1. Early Life and Background
Vaidas Kariniauskas was born on November 16, 1993, in Alytus, Lithuania. His early basketball development is linked to BC Žalgiris, where he began his professional path. He is left-handed.
2. Professional Career
Vaidas Kariniauskas has had an extensive professional basketball career, playing for numerous clubs in Lithuania and across Europe.
2.1. Early Development and Lithuanian Clubs
Kariniauskas began his professional career with BC Žalgiris-2, where he achieved success early on, winning the NKL bronze medal in both 2012 and 2013. On November 19, 2013, to gain more playing time, he was loaned to BC Lietkabelis. Following his loan spell, he rejoined BC Žalgiris for the 2014-15 season, where he contributed to the team's victory in the LKL league championship and the LKF Cup.
2.2. International and Subsequent Club Stints
After his initial period with Lithuanian clubs, Kariniauskas ventured into international basketball. On June 19, 2015, he signed a 1+1 year deal with Kymis in the Greek A2 Basket League. His journey continued on August 18, 2016, when he signed with the Italian club Pallacanestro Cantù of the LBA. He parted ways with Cantù on February 1, 2017, and on the same day, signed with the Romanian club U-BT Cluj-Napoca.
Kariniauskas later returned to play in Lithuania, signing with Rytas Vilnius of the Lithuanian Basketball League on July 22, 2021. His career then took him to Germany, where he signed a one-year deal with Brose Bamberg of the Basketball Bundesliga on August 2, 2022. On December 8, 2022, he moved back to Romania, signing with Rapid București of the Liga Națională. Most recently, on September 14, 2023, Kariniauskas signed a two-year contract with Wolves Twinsbet, bringing him back to the Lithuanian Basketball League and the EuroCup.
3. National Team Career
Vaidas Kariniauskas has represented Lithuania at both the youth and senior levels of international basketball competition.
3.1. Youth National Team
Kariniauskas was an active participant in Lithuanian youth national team competitions. A notable achievement during this period was winning a silver medal at the 2009 European U-16 Championship.
3.2. Senior National Team
In 2015, Kariniauskas was included in the extended candidates list for the Lithuania men's national basketball team by then-head coach Jonas Kazlauskas, though he was not invited to the training camp that year. The following year, he received an invitation to the national team's training camp. Initially, he did not qualify for the Lithuanian Olympic roster for the 2016 Olympic Games, but he later joined the team as a replacement for Edgaras Ulanovas due to injury, marking his debut at the Olympics.
In 2023, Kariniauskas represented Lithuania at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. His performance at the tournament included a standout game on September 3, 2023, against the United States. In that match, he scored a team-high 15 points, alongside four rebounds and two assists, leading Lithuania to a significant 110-104 victory over the U.S. team.