“Trailblazer: The Untold Story of the NBL’s First European Import,” reads the headline of the text published on the Australian championship’s website.
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Before Europeans became a permanent part of Australian basketball, one player from Lithuania paved the way.
Olympic champion Rimas Kurtinaitis signed a contract with Townsville “Suns” in 1993 and, becoming the first European basketball player in the Australian championship, opened the doors for the recruitment of other international players.
Then 33-year-old R. Kurtinaitis arrived with an excellent CV, including playing for CSKA Moscow and Kaunas “Žalgiris”. He brought a level of international play that Australia had not seen before.
Australians also recall R. Kurtinaitis’ unique achievement – participating in the NBA three-point contest without being a player in that league.
R. Kurtinaitis immediately showed his level and recorded statistics of 24.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in the Australian championships.
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“He quickly became a cult hero in Townsville and one of the league’s most prolific scorers,” reads the Australian championship website.
More than three decades have passed, and two more Lithuanians have followed in R. Kurtinaitis’ footsteps. These are former New Zealand “Breakers” player Mantas Rubštavičius and point guard Arnas Velička, who recently signed a contract with Brisbane “Bullets”.
R. Kurtinaitis’ stint in the NBL lasted only one season until he requested to be released because he received a dream opportunity with Real Madrid.
However, this Lithuanian’s influence on Australian basketball was long-lasting.
R. Kurtinaitis proved that talents from Europe can thrive in Australia, helping to change the league’s approach to scouting and recruiting international players.
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