 |
|
Independent between the two World Wars, Lithuania was annexed by the USSR in 1940. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Sources: CIA World Factbook, November 2004
|
*The Atlanta Hawks 1985 Draft Pick Arvydas Sabonis and Golden State's 1987 Draft Pick of Sarunas Marciulionis are not included within the International totals. Both draft picks were deemed ineligible after the draft process was completed due to age. Sabonis's born in 1964 was too young and unless he declared for the draft, he wouldn't be automatically eligible for the NBA Draft until 1986. Marciulionis born in 1964 was automatically eligible for the 1986 NBA Draft. He went undrafted in the 1986 NBA Draft and was a free agent ineligible for the draft process. Much of this confusion had to do with the political red tape that the Soviet Union placed on athletes at the time.