Where the money comes from
| TOP 500 rank | 266th among the 500 richest Lithuanians, with €30 million Vakarų ekspresas |
| Business | Opened the Šarūnas Hotel in Vilnius in 1992 and founded the Lithuanian Basketball League in 1993 Wikipedia |
Šarūnas Marčiulionis was one of the first Europeans to become a regular in the NBA. After winning Olympic gold with the Soviet Union in 1988 alongside Arvydas Sabonis, he signed with the Golden State Warriors in 1989, the first Soviet player in the league, and later played for Seattle, Sacramento and Denver. His drives to the basket are often credited as an early version of the Euro step. With an independent Lithuania he won Olympic bronze in 1992 and 1996 and was MVP of EuroBasket 1995.
He is in both the Naismith and FIBA Halls of Fame. The TOP 500 magazine's December 2025 ranking of the richest Lithuanians puts him 266th with €30 million, about $34 million at the October 23, 2026 exchange rate.
How he made his money
Marčiulionis played in the NBA in the early 1990s, when salaries were a fraction of today's; his first Warriors contract was worth $3.8 million over three years. Much of his wealth comes from business he built at home after independence.
He opened the Šarūnas Hotel in Vilnius in 1992, founded the Lithuanian Basketball League in 1993 and later the North European Basketball League. The TOP 500 figure is the magazine's estimate, with no breakdown.
Career at a glance
Marčiulionis grew up in Kaunas and played tennis before switching to basketball at 13. He starred for Statyba Vilnius in the Soviet league before the friendship with Donnie Nelson, son of Warriors coach Don Nelson, that opened the way to the NBA.
He found sponsors for Lithuania's 1992 Olympic team, including the Grateful Dead, whose tie-dyed Lithuania shirts became famous.
About this estimate
The TOP 500 magazine publishes a yearly ranking of the 500 richest people in Lithuania. Its December 2025 edition, reported by Delfi and Vakarų ekspresas on December 24 and 25, 2025, included a group of athletes led by Jonas Valančiūnas (€133 million) and Domantas Sabonis (€120 million), plus older stars such as Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Dainius Zubrus, Darius Kasparaitis and Arvydas Sabonis.
The figures are the magazine's own estimates, rounded to the nearest million euros. We show them as published, with a rough dollar conversion.
Career and money timeline
- 1988
Wins Olympic gold with the Soviet Union in Seoul.
- 1989
Joins the Golden State Warriors, the first Soviet player in the NBA.
- 1992
Wins Olympic bronze with Lithuania and opens the Šarūnas Hotel in Vilnius.
- 1993
Founds the Lithuanian Basketball League.
- 1995
Is MVP and top scorer at EuroBasket.
- 2014
Is inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
- 2025
TOP 500 puts his fortune at €30 million.
Šarūnas Marčiulionis net worth FAQ
What is Šarūnas Marčiulionis's net worth?
The TOP 500 magazine estimated in December 2025 that Šarūnas Marčiulionis is worth €30 million. That is the most recent published estimate from the TOP 500 magazine that we could find; we do not update it ourselves.
Where do these numbers come from?
The net worth figure is the TOP 500 magazine's own published estimate, linked with its date at the top of the page. Every figure on this page is linked to its source below.
Who was the first Soviet player in the NBA?
Šarūnas Marčiulionis, who joined the Golden State Warriors in 1989.
Sources
- Delfi, Paskelbtas turtingiausių lietuvių sąrašas: jame ir sporto elitas (TOP 500 magazine list) (December 24, 2025)
- Vakarų ekspresas, Paskelbtas turtingiausių lietuvių sąrašas: jame yra ir sporto elitas (cross-check) (December 25, 2025)
- Background facts: Wikipedia, Šarūnas Marčiulionis (accessed October 25, 2026). Used for career facts only, never for money figures.
Photo: 517design, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Every number on this page comes from the named source next to it. Totals and percentages are simple sums of those published figures. We never fill in missing years with our own guesses. How we handle estimates.