Center Jonas Valanciunas ended his 14-year NBA career and returned to Europe, signing with Zalkiris.

After 14 seasons in the NBA, Lithuanian center Jonas Valančiūnas has officially decided to return to European basketball.

On Wednesday, Lithuanian powerhouse and EuroLeague club Kaunas Zarkiris officially announced that they have signed Valanciunas to a two-year contract that will run until the end of the 2027-28 season. Sources indicate the contract is worth approximately €5 million.

Jonas Valanciunas, 34, was waived by the Denver Nuggets last week. Last season, he played 65 games for the Nuggets, averaging 8.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, with a field goal percentage of 58.2%.

As the fifth overall pick in the first round of the NBA draft, Jonas Valanciunas was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in the 2012-13 season. During his 14-year NBA career, he played a total of 1,002 regular season games, playing for the Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, and Denver Nuggets. His career averages were 12.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.

In the 2025-26 Europa League season, Zalguirrez finished fifth in the regular season but were eliminated in the playoffs. With the official signing of Valanciunas, Zalguirrez has completed its roster construction for the 2026-27 season, and no further new players are expected to join.

Image source: Internet