VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — For former NBA player Sarunas Marciulionis, Lithuania's chance to host the EuroBasket tournament beginning Wednesday represents the achievement of a lifetime.
Exactly 20 years ago in August 1991, Olympic gold-medalist Marciulionis watched as a failed coup attempt in Moscow triggered the disintegration of the Soviet Union, which had swallowed up Marciulionis' native Lithuania in 1940.
Within days, dozens of countries recognized Lithuania's independence, and suddenly Marciulionis and his teammates, including hall-of-famer Arvydas Sabonis, were scrambling to find sponsors and assemble a national team that could compete the following summer at the …
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