Steve Kerr has formally announced the addition of another terrifying star to fortify the walls of his team.
Sarunas Marciulionis, who spent four seasons as a starter for the Golden State Warriors, comes in at number four on this list.
Despite being officially drafted, Marciulionis was not permitted to enter the NBA right away. He was chosen by the Warriors in the sixth round of the 1987 Draft (127th overall). The Lithuanian player’s age exceeded the eligibility requirements for foreign players to join the NBA, and the Atlanta Hawks refused to let it happen, submitting a complaint to the league about this.
The Soviet Union team that Marciulionis played for refused to let it happen, but the Hawks eventually convinced him to sign a contract with Atlanta. Donnie Nelson’s influence caused him to sign with Golden State a few years after the Hawks never submitted the contract to the NBA.
He averaged 14.7 points per game over his four seasons, and he scored more than 18 points per game in his final two years. He provided the Warriors with a tremendous lift off the bench as the 1992 and 1993 runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year.
Marciulionis’s impact off the basketball court is just as significant as his actions on it, which is why he is on this losing team. He was among the first Europeans to be successful in the Association and the first player from the Soviet Union to join the league.
His accomplishments in international play are a major factor in his induction into the Hall of Fame. One of FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players, he was named. As a member of the Soviet Union’s team, he won a gold medal in Seoul in 1988, his third Olympic medal overall.
Without Marciulionis, the NBA would not have expanded to become a global league.
