Miami Heat’s 20th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Kasparas Jakucionis, explained why fans should be excited about his arrival in Miami, revealed his all-time Heat GOAT, and shared his goals with the team.
The Miami Heat drafted an intriguing prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft, selecting Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis with the 20th overall pick.
Kasparas Jakučionis
Position: PG
Age: 19
Height: 195 cm
Weight: 93 kg
Birth place: Vilnius, Lithuania
Jakucionis began his basketball journey in Lithuania before transferring to Barcelona’s academy. He then made the leap to the NCAA, where he had a standout one-year stint with Illinois before hearing his name called in the NBA Draft.
Following the draft, Jakucionis gave an exclusive interview to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, where he explained why Miami Heat fans should be excited about him. The guard expressed confidence in fitting into Miami’s culture, saying the transition should come naturally.
"From a basketball perspective, I always give everything I have on the court," Jakucionis told BasketNews. "I’m a team player trying to help the team win—I'm not trying to be a hero out there. I try to be aggressive, but I also want to get everyone else involved."
"Off the court, I speak Spanish. I’ve heard there are a lot of Spanish-speaking Heat fans in Miami, and Latin American culture is strong there, so I think that helps," he added about his easy transition to Miami's culture.
Jakucionis becomes just the second Lithuanian player in history to wear a Miami Heat jersey in the NBA, following Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who played during LeBron James’ first season with the team in 2010–11.
Though Ilgauskas retired before Miami captured its 2011–12 championship, Jakucionis is ready to rewrite that chapter and achieve what his fellow Lithuanian narrowly missed.
"I know Ilgauskas played with LeBron in Cleveland, but I didn’t know about Miami," Jakucionis said when asked about the legendary big man.
"It’s unfortunate he didn’t win a ring, but I hope to win one with Miami," he added. "That’s the ultimate goal. Every basketball player wants to win an NBA championship—it's the biggest achievement outside of the Olympics and national team competitions."
Although LeBron wasn’t able to deliver a ring to Big Z, Jakucionis still named him as his all-time Miami Heat "GOAT" and shared a nostalgic story from his childhood.
"LeBron is the first person I think of when I hear Miami Heat," he said.
"I remember growing up with an iPad—I don’t even know how I downloaded NBA 2K14—but I always played with the Heat and LeBron."
"Yeah, of course," Jakucionis said when asked if LeBron is his Miami Heat GOAT.
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