Kasparas Jakučionis

Kasparas Jakučionis
Jakučionis at the 2024 U18 EuroBasket
No. 25 – Miami Heat
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2006-05-29) 29 May 2006
Vilnius, Lithuania
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
CollegeIllinois (2024–2025)
NBA draft2025: 1st round, 20th overall pick
Drafted byMiami Heat
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2021Perlas Vilnius
2022–2024FC Barcelona
2022–2024→FC Barcelona B
2025–presentMiami Heat
2025→Sioux Falls Skyforce
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com 
Stats at Basketball Reference 
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Lithuania
FIBA U16 EuroBasket
2022 North Macedonia Team

Kasparas Jakučionis (born 29 May 2006) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Early life and youth career

Jakučionis was born in Vilnius and started playing basketball in the youth ranks of Perlas Vilnius, a team affiliated with Rytas Vilnius. In 2021, Jakučionis joined the youth ranks of FC Barcelona. In the 2022–23 season, Jakučionis alternated between Barcelona's junior team and the club's reserve team in Liga EBA. Jakučionis would be selected to the 2023–24 under-18 Euroleague All-Tournament Team.[1] He would also make his professional debut for the FC Barcelona first team in April 2023, in a Liga ACB game against Coviran Granada. Upon his debut, he became the third youngest player to play for FC Barcelona in Liga ACB.[2] On 12 January 2024, Jakučionis debuted in the EuroLeague in a game against Žalgiris Kaunas and scored two points.[3]

Recruiting

On 28 May 2024, Jakučionis committed to play college basketball for Illinois under Brad Underwood.[4][5] FC Barcelona retained the player's rights upon a possible return to Europe.[6]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Kasparas Jakučionis
G 		Vilnius, Lithuania FC Barcelona Bàsquet 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) May 28, 2024 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:    On3:    
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 11    247Sports: 10    On3: 20
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2024 Illinois Commits". Rivals.
  • "ESPN- Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.
  • "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.
  • "Kasparas Jakučionis". 247Sports.
  • "Kasparas Jakučionis". On3.

College career

Jakučionis made his college basketball debut on 4 November 2024, recording 11 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in 26 minutes in a win over Eastern Illinois, setting a record for the most assists in a season opener by a freshman.[7] Four days later, in his second game, he set a new record with 13 assists against SIU Edwardsville,[7] while also logging his first collegiate double-double with 12 points.[8] On December 16, Jakučionis earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors (alongside Dylan Harper) after scoring at least 20 points in five consecutive games and leading the team in scoring.[9][10] On 6 January 2025, he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time (alongside Ace Bailey and Braden Smith) after leading the Fighting Illini to a 3–0 week, averaging a team-best 16 points per game.[11][12]

At the conclusion of his freshman season, Jakučionis was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors. On 14 April, he declared for the 2025 NBA draft, foregoing his remaining college eligibility.[13][14]

Professional career

On 25 June 2025, Jakučionis was selected by the Miami Heat with the 20th overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.[15] On 1 July, the Heat signed Jakučionis to a reported four-year, $17.7 million contract.[16][17] He represented the Heat in the 2025 NBA Summer League.[18]

On 15 November, the Heat assigned Jakučionis to its NBA G League affiliate team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, for game action after recovering from injuries.[19][20] On 16 November, Jakučionis debuted in the NBA G League by scoring 12 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out two assists.[21]

On 1 December, Jakučionis made his NBA debut in a 140–123 win against the Los Angeles Clippers.[22] On 19 December, Jakučionis for the first time was a part of the Heat starting five due to injuries of Davion Mitchell and Tyler Herro, and per 35 minutes he scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists, while the Heat won the game 129–116 against the Boston Celtics.[23] On 8 February 2026, Jakučionis scored a career-high 22 points and also had three rebounds, six assists, two steals, one block, in a 132–101 victory over the Washington Wizards.[24] The next day, on 9 February, Jakučionis demonstrated shooting consistency by once again making six three-point field goals (out of ten) and scored 20 points, along with three rebounds and one assist, however this time the Heat lost the game 115–111 to the Utah Jazz.[25] On 11 March 2026, Jakučionis began in a starting five and played 30 minutes in a historic game between the Heat and the Washington Wizards during which his teammate Bam Adebayo scored 83 points, the second-highest NBA single-game scoring performance, and Jakučionis contributed to this achievement with his assists to Adebayo.[26]

Personal life

Jakučionis is fluent in Lithuanian, English, and Spanish.[27] According to Jakučionis, his childhood hero in the NBA was LeBron James and his play is most influenced by Šarūnas Jasikevičius.[28]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance index rating
 Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024–25 Illinois 33 33 31.8 .440 .318 .845 5.7 4.7 .9 .3 15.0

EuroLeague

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2023–24 Barcelona 1 0 1.0 1.000 — — 1.0 — — — 2.0 1.0
Career 1 0 1.0 1.000 — — 1.0 — — — 2.0 1.0

Domestic leagues

Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Perlas Energija NKL 1 12.6 .333 — — — — 1.0 — 2.0
2022–23 FC Barcelona ACB 1 0.5 1.000 1.000 — — — — — 3.0
2023–24 FC Barcelona ACB 3 9.8 .667 .625 — 1.3 1.7 .3 — 7.0

References

  1. ^ "El azulgrana Jakucionis, en el quinteto ideal del ANGT". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 26 May 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Kasparas Jakucionis, el tercer debutant més jove del Barça a l'ACB". FC Barcelona (in Catalan). 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  3. ^ "FC Barcelona vs Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-01-12)". Euroleague Basketball. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  4. ^ Givony, Jonathan (28 May 2024). "Source: Lithuania's Kasparas Jakucionis commits to Illinois". ESPN.com. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Illinois Signs Jakucionis". fightingillini.com. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  6. ^ "Jakucionis se marcha del Barça en busca del 'sueño americano'". Sport.es (in Spanish). 28 May 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  7. ^ a b Erik, Hall (20 March 2025). "Kasparas Jakucionis: 3 things to know about the Illinois Fighting Illini basketball guard". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  8. ^ "'He plays to win': Jakucionis shows off NBA potential for Illini". The Champaign Room. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Jakucionis B1G Freshman of the Week". University of Illinois Athletics. 16 December 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Jakucionis named Big Ten Freshman of the Week". WCIA.com. 16 December 2024. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Jakucionis Earns Second B1G Freshman of the Week Honor". University of Illinois Athletics. 6 January 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Purdue, Illinois, Rutgers Score Men's Basketball Weekly Accolades". Big Ten Conference. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  13. ^ "Illinois Freshman Star Kasparas Jakucionis Declares for NBA Draft". Sports Illustrated. 14 April 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Illini star freshman Jakucionis to enter NBA draft". ESPN. 14 April 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  15. ^ Chiang, Anthony (25 June 2025). "Heat keeps pick to select Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis at No. 20 in NBA Draft". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 26 June 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  16. ^ "Heat sign Kasparas Jakučionis". NBA.com. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  17. ^ Winderman, Ira (1 July 2025). "Heat sign first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis to four-year, $17.7 million contract". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  18. ^ "Heat announce Summer League information". NBA.com. 29 June 2025.
  19. ^ "Heat's Kasparas Jakucionis: Heads to G League". CBS Sports. 17 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  20. ^ Chiang, Anthony (19 November 2025). "Heat rookie Kasparas Jakucionis looking to make most of G League stint: 'He just needs to play'". Miami Herald. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  21. ^ "Kasparas Jakučionis debiutavo NBA G lygoje". Lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). 17 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  22. ^ "Jakučionis debiutavo NBA lygoje, o Valančiūnas su komanda nesulaikė Daviso". Lithuanian National Radio and Television (in Lithuanian). 2 December 2025.
  23. ^ "Heat's Kasparas Jakucionis: Scores 17 points in first NBA start". CBS Sports. 20 December 2025.
  24. ^ "Coup's Takeaways: HEAT Roll In Washington As Jakucionis, Ware Shine". Heat.com.
  25. ^ Taylor, Cody (10 February 2026). "'He's been big time': Kasparas Jakučionis is impressing for the Heat". Yahoo Sports.
  26. ^ "Beprotiška: Jakučionio komandos draugas suvertė 83 taškus viename mače". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  27. ^ "Sprendimą dėl rinktinės patvirtinęs K. Jakučionis – apie NBA lietuvius ir "Heat" kultūrą". lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). 27 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  28. ^ "K. Jakučionis atskleidė savo krepšinio Dievus – išskyrė JAV ir Lietuvos legendas". lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 19 July 2025.
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