Photo: FIBA

The EuroBasket 2025 Quarterfinal clash between Lithuania and Greece carries a rich history, and one of the most prominent figures in that story is Linas Kleiza, the current Lithuanian national team general manager.

Kleiza, a former NBA player who spent the bulk of his career with the Denver Nuggets, also enjoyed a memorable season in Greece with EuroLeague powerhouse Olympiacos. Upon seeing the Greek press, he couldn’t hide his affection, exclaiming, “I love Olympiacos.”

A few hours later, he elaborated on his enthusiastic reaction.

“I love Olympiacos. It’s my big love. Greece rhymes with Olympiacos for me. I have very fond memories and love the country. I love the fans. I love the team. So it was a special time in my life when I was there,” he said, reflecting on his personal connection to the club and the country.

Looking ahead to Lithuania’s Quarterfinal against Greece, Kleiza acknowledged the challenge posed by both the team and their superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“It’s a very tough match-up. You guys have a very good team and a major superstar, one of the best, if not the best, players in the world. So this is a huge challenge for us, and we’re going to try to do our best, play hard, work hard, and see where it goes. But you guys definitely have a great team,” he explained.

When pressed about how Lithuania could hope to contain Giannis, Kleiza was candid. “I don’t know. We’ll see tomorrow. Hope he has a bad game. That’s all you can hope for. We’re going to try our best, but that’s why he’s the MVP. How do you stop that?”

Regarding Lithuania’s progress so far, especially given the absence of injured point guard Rokas Jokubaitis, Kleiza emphasized that this squad is still evolving.

“We don’t set goals. We put a lot of work in, and sometimes you’ve got to put the work in and see if the basketball Gods reward you for it. So, we go game by game, and guys leave everything on the floor. So it’s definitely been a challenging tournament, but we feel good and we’re ready to fight,” he said.

The conversation turned to Greek connections, particularly Spanoulis, his former Olympiacos teammate and now head coach of the Greek national team, and Sarunas Jasikevicius, his former Lithuanian teammate and current EuroLeague champion coach of Fenerbahce.

Reflecting on Spanoulis, Kleiza noted, “He was definitely a special player. So he’s a great coach already, but lost to the best coach in Europe, Saras, in the EuroLeague final. It was a huge matchup, and he made it there. He had a good team. He’s still a young coach for that high a role. It took a long time for Saras to go to many Final Fours and win it. It’s very hard to win in the EuroLeague. Still, the future is very bright. Those players became very good coaches.”

When asked whether he sees Jasikevicius coaching the Lithuanian national team in the future, Kleiza was optimistic.

“Definitely one day. Now we have a great head coach, and it’s going to take a while. Saras is now enjoying his family after a very tough season. But I think one day, for sure,” he said.

On a personal level, Kleiza shared why he embraced his role as GM for the national team.

“I just enjoy being with my national team. It’s always a great honor. It’s always the most fun time of basketball in my life. It’s good to be here. Share my knowledge, help the guys, you know. So, we’re trying to bring the winds back, and it’s definitely a steep hill we’ve got to climb.”

Finally, when reminded of Lithuania’s 2007 EuroBasket bronze medal victory over Greece, where he and Jasikevicius faced Spanoulis, Kleiza shrugged off nostalgia.

“It was a long time ago. Every win is a great win for me. It was a medal game, but it was a long, long time ago. I’m done playing a long time ago. So, I don’t think it has anything to do with these teams that will play tomorrow,” he said, keeping his focus firmly on the present challenge.

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