LKL Finals explained

LKL Finals
Status:Active
Genre:Sporting event
Date:June
Frequency:Annual
Country:Lithuania

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.

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

1994–2000: Early dominance by Žalgiris Kaunas

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

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

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

Season Champion Result Runner-up
1994 Žalgiris 3–1
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
Žalgiris 4–1 Lietuvos rytas
Lietuvos rytas 4–1 Žalgiris
2010 Lietuvos rytas 4–3
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
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

List of winning head coaches:

LKL Finals Most Valuable Player

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

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.
Gintaras Einikis (2×)
Arvydas Macijauskas (2×)
Tanoka Beard (2×)
Paulius Jankūnas (2×)
[1]
[2]
[3]
Edgaras Ulanovas (2×) [4]
Finals not held
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]

Multi-time winners

Player Team(s) No. Years
1994, 1995
2002, 2003
2004, 2007
2011, 2014
2017, 2019

By player nationality

Number Country
Lithuania
United States
Ukraine

By club

Number Team
Žalgiris Kaunas
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius/Rytas Vilnius

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://twitter.com/Adelaide36ers/status/740765676361633792 Congratulations Jerome Randle on being named...
  2. Web site: LKL finalo MVP tapo Edgaras Ulanovas. 24sek.lt. 10 June 2017.
  3. Web site: Sezono uždarymo šventė: LKL titulai byrėjo žalgiriečiams . 15min.lt/24sek . 20 June 2018.
  4. Web site: LKL sezono uždaryme – Š.Jasikevičiaus, E.Ulanovo ir "Žalgirio" triumfas . 15min.lt/24sek . 4 June 2019.
  5. Web site: Th.Walkupas – apie MVP apdovanojimą, ateities klausimą ir amžinus draugus Kaune . 15min.lt/24sek . 9 June 2021.
  6. Web site: Išdalinti "Betsafe-LKL" apdovanojimai: finalo serijos MVP tapo A. Butkevičius, metų treneris – G. Žibėnas . lkl.lt . 15 June 2022.
  7. Web site: Išdalinti jubiliejinio "Betsafe-LKL" sezono apdovanojimai: finalo serijos MVP tapo I. Tayloras, metų treneris – V. Šeškus . lkl.lt . 11 June 2023 . lt.
  8. Web site: Finalo serijos MVP – M. Fosteris . lkl.lt . 15 June 2024 . lt.