Who is Jonas Valanciunas?
Professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player Jonas Valanciunas is from Lithuania. He is currently a center for the NBA League’s New Orleans Pelicans.
In the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors selected him with the fifth overall pick.
Before joining the NBA, Jonas played basketball for about four years in the Lithuanian leagues. Throughout his basketball career, he has received an absurd amount of honors and awards.
He is without a doubt one of the most successful basketball players in the modern era.
Since making his NBA debut, the Lithuanian national has never stopped making his fans happy. He has already participated in league play for three organizations, including the Pelicans.
In the largest domestic league in the world, the foreign player has made a name for himself as a point-scoring machine. He has developed into one of the most dependable players in recent years thanks to his consistent play.
Jonas is quite a jovial person, even though his enormous stature gives him an intimidating appearance. He even had a small part in a recent dark comedy film from Lithuania.
Everything you need to know about Valanciunas and his remarkable basketball career will be covered in this article.
Relationship Details, Jonas Valanciunas is in a Relationship?
Eagle Valanciuniene, a citizen of Lithuania, is married to Jonas Valanciunas. Around 2013, the two started dating, and they got hitched the following year.
Eagle is the child of prominent lawyer and politician Remigijus Acas and his wife Vida Aciene. Vida, her mother, is both an economist and a politician.
Before she met him, she was the owner of a Kaunas-based shopping website. They do, however, live together in the USA now that they are married. Moreover, the couple is blessed with two sons.
Their eldest son, Jonas Valanciunas Jr., was born on March 12, 2015. In 2017, Egle gave birth to their second son.
Quick facts about Jonas Valanciunas
| Full Name | Jonas Valanciunas |
| Date of Birth | May 6, 1992 |
| Birth Place | Utena, Lithuania |
| Nick Name | Not Available |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| Zodiac Sign | Taurus |
Jonas Valanciunas: Early Life, Age, Wiki, Parents, Ethnicity
Jonas Valanciunas was born in Utena, Lithuania, on May 6, 1992. His parents didn’t tie the knot.
Being raised by his mother, Danute, Jonas acquired her last name. But from his early years, he had a close relationship with his father, Jonas Vilkas. Vilkas previously held a position as a rowing coach in the USSR.
Education, Schooling, University
He started playing basketball at a young age and attended Utenos Gymnasium in his hometown of Utena. His mother had enrolled him in a dance class because she wanted him to become a folk dancer.
In his younger years, Valanciunas frequently skipped dance classes in favor of playing outside with his friends.
Basketball was a huge draw for young people at the time, and it was very well-liked in Lithuania.
The same applied to him. His father encouraged him to become a better basketball player while he was growing up, even though his mother did not want him to choose the sport. He set up a practice area and a homemade basket for Jonas to use.
Jonas was accepted to a local training school in Vilnius while still a high school student. He performed admirably in the academy and was already considerably taller than his friends.
With his performance, Jonas quickly caught the management of the national team’s attention. The player thus guaranteed his spot on the Lithuanian U-16 team. He participated in his nation’s representation at the 2007 European U-16 Championship in Greece.
He was only able to leave a lasting impression by competing in the same tournament the following year in Italy. He had already stopped folk dancing and was primarily interested in basketball games in 2008.
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In addition, since he was his mother’s only child, she began to support him and promised to give him everything he needed.
Professional Career, (Professional basketball player)
League of Basketball in Lithuania (LKL)
At the age of 16, Jonas entered the professional league in 2008. He participated in the Perlas Vilnius in the LNKL. The club moved up to the LKL after spending the 2008–09 season in the nation’s second-best league.
In January 2009, he subsequently agreed to a long-term contract with the Lietuvos Rytas.
On January 17, 2010, he made his final move to the Rytas and began competing in top leagues. They won the 2010 LKF Cup in February. The team soon trusted Valanciunas, and he participated in numerous games.
He won numerous trophies and cups for the club during his two-year career. Between 2010 and 2012, he participated in all three LKL Finals and had impressive statistics. In 2010, they even won the LKL championship.
He also participated in three LKL All-Star Games and took home the victory each time. He won consecutive LKL All-Star Game MVP awards in 2011 and 2012.
He attained such widespread recognition that Americans began to hear about him across the Atlantic. The young Lithuanian became one of the top prospects for the 2011 NBA draft as a result.
He was very close to realizing his dream of playing in the NBA, the top basketball league in the world.
NASCAR Career
Raptors of Toronto
Jonas traveled to America for the 2011 NBA Draft after participating in a brief training session at the NBA camp in Italy. He was chosen by Toronto Raptors with the fifth overall pick in the first round.
The rookie averaged 8.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for the entire season.
As the 2013–14 season progressed, he played more games and saw an increase in his stats. In 81 games, he scored 11.3 points and grabbed 8.8 rebounds on average. He also set a record against the Nets by pulling down the most rebounds in a single playoff game.
On August 20, 2015, Jonas signed a contract with the Raptors that would keep him with the team for four more years. Before the start of the new season, ESPN ranked him as the 57th best player in the league.
However, due to injury, he participated in a smaller number of games this year than in NBA seasons past.
He participated in 60 games, scoring 12.8 points and pulling down 9.1 rebounds per contest. He led the Raptors to the playoffs this season upon his return to the court following a lengthy absence.
However, they were unable to advance to the NBA Finals as a result of his loss in Game 3 against the Miami Heat due to an ankle injury.
For the Raptors, Valanciunas played three additional seasons. Eventually, in 2019, the team dealt him to the Grizzlies.
Tennessee Grizzlies
On February 7, 2019, Jonas Valanciunas was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies along with a few other players. On February 12 against the San Antonio Spurs, he made his club debut.
In his debut, he had a stellar performance with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but the team fell short. However, he was forced to miss the rest of the 2018–19 campaign after sustaining yet another injury during a game against the Clippers.
On July 11, 2019, he penned a fresh, three-year contract with the team. This season, he had a point and rebound average of 14.9 and 11.3 respectively. Valanciunas also guided his group to the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
He played for the Grizzlies for one more season. He played in 62 games for the 2020–21 season, scoring 17.1 points and grabbing 12.5 rebounds each.
Pelicans of New Orleans
On August 7, 2021, the Grizzlies traded Jonas to the New Orleans Pelicans. On October 20, 2021, the club and he agreed to a two-year contract, and as of now, he has played in over 45 games for the Pelicans.
In the games he has already played, he has averaged 18.0 points and 11.6 rebounds. Without a doubt, Valanciunas would excel in the Pelicans organization.
Jonas Valanciunas’ national sporting career
It is well known that Jonas Valanciunas enjoyed considerable popularity before joining the NBA. He began representing his country at the age of 14 and is currently a senior team player.
At the FIBA Europe U-16 Championship held in Italy in 2008, he won the country of Lithuania’s first gold medal. He outperformed everyone and was named the event’s MVP with an average of 14.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
He has also represented various age groups of Lithuania’s national teams and has consistently excelled over the years.
Jonas made his EuroBasket 2011 debut for the senior Lithuanian team. He gave his team an outstanding performance during that domestic competition, which helped them become one of the favorites to win the competition.
They fell short of winning the competition, though. Since that time, he has consistently competed for them in a variety of international competitions, such as the 2017 EuroBasket and the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Net Worth, Salary, Assets
Jonas, one of the NBA’s most well-known international athletes, is thought to be worth around $5 million.
The NBA league games have already brought in a sizeable sum for the star athlete. He received a sizable sum from the Raptors in just his rookie season because he was selected early in the 2011 draft. That season, he made about $3.3 million in salary annually.
In a total of seven NBA seasons, he earned about $45 million from his performances for the Raptors. He continued to receive roughly the same amount for three seasons after switching to the Grizzlies.
His current team, the New Orleans Pelicans, pays him an estimated $14 million a year to play. From his NBA career to date, he has already accumulated wealth totaling over $92 million.
Additionally, he makes a respectable income from brand endorsements, merchandise sales, speaking fees at various events, etc.
Rumors and Controversy
Talking about his rumors and controversy, he has not been in any part of rumors as well as controversy to date.
What is the Height of Jonas Valanciunas? Weight, Full Body Status
The well-known Pelicans center will turn 30 in 2022. Every year on May 6, he celebrates his birthday.
He has lovely blue eyes and light brown hair, to speak of his facial features. Additionally, he always wears a well-fitting long brown beard. But in his early NBA days, he mostly had a clean-shaven appearance.
The enormous athlete is 2.11 meters (6 feet 11 inches) tall and weighs about 265 lb (120 kg). In his teenage years, he was quite thin and lean. However, the player has put on a lot of weight since then.
The athlete regularly works out in the gym with his teammates to keep himself in shape.
Social Media Accounts
Jonas Valanciunas uses a variety of social media sites frequently. He is, however, comparatively more accessible on Twitter and Instagram.
He has a Facebook account that has been verified, but nothing has been posted there since last year.
On his Instagram account, Jonas primarily writes about his personal and professional life. We can also view a large number of photos taken during photo shoots. Through the links below, you can access his social media profiles:
@jvalanciunas on Instagram
Social media: @jValanciunas
Jonas Valanciunas’ Facebook
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