Player Bio

Valanciunas was born in 1992 in Utena, Lithuania. In June 2008, he participated in the NBA and FIBA Basketball Without Borders Europe camp in Istanbul, Turkey. As a member of the Raptors, Valanciunas sponsored a ticket program for youth in the Lithuanian/Canadian community. He also surprised youth basketball players at clinics around Toronto. Since the age of 19, he's been a member of the Lithuania men's national basketball team. Valanciunas won two EuroBasket silver medals in 2013 and 2015, earning All-Tournament honors in 2015. Fans can learn more about JV on Twitter (@JValanciunas) and Instagram (@jvalanciunas). Valanciunas helped lead Lietuvos Rytas to the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) Finals for three straight seasons from 2009-12. The first year of that stretch brought the best results, as he helped Lietuvos Rytas win the LKF title in 2009-10. Valanciunas was named to the All-Eurocup first team in 2011-12 and was awarded the Eurocup Rising Star Trophy, as well. Valanciunas averaged 14.2 points and 7.4 rebounds for Lietuvos Rytas in the 2011-12 season. In the 2011-12 VTB United League, Valanciunas led the league in blocks per game (1.7) as part of Lietuvos Rytas. He also finished fifth in the VTB in rebounds per game (7.3). Valanciunas entered the 2011 NBA Draft and was selected with the No. 5 overall pick by the Raptors. He opted to again play for Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania before joining the Raptors, starting with the 2012 NBA Summer League.