After just one season, Maodo Lo recently left Paris Basketball. The world champion has also signed with Zalgiris Kaunas for one year.
The rumors have been confirmed: Maodo Lo, whose departure from Paris was announced by the club around a week and a half ago, is moving to Lithuania. The German international has also signed with EuroLeague rivals Zalgiris Kaunas for one season. The 32-year-old is thus entering his tenth season in Europe’s top flight.
“The history and basketball tradition is something I’ve always seen and appreciated every time I’ve played against Zalgiris, in front of fans who are passionate about basketball,” Lo is quoted as saying by the club. He recently posted solid numbers in Paris: 10 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in the EuroLeague, and 8.5 points per game in the French league.
Ranked 14th in three-pointers made – Giffey also played for Zalgiris
With the Parisian club, he won the French championship title for the first time and advanced directly to the playoffs in his first season in Europe’s top league. Since the introduction of the new EuroLeague format in 2016, Lo ranks 14th in three-pointers made with a strong 38.8 percent from beyond the arc.
The combo guard is not the first Berliner and world champion to wear the Zalgiris Kaunas jersey. Niels Giffey already played for the traditional Lithuanian club in the 2021/22 season, but had a disappointing year overall. The Lithuanians also missed the playoffs last season and, even before Lo’s signing, had already made moves in the transfer market, bringing in Nigel Williams-Goss, among others.
Zalgiris GM: “We wanted a ball handler who can create for himself and others.”
“We wanted a ball handler in this position who can create for himself and others. Lo played a similar role in Paris and impressed. He can play alongside Sylvain Francisco and Nigel Williams-Goss as well as lead the team on his own,” GM Gediminas Navickas explained the signing.
Zalgiris is Lo’s sixth stop after his college career: After two years each in Bamberg and Munich, he spent three seasons in his hometown with Alba Berlin before spending the last two seasons in Milan and Paris. With the German national team, he celebrated the 2023 World Championship title and European Championship bronze the year before. He is also in the preliminary squad for this year’s European Championship.
