Lithuanian Olympic Basketball team (1992)

[Motown_Johnny]

For those of us watching "The Cycle" on MSNBC.









http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9607/26/lithuania.dead/index.html


^snip^


Grateful Lithuanian team remembers its sponsors


July 26, 1996
Web posted at: 1:20 a.m. EDT (0520 GMT)

From Corespondent Paul Vercammen

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Who would have guessed when the Lithuanian basketball team and the Grateful Dead joined forces that they'd be such a great match? Although the team and its supporters and the band and its legion of fans are a world apart, they are wearing the same colors again during the Centennial Olympic Games.

The Lithuanian team's tie-dyed shirts, caps and pins are among the most popular souvenirs in Atlanta, according to vendors, who say sales have been strong ever since the Opening Ceremonies. Their win in double overtime Saturday against Croatia didn't hurt sales, either.



Lithuania started sporting the psychedelic garb back in 1992, when the Dead sponsored the team for the Barcelona Games. The Lithuanians were celebrating their new independence from the former Soviet Union. But because they were liberated, they were also flat broke.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. I have one of those shirts.

That was an awesome time. In fact, the state department sent me there to teach that year.

[rufus dog]

2. That was so cool

If I recall, Chis Mullin and maybe some other Team USA members, were at the Bronze Medal game and were going nuts.

[Zalatix]

3. And they beat the former Soviets out of medal contention.

Those were the two basketball games that held my interest more than any I've ever watched.

[HughBeaumont]

4. Sabonis!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvydas_Sabonis