On July 21, 2026, the international basketball arbitration tribunal completely rejected the claim of more than 50 thousand US dollars by a former American basketball player against the Jonavos basketball club playing in the LKL, recognizing that the club lawfully terminated the contract after it became clear that the player had concealed a knee injury sustained before his arrival.
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According to 15min, the basketball player mentioned in the case is American Michael
Hughes.
What’s more, the arbitration obliged the player himself to cover not only all arbitration costs but also to reimburse the club’s legal expenses. This decision could be significant in resolving similar professional sports disputes in the future. The Jonavos sports club was represented in this dispute by lawyers Eimantas Čepas and Egidijus Langys from the professional law firm AVOCAD.
M. Hughes played in Jonava during the 2023–2024 season and also tried to return in 2025, but that’s when the story mentioned in the case occurred.
Injury revealed upon arrival in Lithuania
The dispute arose after the Jonavos club signed a one-season contract with the American basketball player in the summer of 2025. Upon arriving in Lithuania, the player soon began complaining of knee pain. A magnetic resonance imaging scan, initiated by the club, revealed that the injury was not new – chronic knee damage, several months old, was identified.
An independent forensic expert’s conclusion, commissioned by the club, confirmed that the injury was sustained well before the contract was signed and before the player’s arrival in Lithuania. The expert also stated that due to such damage, the athlete could not have avoided feeling pain, swelling, and knee instability, and therefore must have known about his condition. This conclusion became one of the most important pieces of evidence in the case.
Despite this, the player demanded that the club pay the full season’s salary stipulated in the contract – 45 thousand US dollars and interest, claiming that the contract was terminated without justification.
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Arbitration rejected all claims
After several months of proceedings, the BAT made a decision entirely favorable to the club – rejecting all of the player’s claims. Furthermore, the arbitration decided that all litigation costs in arbitration must be covered by the claimant himself. He was also ordered to reimburse the Jonavos club for its legal expenses.
AVOCAD lawyer Eimantas Čepas, who led the club’s defense in arbitration, says that this case is important not only for its financial value. “In international sports law, clubs often find themselves in a weaker position when a dispute arises over professional athletes’ contracts. In this case, we managed to prove a fundamental principle – a professional athlete must also act in good faith and cannot conceal circumstances that are crucial to the conclusion of the contract. A professional athlete’s dishonest conduct can lead to them losing the right to rely solely on formal contract provisions in the event of a dispute. This is an important message for the entire professional sports sector,” the lawyer notes.
According to AVOCAD managing partner, lawyer Egidijus Langys, this case also stands out for its broader significance for sports law practice. “This victory shows that meticulously collected medical evidence, a professionally formulated legal position, and consistent procedural work allow for the successful defense of Lithuanian clubs’ interests even in the highest-level international arbitration. It is likely that this case will be mentioned in the future as one of the more important precedents in evaluating players’ duty to disclose information about their health condition,” he emphasizes.
Karolis Vaškevičius, head of the Jonavos basketball club playing in the LKL, emphasizes that this decision has a much greater significance for the club than just the financial result. “We are sincerely grateful to the team of lawyers for their exceptional professionalism and principled defense of our interests. We believe that this is a historic victory not only for the Jonavos club but also for all Lithuanian professional sports. International arbitration has clearly confirmed that clubs have the right to expect honesty from professional athletes, and essential circumstances cannot be concealed.”
This decision strengthens the legal protection of Lithuanian sports clubs in international disputes and sends a clear message to the professional sports community – honesty in concluding contracts is not a formality, but one of the most important rules of professional sports, concludes the AVOCAD statement.
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