Tautvydas Šležas Explained

Tautvydas Šležas
Position:Center
Height Ft:6
Height In:9
Weight Lbs:250
Nationality:Lithuanian
Birth Date:31 March 1990[1]
Birth Place:Kaunas, Lithuania
Career Start:2006
Career End:2019
Coach Start:2022
Years1:2006–2008
Team1:Bremena-KTU Tauragė
Years2:2008–2011
Team2:Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
Years3:2009–2011
Team3:Perlas Vilnius
Years4:2011–2012
Team4:Juventus Utena
Years6:2012-2013
Team6:Prienai
Years8:2013–2014
Team8:Dzūkija Alytus
Years9:2014–2015
Team9:Fürstenfeld Panthers
Years10:2015–2016
Team10:Cáceres Patrimonio de la Humanidad
Years11:2016
Team11:Dominion Bilbao Basket
Years12:2016–2017
Team12:RETAbet.es GBC
Years13:2017–2018
Team13:Iberostar Palma
Years14:2018-2019
Team14:University of Tartu
Cyears1:2022-present
Cteam1:BC Žalgiris-2 (assistant)
Highlights:As player:

Tautvydas “Tau” Šležas (born 31 March 1990) is a Lithuanian basketball TV analyst and assistant coach for BC Žalgiris-2.

Playing career

Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, Šležas started his professional career 2006 with Bremena-KTU Tauragė of the National Basketball League.

Two years later, he signed with Lietuvos rytas Vilnius, as one of the most promising young players in Lithuania, but he rarely stepped on the court for the team, and was loaned for to its junior team Perlas Vilnius.

On 11 September 2011, signed a one-year contract with Juventus Utena. On 7 October 2011, playing in his second game of the season, Šležas suffered an ankle injury, which kept him out of the lineup for four months. After playing with Prienai and Dzūkija Alytus, Šležas left Lithuania in 2014, when he signed with the Fürstenfeld Panthers of the Österreichische Basketball Bundesliga (ÖBL). In 2015 he signed with Cáceres Patrimonio de la Humanidad of LEB Oro. On 25 January 2016, he became the MVP of the round 19 after scoring 21 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in an 81–78 win over Cocinas.com.[2]

Two weeks later, Šležas signed a contract until the end of the 2015–16 season with Dominion Bilbao Basket of Liga ACB.[3] In summer of 2016, he signed a one-year contract with RETAbet.es GBC of LEB Oro.

National team career

Šležas played for the Lithuanian under-16 national team in the 2006 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. In 2008, he played for the Lithuanian under-18 national team in the 2008 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship where they won silver medals, and was part of the team in the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. In 2010, he played for the Lithuanian under-20 national team in the 2010 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship.

Coaching career

During the summertime Tautvydas individually works with players including Edgaras Ulanovas, Marius Grigonis, Tomas Dimša, Brock Motum, Malik Monk, Paulius Valinskas, and Paulius Murauskas.

On 1 August 2022 he officially became an assistant coach for BC Žalgiris-2.

On 22 April 2023 he became National Basketball League (Lithuania) Champion with BC Žalgiris-2.

TV career

After his official retirement in 2019, he became a live in-game basketball TV analyst in Lithuania. On 25 September 2022 he became the analyst of Lietuvos krepšinio lyga.

Personal life

Šležas is fluent in Lithuanian, English and Spanish.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tautvydas Slezas - Player Profile - Basketball . https://web.archive.org/web/20150610224727/http://asia.eurosport.com/basketball/tautvydas-slezas_prs288735/person.shtml . dead . 10 June 2015 . Eurosport Asia . 9 November 2018.
  2. Web site: J.19: Tautvydas Slezas, la décima sinfonía de su primer MVP. FEB.es. 25 January 2016. 8 February 2016. Spanish.
  3. Web site: Tautvydas Slezas joins Bilbao. Eurohoops.net. 8 February 2016. 8 February 2016.