Kasparas Jakučionis
Kasparas Jakučionis is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Early life and youth career
Jakučionis was born in Vilnius and started playing basketball in the youth ranks of Perlas Vilnius, a team affiliated with Rytas Vilnius. In 2021, Jakučionis joined the youth ranks of FC Barcelona. In the 2022–23 season, Jakučionis alternated between Barcelona's junior team and the club's reserve team in Liga EBA. Jakučionis would be selected to the 2023–24 under-18 Euroleague All-Tournament Team. He would also make his professional debut for the FC Barcelona first team in April 2023, in a Liga ACB game against Coviran Granada. Upon his debut, he became the third youngest player to play for FC Barcelona in Liga ACB. On January 12, 2024, Jakučionis debuted in the EuroLeague in a game against Žalgiris Kaunas and scored two points.Recruiting
On 28 May 2024, Jakučionis committed to play college basketball for Illinois under Brad Underwood. FC Barcelona retained the player's rights upon a possible return to Europe.College career
Jakučionis made his college basketball debut on November 4, 2024, recording 11 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in 26 minutes in a win over Eastern Illinois, setting a record for the most assists in a season opener by a freshman. Four days later, in his second game, he set a new record with 13 assists against SIU Edwardsville, while also logging his first collegiate double-double with 12 points. On December 16, Jakučionis earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after scoring at least 20 points in five consecutive games and leading the team in scoring. On January 6, 2025, he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time after leading the Fighting Illini to a 3–0 week, averaging a team-best 16 points per game.At the conclusion of his freshman season, Jakučionis was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors. On April 14, he declared for the 2025 NBA draft, foregoing his remaining college eligibility.
Professional career
On June 25, 2025, Jakučionis was selected by the Miami Heat with the 20th overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft. On 1 July, the Heat signed Jakučionis to a reported four-year, $17.7 million contract. He represented Heat in the 2025 NBA Summer League. On October 9, 2025, Jakučionis debuted in the main Heat team during a preseason game versus the San Antonio Spurs by scoring eight points, dishing out ten assists, making two steals and one block.On December 1, 2025, Jakučionis debuted in a NBA regular season game versus the Los Angeles Clippers which the Heat won 140–123. On December 18, 2025, Jakučionis scored his first three points in the NBA and the Heat defeated the Brooklyn Nets 106–95. On December 19, 2025, Jakučionis for the first time was a part of the Heat starting five due to injuries of Davion Mitchell and Tyler Herro, and per 35 minutes he scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists, while the Heat won the game 129–116 versus Boston Celtics.
On November 15, 2025, the Heat assigned Jakučionis to its NBA G League affiliate team the Sioux Falls Skyforce for game action after recovering from injuries. On November 16, 2025, Jakučionis debuted in the NBA G League by scoring 12 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out two assists.