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12 - Ksistof Lavrinovic

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Ksistof Lavrinovic was born on November 1, 1979 in Vilnius, Lithuania. His role on court is forward/center.

Having developed his skills on Alita Alytus’ youth teams, he makes his debut in Lithuania’s first division (LKL) during the 1996/1997 season. At the age of only seventeen, he immediately becomes one of international basketball’s most interesting prospects. Alita club offers Lavrinovic solid experience between 1996 and 1999 (even Korac Cup participation) – enough to peek the interest of NBA pros. He signs a pre-contract with the Toronto Raptors, but a window of opportunity opens with the NEBL (Northern European Basketball League) and in 2002 they make him an offer he can’t refuse.
Lavrinovic moves to Perm, signing on for two years with l’Ural Great - a decisive move for his professional career. The player’s value increases exponentially between 2002 and 2004 thanks to the Russian Cup victory in 2004 added to his brilliant stats first in the ULEB Cup and then in the FIBA Europe League. These undoubtedly afforded him another excellent opportunity for professional growth.
This time he’s called by Cska Moscow, who then turns him over to the emerging and ambitious Dynamo Moscow team for the entire 2004/2005 season. Missing the national title by an inch, he returns to capture everyone’s attention with a performance that leaves its mark on the ULEB Cup. All of which earn him a spot at a club with great prospects in Russia’s Superleague and in international competitions, Unics Kazan. He signs with them in the summer of 2005.
During his two years in Tatarstan, Ksistof Lavrinovic laid down the law on court. In 2006/2007, his team makes the Russian Superleague finals and the ULEB Cup semifinals. He closes the international competition with 11.6ppg and 7.0rpg. Lavrinovic proves to be one of Pianigiani’s most decisive players his first season (2007/2008) with the green-and-whites. The team wins the Supercoppa Italiana 2007, the 2007/2008 Italian National Title and takes third place at the 2008 Final Four in Madrid. He finished the national championship in the number one spot for average points scored per minutes played as well as for index ranking per minutes played. As for Euroleague, he earns a spot on the second All-Team starting five. The following season, once again the Lithuanian forward/center was one of the green-and-whites’ most influential players. They win the Supercoppa Italiana, the Coppa Italia and the National Title to achieve a 2008/2009 grand slam. The 2009/2010 season commences with a Supercoppa win, followed by a Coppa Italia win, the club’s second ever, and the 2009/2010 National Title victory, accomplishing a second Italian slam.
In October of 2010, the new season's first trophy arrives with the Supercoppa.

LAVRINOVIC AND THE NATIONALS – Ksistof Lavrinovic is one of Lithuania’s most noteworthy players. Called in the youth selections in the late 90’s, he’s played in the A Nationals for several seasons. His résumé boasts a gold medal at the 2003 European Championships, and participation in the 2004 Olympics, the 2005, 2007 and 2009 European Championships, and the 2008 Olympics.