Before leaving for his second season in the NBA, Mindaugas Kuzminskas together with "Citadele" bank organized a basketball throwing tournament, the points of which were turned into funds for the Lithuanian Paralympic Committee. The culmination of the event was the basketball player's gift to the city of Vilnius - a commemorative plaque with his palm print and signature, which from now on Vilnius residents and guests of the city will be able to see on the basketball court near White bridge.
"It's a bit unusual, but it's very nice and symbolic to give your hometown a palm print plaque on the last night before the new NBA season. As a child, I was very inspired by famous Lithuanian and foreign basketball players, so being able to do the same for young basketball talents and I myself feel a greater impetus for the new season in America", said M. Kuzminskas about his palm print table near the White Bridge.
For now, a temporary version of the imprint is drilled into the basketball court, which will be replaced by a long-lasting palm and signature imprint in a few years. Having accepted a memorable gift Vilnius city municipalities Evaldas Martinka, head of the sports department, thanked the basketball player for his inspiring example and talked about the plans for the reconstruction of the basketball courts.
"M. Kuzminskas is the first Vilnius native to play in the NBA league, so we are proud of him not only as a strong Lithuanian basketball player, but also as a talented Vilnius native. Over the next few years, we will reconstruct several basketball courts in the city, creating even better conditions for young talents. However, I can promise that after the completion of the reconstruction works, the long-lasting palm print of M. Kuzminskas will be moved here and will continue to delight basketball fans," said E. Martinka.
Speaking about inspiring examples of basketball, M. Kuzminskas said that in his childhood he actively collected signatures and joint photos of basketball players. After starting a professional basketball career, it was very fun to play with my childhood ideals.
"I had hundreds of signatures and photos - I was a very picky kid, I collected everything related to basketball. It is interesting that when I was young I took a picture with Marko Popovičius and Mindaugs Žukauskas, I had Robert Javtok's signature, Ramūnas Šiškauskas' t-shirt. Later, I competed with them, and R. Šiškauskas coached me", M. Kuzminskas smiles.
The forward of the Lithuanian national team and the New York Knicks revealed that he was first encouraged to play basketball by his brother and mother, who played this sport professionally. The basketball player admitted that he had been constantly hitting the ball and annoying the neighbors.
"I grew up with basketball - when my mother or my brother practiced, we always went to the gym together. I used to play with the ball at home too, the neighbors would always complain, but now when I hear that the neighbor's children are playing with the ball, I never get angry. I lived in an apartment block in Šeškinė, then my friends and I always fixed the basketball hoops ourselves. Even later, I started attending the Šarūnas Marčiulionis basketball school and gained momentum there. There were also more difficult moments, because I was smaller and slower than many of my peers due to later puberty, I even thought about quitting basketball, but in the end everything turned out well," said M. Kuzminskas.
Speaking about the upcoming season in the NBA league, the basketball player highlighted that the competition in his position is huge, but it helps to improve during training.
"The light wing position now has Carmelo Anthony, Lance Thomas, Michael Beasley and even Tim Hardaway Jr. can play in it. The experience of last season showed how useful it is to have such strong training partners. The club's representatives watched my game in the European Championship, they know my form, but in basketball you have to prove everything anew every day", M. Kuzminskas assessed the prospects of the season.
