Living in Kaunas, having a big passion for basketball and making a lot of progression. Miglė Kisarauskaitė is an 18-year-old basketball player from Lithuania. She plays 5x5 along with 3x3 basketball, and has a big dream of becoming a famous professional basketball player. She is a tall player (186cm) and pretty fast. Her strengths are fast breaks, driving, rebounding and her threepoint shots.

Basketball runs in the family

From a very young age Miglė was always wanted to be first everywhere. She tried a lot of activities: ballroom dancing, swimming, pottery, choir, fine arts, needlework classes, jujitsu and many other activities, but she didn’t find herself anywhere. And one day, while driving home with her mother and her twin sister, they had a good talk and she and her sister decided that they wanted to try to attend basketball. “My family loves basketball very much,” Miglė says. “We love playing basketball with each other. Basketball is like a common bond that connects us all. There are no professional basketball players in my family besides me and my twin sister, but there are certainly a lot of basketball fans.

I'm a team player. I like to share the ball, create situations for my teammates. During the matches, I am trusted to defend the strongest opponents and finish the attacks that determines the match. I have a good drive and I'm hitting well from the distance. So I can call myself a hardworking player, who gives all her strength and heart to help her team to achieve the victory.”

A crazy sisterly bond

Egle, Miglė’s sister, also plays basketball well. They can find each other easily on the court. “We have a crazy sisterly bond with her that comes in handy for us both on and off the basketball court. I'm so glad she's marching with me on the basketball road from a very young age until now. I love and respect her very much. Playing with her on the same team is the best feeling for me.”

Special moments, playing for different clubs

During her career, Miglė have had different players that inspired her. Could be some of her family, along with other players. “My basketball ideals are Giedrė Labuckienė and Marius Grigonis. But I'm also inspired by my twin sister, who plays basketball with me and takes care of me and pushes me forward in difficult moments. Also, my inspiration is my parents, grandparents, friends and even strangers who observe, support and motivate me to achieve my goals.”

Miglė played basketball for many different clubs. She made unforgettable memories with those teams. “This year I graduated from the Lithuanian Schoolchildren's Basketball League, where I was honored to represent Kaunas Zalgiris Basketball Academy for 9 years (2014-2023). At the age of 15, after the covid-19 virus subsided a little, I started playing in the Lithuanian Women's Basketball League in division B, Kaunas KM Žalgiris team (2020-2021 season). A year later, at the age of 16, I received an offer to play in the highest division (division A) of the Lithuanian Women's Basketball League, in the Kaunas Aistės - LSMU team, and we won bronze medals (2021-2022 season). This year I again played in the Lithuanian Women's Basketball League, B division and represented the Kaunas - LSU basketball team. With this team we became B division champions.”

Playing basketball for the first time, like love at first sight

Miglė will always remember her first time playing basketball. It had a magical feeling for her. “It was like love at first sight. Of course, at the beginning, I wasn't very good at it, because my shots didn't reach the basketball hoop, but I spent a lot of time on basketball courts working on dribbling, better shooting and fell in love with basketball even more and more.”

Some years later: becoming a champion in the B division of the Lithuanian competition

Last year was a pretty special season for Miglė. A season at LSU-Kaunas she will never forget. “LSU Kaunas team is in the B division of the Lithuanian Women's Basketball League, so it's like our second league. Even though it's a B-Division, there are a lot of former professional basketball players playing in it, so becoming champions wasn't really easy. Each team of opponents burned with the desire to win, which further encouraged the pursuit of the highest results. For me, as a growing player, it was a great opportunity to show my strengths and qualities.

I was honored to represent this team. I met a lot of great people, gained experience from former and current professional basketball players, and loaded myself with very good emotions. A big thanks to the team for this unforgettable season. At the moment, I know so much that I will play in the B division of the Lithuanian Women's Basketball League, so I hope for a bigger role in the team, new experiences and acquaintances, enjoyment of the game and personal growth - physically, psychologically and emotionally.

I will also never forget the game in Baltic Cup tournament 2020.08.23. That day playing with U15 Lithuanian girls national team I had an efficiency of 50! Highlight of the match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_0aZiaJWF8&t=6s

Playing for the national team of Lithuania

Two years ago, Miglė played for the very first time a FIBA licensed tournament with the national youth team of Lithuania, during the U16 Challengers. Also a special moment for her “I am a very patriotic person, so for me to play for my country was a very great honor!” Miglė explains. “I remember how the melody of the national anthem of our country began to play in the hall and my team and I sang loudly. shivers ran all over my body, my heart began to beat very quickly and at that moment I realized that my future goal was to ever play for the national Lithuanian women's national team.

Both U16 and U18 tournaments were well organized. In a couple of years, the players of Lithuania and other countries have improved a lot. As a player, I also felt more confident. So I rate it very positively.”

Also a 3x3 basketball international of Lithuania

As if that is not enough, Miglė is also playing 3x3 basketball for her country. “From the very first match I have loved 3x3 basketball! I love both types of basketball, but right now my heart is dragging on 3x3 basketball. 3x3 basketball is faster, more aggressive, more team-minded, more unpredictable, because in each match the winners are seen only at the end of the match. Depends on the weather. If the average air temperature prevails, for example, 18 degrees Celsius, then playing is the most pleasant. But, since the season of this sport begins at the beginning of summer and ends in the middle of autumn, the temperature is about 30 degrees and above. There have been all kinds of situations that after the competition you start to faint, you want to vomit, you become weak. However, good emotions pay off all the feelings of being unwell.”

“This basketball pulls even the deepest hiding emotions out of me”