Jonas Valančiūnas ( ; ; born 6 May 1992) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Žalgiris of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the fifth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He has also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, and Denver Nuggets.
Valančiūnas has been a member of the Lithuania national team since age 19. He won two EuroBasket silver medals in EuroBasket 2013 and EuroBasket 2015, earning All-Tournament honours in the latter. Valančiūnas also appeared in the documentary The Other Dream Team.
Professional career
Perlas (2008–2010) Valančiūnas started playing professionally for Perlas in 2008. During the 2008–09 season the team played in the National Basketball League (NKL), Lithuania's second strongest league, but moved up to the top-tier Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) the following season. In January 2009 Valančiūnas signed a long-term contract with Lietuvos rytas, but, as Perlas was Lietuvos rytas' farm club, he did not immediately move to Lietuvos rytas, staying with Perlas for the first half of the 2009–10 season.
Lietuvos rytas (2010–2012) On 17 January 2010, Valančiūnas finally moved to Lietuvos rytas. A month after that Lietuvos rytas won the 2010 edition of Lithuanian Basketball Federation's LKF Cup. While playing there, Valančiūnas played in the LKL Finals three times, in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The team won the 2010 series 4–3 against Žalgiris, but lost to the same team the following year 4–1 and 3–0 in 2012.
Valančiūnas became February's MVP in the VTB United League in 2012. Two months later he won the EuroCup Rising Star award and was named in the All-EuroCup squad. He averaged 10.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, while shooting 63.4% from the field, leading Lietuvos rytas to third place.
Valančiūnas participated in three LKL All-Star Games in 2010, 2011 and 2012. During the 2011 All-Star Game Valančiūnas scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, helping this team win the game. He was named as the 2011 LKL All-Star Game MVP. During the 2012 game he led his team to victory, scoring 25 points including one three-pointer, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists. He won the MVP award once again.
In December 2011, Valančiūnas was named the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year for the first time. He was also twice named the FIBA European Young Player of the Year in February 2012 and February 2013.
Toronto Raptors (2012–2019)
2012–13 season
Valančiūnas was considered as a top prospect at the 2011 NBA draft, held on 23 June 2011, and was drafted fifth overall by the Toronto Raptors. He signed with the Raptors on 18 July 2012, and made his NBA debut on 31 October, during a game against the Indiana Pacers. He recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes of action as a starter, becoming the first Raptors rookie since Damon Stoudamire in 1995 to record a double-double in his first game. In December 2012, Valančiūnas was selected as the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year for the second time. On 5 April 2013, Valančiūnas was named Eastern Conference's Rookie of the Month for games played in March. He ranked first among Eastern Conference rookies in averages per game in rebounds (7.3), blocks (1.07), and field goal percentage (.620). He also ranked second in free throw percentage (.822) and fourth in scoring (11.4 points per game), reaching double figures in points in 11 of his last 12 games between 6 and 31 March.
2013–14 season On 22 July 2013, Valančiūnas was named MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League becoming the first non-American to win the award after averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds in four games.
On 27 December, Valančiūnas recorded a then career-high 18 rebounds in a 95–83 win over the New York Knicks. On 9 April 2014, he scored a then career-high 26 points in a 125–114 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Two days later, he recorded a then career-high 21 rebounds in a 108–100 loss to the New York Knicks. The Raptors finished in third place in the conference in the 2013–14 season, and faced the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs. In game 1 of the series, Valančiūnas recorded 17 points and 18 rebounds, surpassing Keon Clark's franchise record for most rebounds in a single playoff game. He also became the second Raptor ever to record a double-double in his playoff debut; the first was Tracy McGrady. The Raptors went on to lose the series 4–3.
2014–15 season
On 17 December 2014, Valančiūnas was selected as the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year for the third time.
On 31 January 2015, Valančiūnas scored a then career-high 31 points in a 114–111 loss to the Detroit Pistons. He finished the 2014–15 season with a back-to-the-basket shot percentage of 51.3%, good for second in the NBA behind fellow Lithuanian Donatas Motiejūnas of the Houston Rockets, who was attacking with 53.4% this way. Valančiūnas was ranked second in the two-points field goal percentage category during the 2014–15 season.
2015–16 season On 20 August 2015, Valančiūnas signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension with the Raptors. Prior to the start of the 2015–16 season, Valančiūnas was named the 57th (out of 400) best player in the league by ESPN, jumping 34 positions from the previous season when he was ranked 91st. On 22 November, he was ruled out for six weeks with a fracture in his left hand. He returned to action on 28 December against the Chicago Bulls after missing 17 games with the injury. On 10 March 2016, in a win over the Atlanta Hawks, he recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds, his career-high 16th straight game scoring in double figures and his 16th double-double of the season. His double figure record ended at 17 games after re-injuring his left hand on 14 March against the Chicago Bulls, leaving the game with 2:25 remaining in the first quarter and did not return.
On 30 March, Valančiūnas recorded 19 points and 9 rebounds in a 105–97 win over the Atlanta Hawks, helping the Raptors record a 50-win season for the first time in franchise history. On 1 April, he recorded 11 points, 14 rebounds and a career-best seven blocks in a 99–95 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Raptors finished the regular season as the second seed in the conference with a 56–26 record.
During the 2016 NBA playoffs, in game 1 of the Raptors' first round playoff series against the seventh-seeded Indiana Pacers, Valančiūnas set a franchise playoff record with 19 rebounds, surpassing his own mark set in 2014. In game 2 of the series, Valančiūnas recorded a playoff career-high 23 points and 15 rebounds in a 98–87 win, tying the series a 1–1. The Raptors went on to win the series 4–3. In the second round, the Raptors faced the Miami Heat, but in game 3 of the series, Valančiūnas went down with a sprained right ankle. He subsequently missed eight straight games, returning to action in game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Raptors lost to the Cavaliers in game 6 as the Raptors' deepest playoff run in franchise history ended with a 4–2 series loss.
2016–17 season In the Raptors' season opener on 26 October 2016, Valančiūnas recorded a then career-high 32 points and 11 rebounds in a 109–91 win over the Detroit Pistons. On 10 January 2017, Valančiūnas grabbed a then career-high 23 rebounds to go with 18 points in a 114–106 win over the Boston Celtics. On 31 March, Valančiūnas made team history in the third quarter of Toronto's 111–100 win over the Indiana Pacers. He had 13 of his 17 rebounds during the quarter, setting a franchise mark for most in a single period. He also had 16 points for his team-leading 28th double-double of the season. He also established a career high during the game, surpassing the 714 rebounds he had in the 2013–14 season.
2017–18 season On 11 January 2018, Valančiūnas had 15 points and a season-high 18 rebounds in a 133–99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On 15 January, Valančiūnas was selected as the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year for the fourth time. On 26 January, he had a season-high 28 points and 14 rebounds in a 97–93 loss to the Utah Jazz. During the 2018 NBA playoffs, in game 2 of the Raptors' first-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards, Valančiūnas had 19 points and 14 rebounds, as Toronto took a 2–0 lead in a playoff series for the first time in franchise history with a 130–119 win. It was his 12th playoff double-double, matching Antonio Davis for the most in Raptors history. He set the Raptors' playoff double-double record in game 5 with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Raptors went on to win the series in six games to move on to the second round. In game 1 of Toronto's second-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Valančiūnas recorded 21 points and 21 rebounds in a 113–112 overtime loss. It marked the best double-double performance by a Raptors player in franchise's playoff history. The Raptors went on to be swept by the Cavaliers for the second straight year.
2018–19 season On 21 November 2018, Valančiūnas had season highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds in a 124–108 win over the Atlanta Hawks. On 5 December, he scored 18 of his season-high 26 in the fourth quarter of Toronto's 113–102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. On 13 December, he was ruled out for at least four weeks after undergoing surgery on his dislocated left thumb, an injury he sustained the previous night against the Golden State Warriors.
Memphis Grizzlies (2019–2021) On 7 February 2019, Valančiūnas was traded, along with C. J. Miles, Delon Wright and a 2024 second-round pick, to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Marc Gasol. On 12 February, after being medically cleared to return from the thumb injury, Valančiūnas made his debut for the Grizzlies, recording 23 points and 10 rebounds in a 108–107 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. On 20 March, Valančiūnas scored a then career-high 33 points and had 15 rebounds in the Grizzlies' 126–125 overtime win over the Houston Rockets. Two days later, he had 23 points and career-high 24 rebounds in a 123–119 overtime loss to the Orlando Magic. He set the franchise record for defensive rebounds in a game (23), surpassing Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who had 18 defensive boards twice. On 30 March, he set a then career high with 34 points to go with 20 rebounds (11 offensive) in a 120–115 win over the Phoenix Suns. It was a career-best sixth straight double-double for Valančiūnas, with the streak ending the next day against the Los Angeles Clippers after injuring his right ankle in the third quarter. On 1 April, he was ruled out for the rest of the season with a grade II right ankle sprain.
On 11 July 2019, Valančiūnas signed a reported three-year, $45 million contract with the Grizzlies. On 28 February 2020, Valančiūnas improved his career record by grabbing 25 rebounds (6 offensive), however his team lost 104–101 to the Sacramento Kings. The next day, he scored 22 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and improved the Grizzlies' record (45 rebounds) for the most rebounds in two consecutive games (previously the record belonged to Zach Randolph who had 42 rebounds in 2009), helping his team to defeat the Western Conference leaders Los Angeles Lakers 105–88. On 13 August, Valančiūnas achieved his career's first triple-double – 26 points (including two three-pointers), 19 rebounds, 12 assists and led his team to a 119–106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, which secured chances to play in the 2020 NBA playoffs, versus the Western Conference leaders Los Angeles Lakers.