1. Early Life and Family Background
Mindaugas Kuzminskas's early life was shaped by an athletic family background and educational experiences in his native Lithuania, including a notable visit to Canada in his youth.
1.1. Childhood and Education
Mindaugas Kuzminskas was born on October 19, 1989, in Vilnius, which was then part of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. He attended the Vilnius Radvila Gymnasium. When he was 13 years old, Kuzminskas visited Canada, where he toured the Toronto Raptors' arena and attended the Kretinga, a Lithuanian Youth Summer Camp located in Wasaga Beach, Ontario.
1.2. Family Relations
Kuzminskas comes from a family deeply rooted in professional sports. His father, Vladas Kuzminskas, was a professional table tennis player, and his mother, Zita Kuzminskas, was a professional basketball player. Mindaugas also has an older brother, Saulius Kuzminskas, who was a professional basketball player from 1999 to 2015.
2. Professional Career
Mindaugas Kuzminskas's professional basketball journey spans over a decade and a half, beginning in Lithuania, progressing through various European leagues, including a period in the NBA, and returning to play for prominent European clubs.
2.1. Early European Career (2006-2016)
Kuzminskas began his professional basketball career in 2006 with Sakalai in Vilnius, where he played for one season. For the 2007-08 season, he moved to Perlas. In the summer of 2008, he signed with Šiauliai, playing there until 2010. In September 2009, Kuzminskas signed a four-year contract with Žalgiris in Kaunas, but he spent one more season on loan with Šiauliai before joining Žalgiris in 2010. He remained with Žalgiris for three seasons, from 2010 to 2013.
In June 2013, Kuzminskas signed a contract with the Spanish team Unicaja, where he played until 2016. During his tenure, he achieved notable performances in the EuroLeague. On October 22, 2015, he scored a EuroLeague career-high 23 points, leading Unicaja to a 93-82 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in Tel Aviv. On November 13 of the same year, Kuzminskas delivered his most efficient EuroLeague game, recording a Performance Index Rating (PIR) of 30, with 22 points (6/7 two-point field goals, 3/5 three-point field goals, 1/1 free throws), 4 rebounds, and 3 steals, contributing to an 86-78 away-game victory against CSKA Moscow. In 36 Liga ACB games during the 2015-16 season, he averaged 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
2.2. NBA Career (2016-2017)
On July 9, 2016, Kuzminskas took a significant step in his career by signing with the New York Knicks of the NBA. He made his NBA debut on October 25, 2016, in the Knicks' season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, contributing seven points in nine minutes off the bench, though the Knicks lost 117-88. On January 12, 2017, he scored a season-high 19 points in a 104-89 victory over the Chicago Bulls. After appearing in 68 games during his rookie season and just one game to begin his second season, Kuzminskas was waived by the Knicks on November 12, 2017, to accommodate the return of Joakim Noah from suspension.
2.3. Return to Europe (2018-Present)
Following his time in the NBA, Kuzminskas returned to Europe. On January 1, 2018, he signed with the Italian club Olimpia Milano, where he played for a season and a half, winning one Italian championship. He parted ways with Olimpia Milano on July 1, 2019.
On July 22, 2019, Kuzminskas signed a two-year contract with the Greek club Olympiacos. However, his playing time declined, and he was released from the club on November 9, 2019. Just two days later, on November 11, 2019, Kuzminskas signed a 1.50 M EUR deal with the Russian team Lokomotiv Kuban. He was selected to the 2020 VTB United League All-Star Game, where he recorded 14 points, 1 rebound, and 4 assists. During the 2020-21 season, Kuzminskas averaged 13 points and 4.5 rebounds in 40 games across the VTB United League and the EuroCup.
On July 5, 2021, Kuzminskas joined Zenit Saint Petersburg, another Russian team competing in the VTB United League and EuroLeague. However, in a significant move reflecting his commitment to democratic values and international peace, Kuzminskas departed from Zenit Saint Petersburg following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. This decision highlighted the impact of geopolitical events on athletes' careers and their willingness to take principled stands.
On September 21, 2022, he signed with Pınar Karşıyaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) in Turkey. On July 22, 2023, Kuzminskas joined AEK Athens in Greece. At the end of the season, on July 15, 2024, he renewed his contract with AEK Athens until 2026, solidifying his position as a key player for the club.
3. National Team Career
Mindaugas Kuzminskas has been a long-serving and significant member of the Lithuanian national basketball team, representing his country in numerous international competitions before his retirement from international play.
Kuzminskas achieved notable success with the national team, earning two silver medals at the EuroBasket tournaments. He was part of the squad that secured a silver medal at EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia. Two years later, he contributed to Lithuania's second consecutive silver medal finish at EuroBasket 2015, which was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia. He officially retired from international play on February 24, 2025, after the final qualifying match for EuroBasket 2025 against the Estonian national team.
4. Career Statistics
The following tables present a summary of Mindaugas Kuzminskas's professional game performance data across different leagues.
| 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 |
4.1. EuroLeague Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | Žalgiris | 8 | 1 | 6.8 | .357 | .167 | .667 | 1.0 | .1 | .3 | .0 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| 2011-12 | 12 | 0 | 8.4 | .555 | .143 | .706 | 1.3 | .2 | .2 | .0 | 2.8 | 2.8 | |
| 2012-13 | 23 | 5 | 14.1 | .527 | .324 | .829 | 3.1 | .3 | .5 | .2 | 7.1 | 7.7 | |
| 2013-14 | Unicaja | 24 | 16 | 14.2 | .472 | .314 | .633 | 2.3 | .5 | .5 | .3 | 6.3 | 5.6 |
| 2014-15 | 24 | 20 | 21.8 | .450 | .275 | .813 | 4.5 | 1.5 | .9 | .4 | 10.0 | 12.5 | |
| 2015-16 | 23 | 20 | 21.3 | .486 | .377 | .827 | 3.4 | 1.0 | .6 | .3 | 12.0 | 11.6 | |
| 2017-18 | Olimpia | 14 | 13 | 21.6 | .474 | .432 | .795 | 2.4 | 1.4 | .5 | .6 | 10.9 | 9.6 |
| 2018-19 | 30 | 1 | 17.0 | .514 | .469 | .859 | 3.3 | .7 | .5 | .3 | 8.5 | 8.8 | |
| Career | 158 | 76 | 16.5 | .475 | .359 | .800 | 3.0 | .8 | .5 | .2 | 8.1 | 8.3 | |
4.2. EuroCup Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Lokomotiv | 4 | 0 | 23.3 | .500 | .385 | .846 | 2.0 | 1.5 | .5 | .3 | 12.5 | 11 |
| 2020-21 | 19 | 15 | 26.4 | .550 | .344 | .775 | 4.4 | 1.5 | .3 | .7 | 12.4 | 13.6 |
4.3. NBA Statistics
4.3.1. Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | New York | 68 | 5 | 14.9 | .428 | .321 | .809 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .4 | .2 | 6.3 |
| 2017-18 | New York | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | .000 | - | - | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 69 | 5 | 14.8 | .426 | .321 | .809 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .4 | .2 | 6.2 | |
5. Major Achievements and Awards
Throughout his professional career, Mindaugas Kuzminskas has accumulated numerous significant achievements and individual accolades.
- 2× LKL Champion (2012, 2013)
- LKL Finals Most Valuable Player (2013)
- 4× LKL All-Star Game participant (2010-2013)
- LKL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (2010)
- LKF Cup Champion (2011)
- BBL Champion (2011)
- 2× EuroBasket Silver Medalist (2013, 2015)
- VTB United League All-Star Game selection (2020)
6. Personal Life
Beyond the basketball court, Mindaugas Kuzminskas's personal life includes his family, relationships, and a unique fan phenomenon that gained traction during his NBA tenure.
6.1. Family and Relationships
In 2017, after six years of dating, Mindaugas Kuzminskas married Lithuanian ballet dancer Eglė Andreikaitė. However, the couple announced their separation in 2019. Kuzminskas is known to value family deeply, as evidenced by his public statements regarding his desire for a family and children.
6.2. Fandom Culture
During his time in the NBA, a fan-created Instagram account, "[https://www.instagram.com/dontsnoozeonkuz/ dontsnoozeonkuz]," gained popularity. The account used a mix of satirical and serious posts primarily to advocate for Kuzminskas as a basketball player, frequently urging his then-team, the New York Knicks, to grant him more playing time. Kuzminskas himself followed the account, which garnered over 1,200 followers by June 29, 2017. The "dontsnoozeonkuz" account remains active despite the conclusion of Kuzminskas's NBA career, reflecting a dedicated and enduring fan base.