Wikipedia

LKL Finals

(Redirected from LKL Finals Most Valuable Player Award)

The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL) Finals is the championship finals series for the top-tier level professional club basketball league in Lithuania, the LKL, and the conclusion of the league's postseason. The Finals have been played in either a best-of-seven, or a best-of five format. The first LKL Finals series was held in 1994, and was contested by Žalgiris and Atletas, with Žalgiris winning the series 3–1.

LKL Finals
StatusActive
GenreSporting event
Date(s)June
FrequencyAnnual
CountryLithuania
Inaugurated1994 (1994)

Žalgiris Kaunas has been the most successful team, having won 22 out of the 27 LKL Finals series that have been played so far. Lietuvos rytas Vilnius is the only other team to win the LKL Finals.

History

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1994–2000: Early dominance by Žalgiris Kaunas

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Žalgiris Kaunas won the first 6 LKL Finals series, from 1994 to 1999. The team's dominance in the LKL Finals came to an end in the 2000 LKL Finals, when they lost to Lietuvos rytas Vilnius. During that same period, Žalgiris had also won the second tier level European-wide FIBA Saporta Cup in the 1997–98 season, and the first tier level European-wide 1999 FIBA EuroLeague Final Four. From 1994 to 2000, Atletas Kaunas was the only other club that came close to winning the LKL Finals, as they won the first two games of the 5 game 1996 LKL Finals.

2000–2010: Lietuvos rytas Vilnius and Žalgiris rivalry

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Lietuvos rytas Vilnius finally ended Žalgiris Kaunas' run of winning the first 6 LKL Finals, when they won the finals in 2000. Over an 11-year period, from 2000 to 2010, all of the LKL Finals were won by the two clubs, with Lietuvos rytas winning 5 LKL Finals series, and Žalgiris Kaunas winning 6 LKL Finals series.

2011–present: Žalgiris Kaunas again dominates

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Starting with the 2011 LKL Finals, Žalgiris Kaunas began another long run of dominance, winning 10 straight LKL Finals series, from 2011 to 2021.

LKL Finals series results

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Ramūnas Šiškauskas won 2 LKL Finals, as a player.
 
Paulius Jankūnas has won 14 LKL Finals, as a player.
Season Champion Result Runner-up
1994 Žalgiris 3–1 Atletas
1995 Žalgiris 3–0 Atletas
1996 Žalgiris 3–2 Atletas
1997 Žalgiris 3–0 Olimpas
1998 Žalgiris 3–1 Atletas
1999 Žalgiris 3–0 Lietuvos rytas
2000 Lietuvos rytas 3–1 Žalgiris
2001 Žalgiris 3–2 Lietuvos rytas
2002 Lietuvos rytas 4–3 Žalgiris
2003 Žalgiris 4–2 Lietuvos rytas
2004 Žalgiris 4–0 Lietuvos rytas
2005 Žalgiris 4–0 Lietuvos rytas
2006 Lietuvos rytas 4–0 Žalgiris
2007 Žalgiris 4–2 Lietuvos rytas
2008 Žalgiris 4–1 Lietuvos rytas
2009 Lietuvos rytas 4–1 Žalgiris
2010 Lietuvos rytas 4–3 Žalgiris
2011 Žalgiris 4–1 Lietuvos rytas
2012 Žalgiris 3–0 Lietuvos rytas
2013 Žalgiris 4–0 Lietuvos rytas
2014 Žalgiris 4–2 Neptūnas
2015 Žalgiris 4–0 Lietuvos rytas
2016 Žalgiris 4–1 Neptūnas
2017 Žalgiris 4–1 Lietkabelis
2018 Žalgiris 4–1 Lietuvos rytas
2019 Žalgiris 3–0 Rytas
2020 Finals were not held
2021 Žalgiris 3–0 Rytas
2022 Rytas 4–1 Lietkabelis
2023 Žalgiris 3–2 Rytas
2024 Rytas 3–1 Žalgiris

LKL Finals won by head coach

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Jonas Kazlauskas won a record 6 LKL Finals

List of winning head coaches:

LKL Finals Most Valuable Player

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The LKL Finals Most Valuable Player Award is the annual award that is given by the professional Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), to the Most Valuable Player of each season's LKL Finals.

Gintaras Einikis was the winner of the first Finals MVP award, in 1994. So far 5 players, Einikis, Arvydas Macijauskas, Tanoka Beard, Paulius Jankūnas and Edgaras Ulanovas, have won multiple Finals MVP awards. To date, Beard is the only non-Lithuanian player to win multiple Finals MVP awards. The current holder of the award is Marcus Foster.

LKL Finals MVPs

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Ramūnas Šiškauskas was the LKL Finals MVP in 2001.
 
Marcus Brown was the LKL Finals MVP in 2008.
 
Chuck Eidson was the LKL Finals MVP in 2009.
 
Paulius Jankūnas was the LKL Finals MVP in 2011 and 2014.
 
Mindaugas Kuzminskas was the LKL Finals MVP in 2013.
* Member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
** Member of the FIBA Hall of Fame
*** Member of both the Naismith and FIBA Halls of Fame
† Denotes player whose team won championship that year
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has received the Finals MVP award
Season Finals MVP Position Nationality Club Ref.
1993–94 † Gintaras Einikis
PF/C
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas
1994–95 † Gintaras Einikis (2×)
PF/C
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas
1995–96 † Rimas Kurtinaitis
SG
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas
1996–97
N/A
1997–98
N/A
1998–99
N/A
1999–00 Eurelijus Žukauskas
C
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas
2000–01 Ramūnas Šiškauskas
SG/SF
   Lithuania Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
2001–02 † Arvydas Macijauskas
SG
   Lithuania Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
2002–03 Arvydas Macijauskas (2×)
SG
   Lithuania Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
2003–04 † Tanoka Beard
PF/C
   United States Žalgiris Kaunas
2004–05 † Mindaugas Timinskas
SF/PF
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas
2005–06 † Andrius Šležas
SF/PF
   Lithuania Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
2006–07 † Tanoka Beard (2×)
PF/C
   United States Žalgiris Kaunas
2007–08 † Marcus Brown
SG
   United States Žalgiris Kaunas
2008–09 † Chuck Eidson
SG/SF
   United States Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
2009–10 † Martynas Gecevičius
SG
   Lithuania Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
2010–11 † Paulius Jankūnas
PF/C
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas
2011–12 † Tomas Delininkaitis
SG
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas
2012–13 † Mindaugas Kuzminskas
SF
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas
2013–14 † Paulius Jankūnas (2×)
PF/C
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas
2014–15 † Artūras Milaknis
SG/SF
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas
2015–16 † Jerome Randle
PG
   Ukraine Žalgiris Kaunas [1]
2016–17 † Edgaras Ulanovas
SF
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas [2]
2017–18 † Brandon Davies
PF
   United States Žalgiris Kaunas [3]
2018–19 † Edgaras Ulanovas (2×)
SF
   Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas [4]
2019–20 Finals not held
2020–21 † Thomas Walkup
PG
   United States Žalgiris Kaunas [5]
2021–22 † Arnas Butkevičius
SF/PF
   Lithuania Rytas Vilnius [6]
2022–23 † Isaiah Taylor
PG
   United States Žalgiris Kaunas [7]
2023–24 † Marcus Foster
SG
   United States Rytas Vilnius [8]

Multi-time winners

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Player Team(s) No. Years
  Gintaras Einikis Žalgiris Kaunas
2
 1994, 1995
  Arvydas Macijauskas Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
2
 2002, 2003
  Tanoka Beard Žalgiris Kaunas
2
 2004, 2007
  Paulius Jankūnas Žalgiris Kaunas
2
 2011, 2014
  Edgaras Ulanovas Žalgiris Kaunas
2
 2017, 2019

By player nationality

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Number Country
18×
   Lithuania
8×
   United States
1×
   Ukraine

By club

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Number Team
24×
 Žalgiris Kaunas
8×
 Lietuvos rytas Vilnius/Rytas Vilnius

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Congratulations Jerome Randle on being named...
  2. ^ "LKL finalo MVP tapo Edgaras Ulanovas". 24sek.lt. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Sezono uždarymo šventė: LKL titulai byrėjo žalgiriečiams". 15min.lt/24sek. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  4. ^ "LKL sezono uždaryme – Š.Jasikevičiaus, E.Ulanovo ir "Žalgirio" triumfas". 15min.lt/24sek. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Th.Walkupas – apie MVP apdovanojimą, ateities klausimą ir amžinus draugus Kaune". 15min.lt/24sek. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Išdalinti "Betsafe-LKL" apdovanojimai: finalo serijos MVP tapo A. Butkevičius, metų treneris – G. Žibėnas". lkl.lt. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Išdalinti jubiliejinio "Betsafe-LKL" sezono apdovanojimai: finalo serijos MVP tapo I. Tayloras, metų treneris – V. Šeškus". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Finalo serijos MVP – M. Fosteris". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
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