KK Lietkabelis signs Darjus and Ksistof Lavrinovic

Lietkabelis Panevezys will have two of the most experienced big men in European basketball to lead the team in its 7DAYS EuroCup debut after signing twin brothers Darjus and Ksistof Lavrinovic for the coming season. The highly-decorated duo has tasted success at the top levels of the sport. Darjus (2.12 meters, 36 years old) has spent the past two seasons with Italian side Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia, while Ksistof (2.09 meters, 36 years old) arrives from fellow Lithuanian side Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius. The brothers, who debuted in professional basketball together at Alytus Alita in Lithuania in the late 1990s, have also played together for Unics Kazan in the 2006-07 season and at Zalgiris Kaunas in 2012-13 as well as with the Lithuanian national team. Ksistof spent 10 weeks at Reggio Emilia at the start of the 2014-015 season to replace Darjus when the latter suffered an injury.

Darjus is among a selct list of players to be named to both the All-EuroLeague and All-EuroCup teams. He was named a 2005-06 All-EuroLeague Second Team selection with Zalgiris Kaunas and chosen to the 2013-14 All-EuroCup Second Team with Budivelnik Kiev. Last season he averaged 10.9 points and 3 rebounds in 15 EuroCup games and 10.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in the Italian League. In addition to his four seasons with Zalgiris and two with Unics, Darjus played a season each with Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow, Dynamo Moscow, Fenerbahce Istanbul and Budivelnik before joining Reggio Emilia. His trophy case boasts domestic championships won in Lithuania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine as well as titles from both the Baltic and VTB United Leagues. Darjus was a regular with the Lithuanian national team for many years and owns a silver and bronze medal from the European championship.

Ksistof, a two-time All-EuroLeague selection, averaged 13.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10 EuroCup games for Rytas last season. Ksistof helped Unics reach the 2007 EuroCup semifinals and was an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in both 2008 and 2011 with Montepaschi Siena, which he led to the EuroLeague Final Four in both seasons. He also won five Italian League championships and four Italian Cups with Siena. Ksistof began his career with Alita Alytus and has also suited up for Dynamo Moscow and Ural Great in Russia, Valencia Basket in Spain and Zalgiris. He helped Lithuania win the gold medal at EuroBasket 2003, claimed a silver medal a decade later and won a bronze in 2007.