Jonas Mačiulis, who participated in the show “Road to WC 2027,” openly criticized the activities of the “Lithuanian Basketball” association, accusing president Mindaugas Balčiūnas of possible revenge, spoke about the improperly conducted Rimas Kurtinaitis process in the national team, and the figure of Donatas Motiejūnas that scared off players.
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The association itself reacted to this after a few hours, with a press release headline stating: “Association ‘Lithuanian Basketball’: statements undermining the professionalism of the national team members are unfounded”
“Recently, public accusations and insults have been thrown at the association, national team coaches, and other members in the public space. The ‘Lithuanian Basketball’ association respects the right to criticism and constructive discussion about Lithuanian basketball problems. We believe that the discussion must be based on facts, and rumors and hearsay should not be accepted as objective information.
We regret that in the recent statements of former basketball player Jonas Mačiulis regarding the Lithuanian men’s national team, the work of the coaches, the training process, medical care, and the entire team environment are described in a very derogatory manner, although the speaker himself repeatedly admits to receiving information from “echoes,” “rumors,” and other people’s stories. We believe that evaluating and undermining the professionalism of coaches and national team staff without participating in the national team process and without direct information about the daily work of the team is unjustified.
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The association also categorically rejects unfounded claims with specific facts about alleged revenge against association members, redistribution of funding due to their voting, or intimidation of community members. These are serious accusations, so when publicly expressed, they should be supported by facts. We also value public statements about the Youth Development Fund concept. Criticizing the initiative without essentially familiarizing oneself with its content, funding principles, and goals is not a constructive discussion. Such assessments rather show a lack of information about the specific initiative, rather than reflecting its actual content.
The Lithuanian basketball community consists not only of professional clubs or well-known basketball people. It includes regional, women’s and youth basketball, coaches, referees, fans, and other organizations involved in basketball development. Therefore, we consider the disparagement of individual association members solely because of their size or type of activity disrespectful to the entire basketball community.
The association has a duty to protect the Lithuanian men’s basketball team, its coaches, players, and staff from unfounded statements that undermine their professionalism, work, and dedication to the national team. It is possible to discuss decisions, results, or different visions for the future of Lithuanian basketball, but respect for the people representing Lithuania must remain the basis of any discussion,” the statement says, whose author is not specified.
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