By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Lithuanian big man had to travel to Houston for the birth of his first child and then got caught in the natural disaster that plagues the city, arriving in Israel just four hours before the opening Eurobasket game against Georgia.
Houston is flooded and speaking to FIBA, the player described his experience. “The pictures are not even close to what’s going on. You can see some pictures of some places being flooded but when you’re actually there and you see trucks under water and stuff like that it’s shocking,” Motiejunas says. “There are stoplights and water reaches to the top of them – like four or five meters (13 to 16 feet) of water, some places even more. It’s shocking and it’s really affecting a lot of people. It’s a real tragedy what happened there.”
“I send my prayers to all my friends who live there and it means a lot for me to have lived in that city for four years. I have a lot of fans and a lot of people who are close to me,” Motiejunas said. “The community of Houston has really stuck together in this tough period. It just really shows that in a time of need, everybody gets together and helps each other. It was really a hustle to get out of the city. I flew out of Dallas because that was pretty much the only flight I could catch and get here on time. The whole time I was updating coach and we were on the same page. I did my best to come here as soon as possible.”
However, the purpose of his trip was a joyous one. Motiejunas become a proud father for the first time and he has a newborn son: “He’s healthy. He’s long, so he’s probably going to be tall. We’re all just happy. Me and my teammates all have a group chat and everyone was super hyped about it. I sent some pictures. Everyone was happy and wished me the best.”
(Photo credit: FIBA.basketball)