnas and Edgaras Ulanovas, have won multiple Finals MVP awards. To date, Beard is the only non-Lithuanian player to win multiple Finals MVP awards. The current holder of the award is Arnas Butkevičius.

LKL Finals MVPs
Ramūnas Šiškauskas was the LKL Finals MVP in 2001.
Marcus Brown was the LKL Finals MVP in 2008.
Chuck Eidson was the LKL Finals MVP in 2009.
Paulius Jankūnas was the LKL Finals MVP in 2011 and 2014.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas was the LKL Finals MVP in 2013.
* Member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
** Member of the FIBA Hall of Fame
*** Member of both the Naismith and FIBA Halls of Fame
† Denotes player whose team won championship that year
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has received the Finals MVP award
SeasonFinals MVPPositionNationalityClubRef.
1993–94 †Gintaras Einikis
PF/C
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas
1994–95 †Gintaras Einikis (2×)
PF/C
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas
1995–96 †Rimas Kurtinaitis
SG
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas
1996–97
N/A
1997–98
N/A
1998–99
N/A
1999–00Eurelijus Žukauskas
C
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas
2000–01Ramūnas Šiškauskas
SG/SF
 LithuaniaLietuvos rytas Vilnius
2001–02 †Arvydas Macijauskas
SG
 LithuaniaLietuvos rytas Vilnius
2002–03Arvydas Macijauskas (2×)
SG
 LithuaniaLietuvos rytas Vilnius
2003–04 †Tanoka Beard
PF/C
 United StatesŽalgiris Kaunas
2004–05 †Mindaugas Timinskas
SF/PF
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas
2005–06 †Andrius Šležas
SF/PF
 LithuaniaLietuvos rytas Vilnius
2006–07 †Tanoka Beard (2×)
PF/C
 United StatesŽalgiris Kaunas
2007–08 †Marcus Brown
SG
 United StatesŽalgiris Kaunas
2008–09 †Chuck Eidson
SG/SF
 United StatesLietuvos rytas Vilnius
2009–10 †Martynas Gecevičius
SG
 LithuaniaLietuvos rytas Vilnius
2010–11 †Paulius Jankūnas
PF/C
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas
2011–12 †Tomas Delininkaitis
SG
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas
2012–13 †Mindaugas Kuzminskas
SF
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas
2013–14 †Paulius Jankūnas (2×)
PF/C
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas
2014–15 †Artūras Milaknis
SG/SF
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas
2015–16 †Jerome Randle
PG
 UkraineŽalgiris Kaunas[1]
2016–17 †Edgaras Ulanovas
SF
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas[2]
2017–18 †Brandon Davies
PF
 United StatesŽalgiris Kaunas[3]
2018–19 †Edgaras Ulanovas (2×)
SF
 LithuaniaŽalgiris Kaunas[4]
2019–20Finals not held
2020–21 †Thomas Walkup
PG
 United StatesŽalgiris Kaunas[5]
2021–22 †Arnas Butkevičius
SF/PF
 LithuaniaRytas Vilnius[6]
2022–23 †Isaiah Taylor
PG
 United StatesŽalgiris Kaunas[7]

Multi-time winners
PlayerTeam(s)No.Years
Lithuania Gintaras EinikisŽalgiris Kaunas
2
1994, 1995
Lithuania Arvydas MacijauskasLietuvos rytas Vilnius
2
2002, 2003
United States Tanoka BeardŽalgiris Kaunas
2
2004, 2007
Lithuania Paulius JankūnasŽalgiris Kaunas
2
2011, 2014
Lithuania Edgaras UlanovasŽalgiris Kaunas
2
2017, 2019

By player nationality
NumberCountry
18×
Lithuania Lithuania
7×
United States United States
1×
Ukraine Ukraine

By club
NumberTeam
24×
 Žalgiris Kaunas
6×
 Lietuvos rytas Vilnius/Rytas Vilnius

See also

References
  1. Congratulations Jerome Randle on being named...
  2. "LKL finalo MVP tapo Edgaras Ulanovas". 24sek.lt. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  3. "Sezono uždarymo šventė: LKL titulai byrėjo žalgiriečiams". 15min.lt/24sek. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  4. "LKL sezono uždaryme – Š.Jasikevičiaus, E.Ulanovo ir "Žalgirio" triumfas". 15min.lt/24sek. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  5. "Th.Walkupas – apie MVP apdovanojimą, ateities klausimą ir amžinus draugus Kaune". 15min.lt/24sek. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  6. "Išdalinti "Betsafe-LKL" apdovanojimai: finalo serijos MVP tapo A. Butkevičius, metų treneris – G. Žibėnas". lkl.lt. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  7. "Išdalinti jubiliejinio "Betsafe-LKL" sezono apdovanojimai: finalo serijos MVP tapo I. Tayloras, metų treneris – V. Šeškus". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 11 June 2023.
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