An offseason trade addition from Memphis, New Orleans starting center Jonas Valanciunas is now in his 10th NBA season, which makes him the Pelicans’ second-most experienced player in the league. The 29-year-old spent the first 6 1/2 seasons of his NBA career with Toronto, reaching the playoffs five consecutive years from 2014-18. He returned to the NBA postseason in 2021 with Memphis, after posting a 20-20 game in the Grizzlies’ play-in tournament victory over San Antonio.
The fifth overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, the native of Lithuania sat down with Pelicans.com to discuss some of the top moments from his decade playing professionally in North America:
Most memorable moment in the NBA: “Probably the first bucket I scored.