NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal will attend Zalgiris Kaunas’ EuroLeague home opener against Olympiacos at Zalgirio Arena on September 29, the Lithuanian club announced Tuesday.
O’Neal, who is also an ambassador for NordVPN, will be in Kaunas for the matchup between two of Europe’s most prominent basketball clubs. The game is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. Eastern European Time, or 5 p.m. GMT.
The visit will put one of the biggest names in NBA history inside Zalgirio Arena for a game featuring several players with NBA experience, including Zalgiris center Jonas Valanciunas and Olympiacos forward Evan Fournier.
Valanciunas, 34, is entering his first season with Zalgiris after a lengthy NBA career. The 2.11-meter center played 839 regular-season NBA games before returning to Europe and now gives Zalgiris an established interior presence alongside Marek Blazevic and Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu.
Zalgiris have also added Carsen Edwards, Sterling Brown, Saben Lee and Marius Grigonis during an offseason that significantly reshaped the roster.
Olympiacos enter the season with a roster led by Sasha Vezenkov, Nikola Milutinov and Evan Fournier. The Greek club also added Codi Miller-McIntyre, Jean Montero and Mbaye Ndiaye while losing several key contributors from last season.
The matchup pits two teams that finished near the top of the EuroLeague standings in 2025-26. Olympiacos finished first at 26-12, while Zalgiris placed fifth at 23-15.
Olympiacos went on to sweep Monaco 3-0 in the playoffs before defeating Fenerbahce 79-61 in the Final Four semifinal. The Greek side ultimately defeated Real Madrid 92-85 in the championship game.
Zalgiris reached the playoffs after finishing fifth and faced Fenerbahce in the opening round. Fenerbahce won the series 3-1, including a 94-90 overtime victory in Game 4.
The upcoming meeting will therefore feature two teams with recent Final Four experience and significantly revamped rosters. Zalgiris will also have home-court advantage at Zalgirio Arena, where they went 14-5 during the 2025-26 EuroLeague regular season.
O’Neal’s presence adds another layer to an already high-profile opening-night matchup in Kaunas. The four-time NBA champion, three-time NBA Finals MVP and 1999-00 NBA MVP remains one of basketball’s most recognizable figures more than a decade after ending his playing career.
