Arrived with the wind: welcome, BK Liepāja!
- marisnoviks
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
Basketball club Liepāja returns to the European North Basketball league after a four year break.
Third biggest Latvian city has been married with the Baltic Sea and ruling western winds.
Once an important military port on the far western edge of the Czarist Russia and the Soviet Union, also interim capital during Latvia`s Independence War, now it serves as a trade port and summer resort.
Liepāja has a rich basketball history.
First local teams in Latvia were formed around 1922 in capital Rīga, while regional teams were born after Latvia won the inaugural EuroBasket in 1935.
A team from Liepāja won the regional tournament and tried to qualify for the top flight in the early spring of 1939.
APSK Liepāja, Dinamo Liepāja, Olimpija Liepāja, Daugava Liepāja, Lokomotīve, Sarkanais metalurgs, Liepājas lauma – Liepāja teams were present in all local championships.
When Latvia regained independence on August 21, 1991, Sarkanais metalurgs was renamed as Liepājas Metalurgs.
Liepājas Metalurgs entered the inaugural season of the Latvian Basketball league (LBL).
The highest achievement was registered in 1997, when Liepāja Baltika earned a silver medal.
Liepāja added four bronze medals in 2000, 2011, 2012 and 2023.
In May 2018, the team for 12 years known as Liepājas Lauvas – the Liepāja Lions – was reorganized as Liepājas Basketbols and entered the newly founded Latvia and Estonia league as BK Liepāja.
There are three teams in the club system – men, women and juniors.
BK Liepāja works in close cooperation with the local sports school known as Liepājas Sporta spēļu skola.
From 2020 until 2026 BK Liepāja was coached by the 2018 FIBA U18 EuroBasket silver medalist Artūrs Visockis-Rubenis.
On February 19, 2023 Liepāja hosted a Latvian Cup final and finished in the second place.
Three months later the club added a bronze medal in the Latvian Basketball league.
In 2025, BK Liepāja reached the Latvia and Estonia league playoffs for the first time.
Above mentioned chain of events happened after BK Liepāja entered the inaugural season of the European North Basketball league.
On October 19, 2021, BK Liepāja debuted in a European competition with a 53-61 loss against the Tartu University at the Vidzeme Olympic center in Valmiera.
On October 20, 2021, BK Liepāja registered its first win in the ENBL, a 82-69 success against Valmiera Glass ViA.
The 2026 Latvian champion Verners Kohs finished with 18 points for BK Liepāja.
Hawaii graduate Zigmārs Raimo added 12 points.
Five years later he won the 2026 FIBA 3x3 World Cup together with the 2021 Olympic Champions Nauris Miezis and Kārlis Lasmanis as well as Francis Lācis.
Florida Atlantic center Kārlis Šiliņš has made his way into the big national leagues of Europe and represents the Latvian National team.
Overall, BK Liepāja is known for its work with young Latvian players.
Kristaps Porziņģis, the 2024 NBA Champion with the Boston Celtics, also comes from Liepāja.
Big man has 11 NBA seasons under his belt and now plays for the Golden State Warriors.
Porziņģis Family foundation, featuring Kristaps brothers Jānis and Mārtiņš, has opened four outdoor courts in Liepāja and several more across Latvia.
Jānis Porziņģis became the first agent of Kristaps and co-founded Future Sports Group agency.
Kristaps Porziņģis every year sponsors a free trip to the NBA game for one of the season ticket holders.
In the summer of 2026, a big re-alignment took place across the Latvian league – all Top 6 teams except Ventspils hired new coaches.
Twelve time champions VEF Rīga entered the Basketball Champions league qualifiers after a disappointing fourth place finish.
The 2026 ENBL quarterfinalists Rīgas Zeļļi joined the EuroCup while a Latvian champion Valmiera Glass ViA will play at the FIBA Europe Cup.
BK Liepāja eyes a European return with Gundars Vētra at the coaching wheel.
Shooting guard became the first Latvian player in the NBA back in 1993.
Vētra played for the Minnesota Timberwolves along the Dream Team alumni Christian Laettner from Duke.
He set a new NBA record, shooting the most three pointers without a miss during his 17 game stint.
Vētra won the North European basketball league (NEBL) title in 2000.
Twenty three years later he entered the ENBL as the head coach of the Tartu University.
A coaching role in Tartu came after two years with the Latvian Women National team.
The Latvians qualified for the Women`s EuroBasket 2023 with a perfect record, defeated Spain in the opener at Tel Aviv but didn`t made it to the Top 8 games in Ljubljana.
Gundars Vētra coached several EuroLeague Women teams and worked with the big stars like Candace Parker and Anne Wauters.
His daughters Laura and Rūta played NCAA Division One basketball at Fairfield and NJIT.
Fun fact – Vētra worked in Liepāja for the first time in the summer of 2010 when helped the Latvian women to finish third at the FIBA U20 Women`s EuroBasket.
Liepāja Olympic center, opened in the summer of 2008, has four basketball courts.
LOC has hosted the EuroBasket Women 2009, the 2010 FIBA U20 Women`s EuroBasket, the 2011 FIBA U19 World Cup, and three more European youth championships.
The Golden Boys of Lithuania – the 1992 generation with Jonas Valančiūnas – have played there in front of more than 2000 Lithuanian fans.
Liepāja is located 210 kilometers west of the Rīga International Airport (RIX) and 70 kilometers north of Palanga Airport.
Club's website: www.liepajasbasketbols.lv
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