On the shirts, a skeleton was dunking a basketball. They not only cut a large check, but they had their designer send over Grateful Dead-inspired warmups. The Dead, who are all about freedom and celebration, took immediate action. Grateful Dead public relations manager Dennis McNally caught wind of the article and showed it to the band. It wasn’t gaining much traction until a local sports writer, George Shirk, wrote a piece about the situation in the San Francisco Chronicle. Players were desperate to make the trip to Barcelona, and Marciulionis’ Golden State coach wanted to help.ĭonnie Nelson, who spent a few years in the USSR scouting the two NBA talents, started a grass-roots fundraiser in the San Francisco Bay area. Even though the team was talented, the nation had been independent for less than 10 months when the Olympics were scheduled to begin, and it did not have any money to support a national basketball team. The point is that the 1992 Lithuanian team had some legitimate players after the Soviet hammer and sickle flag was lowered for the last time on Christmas Day in 1991. Sabonis eventually joined the NBA in 1995. After the Games, the Golden State Warriors were successful in picking up Sabonis’ teammate, Sarunas Marciulionis. Officials behind the iron curtain in the USSR would not let him go. (Certain newsgroups may not be available on your news server)Īll Rights Reserved.Two years prior, in 1988, the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers both tried to draft the 7-foot-3 Lithuanian center Arydas Sabonis, who played on the gold medal team that took down the Americans. Lithuanian Basketball T-shirts! Related newsgroups:.Lithuanian Basketball in Olympic Games'96.Jerry Garcia dead at 53 - August 9, 1995.Dead end their 'long, strange trip' - Dec. "Now there's a lot of fans for the Grateful Dead in Lithuania and since the shirts are out, I think maybe there are going to be a lot of other people who want to listen to their music," Karnisovas said. Now, the Lithuanian team says the band is becoming popular in their homeland. Marciulionis developed a relationship with the Grateful Dead while playing for the Golden State Warriors in the Dead's San Francisco Bay area backyard. "Maybe we'll get some investor and tourists, and people who want to know about the history of Lithuania and the situation in Lithuania more," Marciulionis suggested. Hobbled Lithuanian star Sarunas Marciulionis, now of the NBA's Denver Nuggets, believes the shirts are like goodwill ambassadors. Sales of this tie-dyed garb not only help the team, but also children's charities in Lithuania. "It's a great pleasure to be hooked up with a group and traditions like the Grateful Dead," said Arturas Karnisovas, a member of the Lithuanian basketball team. The tradition continues, even after the death of the Dead's Jerry Garcia. They do not wear the tie-dyed clothing during their games, but they did spring a surprise during the Barcelona medal ceremony, going up to the awards podium in head-to-toe tie-dyed clothes. Thanks in part to the band's help, the Lithuanians took home the bronze medal in 1992. They were not financed at all, and they were real underdogs, and what was happening in their country was just terrible," said former Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart. But because they were liberated, they were also flat broke. The Lithuanians were celebrating their new independence from the former Soviet Union. Lithuania started sporting the psychedelic garb back in 1992, when the Dead sponsored the team for the Barcelona Games. Their win in double overtime Saturday against Croatia didn't hurt sales, either. The Lithuanian team's tie-dyed shirts, caps and pins are among the most popular souvenirs in Atlanta, according to vendors, who say sales have been strong ever since the Opening Ceremonies. Grateful Lithuanian team remembers its sponsorsĪTLANTA (CNN) - Who would have guessed when the Lithuanian basketball team and the Grateful Dead joined forces that they'd be such a great match? Although the team and its supporters and the band and its legion of fans are a world apart, they are wearing the same colors again during the Centennial Olympic Games. CNN - Grateful Lithuanian team remembers its sponsors - July 26, 1996
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