The player was quick to inform the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) about the decision he had taken as he had a place in the preliminary squad.
Macijauskas, or “The Lithuanian Kalashnikov” as he was sometimes called, was training in Miami for the last month. The guard lost weight and got his strength back, but all looked fine only from aside.
“I have back problems and would have to undergo surgery in order to take up sports professionally again. Furthermore, after a surgery to my Achilles tendon, my left calf is atrophied, two and a half centimeters smaller than the right one. My back has to take all the strain in training,” said Macijauskas.
The hernia in the player’s back was the main conflict between Macijauskas and his former club Olympiacos, who declined the request to carry out a surgery.
“I’ve been quite about it, because I had reasons, but we went to court against the Piraeus club because of this injury. The spinal hernia is an old problem of mine, that’s why I can’t work out normally. I was preparing to return, but I had to make a hard decision not to. I don’t think it’s worth undergoing surgery, rehab and return to court after another year. If I don’t play professionally, I don’t need to have a surgery. It doesn’t bother me much in every-day life,” Macijauskas told Lithuanian media.
The player, however, doesn’t want to leave the world of basketball all together and is considering a possibility of becoming a coach in the future.
“I’m as far from being a coach as from being in the moon, but I am giving this a thought. I want to stay in basketball. In fact, that’s what many players want after ending their career,” the famous player explained.
Macijauskas has already applied for studies for the Masters degree in European Basketball Coaching Science in the University of Worcester, which is co-operating with the Lithuanian Physical Education Academy (LKKA).
“I want to stay in basketball not because of the money, but
because of all of those emotions – I want to experience the joy of winning and
the sorrow of losing. Those emotions are like a drug, you want more of them
after experiencing them first-hand,” Macijauskas ended.
