At this point, I feel like we know plenty about Bulls new executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, who’s dominated Chicago sports headlines over the past week. However, I’m sure we can all stand to dig a little deeper on the man now in charge of the Bulls future.
After all, I’ll bet you didn’t quite know about his history as a true baller.
Let’s jump in!
Professional Background
For a refresher, here’s what we wrote when Karnisovas was initially announced as a candidate:
A former euro player turned NBA executive, Karnisovas has been at the helm of an extremely successful rebuild in Denver. He joined the organization as an assistant GM in 2013 before eventually being handed some big boy pants in 2017. While with the team, he’s basically done exactly what the Bulls have failed to do, rebuild successfully.
The Nuggets have seen pretty substantial growth over the past several seasons, with the team finishing 2nd in the Western Conference last season. According to the Denver Post, Karnisovas has been instrumental in the teams drafting of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr.
Before his time with the Nuggets, he worked in the league office from 2003-2008, and then with the Houston Rockets as an international scout until making the move to Denver. I like the experience.
What we’ve come to discover since this first announcement is just how respected and collaborative Karnisovas has been in his various roles over the years. Upon his hiring, the Bulls received plenty of praise, including from Rockets GM and Karnisovas’ former boss, Daryl Morey.
“He just rose through our ranks so fast, we, unfortunately, couldn’t keep him in Houston cause Denver had a big job for him, and now you guys have an even bigger job, and I think Bulls fans are going to be thrilled,” Morey said on the McNeil and Parkins Show. “He’s built a team from a non-contender to a contender in Denver and I think he’s got a very good chance to do that for you guys.”
Morey is exactly right. As mentioned above, Karnisovas has been a huge part of the Denver Nuggets recent resurgence. He helped the franchise build through the draft and become one of the youngest, yet most competitive teams in the NBA. His eye for talent is likely rooted in his time growing the Basketball Without Borders program in the NBA, which ultimately led him to his position as an international scout within the Rockets organization. In short, the guy knows what it takes to make it in the league. And even better, he knows what it takes to have sustained success.
Anyway, we can talk about his professional experience all we want, but it’s pretty cut and dry. The guy has proven credentials. Period.
Now, what’s arguably more interesting is how his playing career might tie into all of this.
Player Background
Karnisovas can straight-up ball.
The Lithuanian native made his way to the United States to play with Seton Hall in 1990. He played four seasons of college ball before heading back overseas to begin one heck of a European basketball career. Out of the gate, he averaged 21.0 points per game with 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 rebounds for FC Barcelona during the 1995-96 season. He also shot 54.1 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from behind the arc. Wild.
In 1996 he won European Player of the Year and was the EuroLeague Finals top scorer. Over his next eight seasons, he would pile up a number of accolades and prove to be one of the best sharpshooters in Europe (or so I can imagine … I mean, his career average is 41.4 percent from downtown).
On a global stage, Karnisovas led the Lithuanian national team to bronze medals at the Summer Olympics in 1992 and 1996. No small feat.
I got to admit, one of the coolest things to me though is the fact that he actually played Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1997 McDonald’s Championship in Paris, France.
https://twitter.com/BN_Bulls/status/1248387649716359168?s=20
If you’re dying to watch him ball (I know I was), you can find a couple of versions of the entire game on YouTube or just some of his Euroleague highlights.
So, long story short, he had a very nice career, and I certainly think this it’s played a role in his success as an executive. He understands what it takes to build a winning team, and he’s grown up either playing with or surrounded by a ton of talent. Not to mention, I think it’s funny that his playing style itself translates extremely well to today league.
He’s a team player, a student of the game, and a true talent.
The Bulls got a good one.