Tomas Pačėsas
A Lithuanian basketball champion who transitioned from draining three-pointers to coaching and shaping the nation's sports policy.
Born 1971 (age 55)·Lithuanian basketball player·Birthday: November 11·Generation X
Biography
Tomas Pačėsas led the Lithuanian club Šiauliai as both a player and later as head coach. Born in 1971, he played as a sharp-shooting guard, known for lethal accuracy from beyond the three-point line. He honed his skill at his hometown club before moving to Žalgiris Kaunas. His playing career spanned the early years of independent Lithuania's basketball emergence. After retiring, he took the helm at Šiauliai, imparting a disciplined, perimeter-oriented philosophy. He moved into the front office as a sports director. Pačėsas also entered politics, serving as an advisor to the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport, working to nurture the next generation of Lithuanian talent. His career shows the full arc of a Lithuanian basketball life.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Tomas was born in 1971, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Tomas Was Born
The biggest hits of 1971
#1 Movie
Fiddler on the Roof
Best Picture
The French Connection
#1 TV Show
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Tomas's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1971Born
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1976Started school
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1984Became a teenager
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Could drive
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1989Could vote
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1992Turned 21
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2001Turned 30
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 40
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 50
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 55 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) championship as a player with Žalgiris Kaunas in 1999.
- Served as the head coach of the BC Šiauliai professional team for multiple seasons.
- Held the position of Sports Director for the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, helping to oversee national team programs.
Did You Know?
He was known for his exceptional three-point shooting percentage throughout his playing career.
Pačėsas has also been involved in business, with reported interests in the automotive industry.
He briefly served as an advisor to the Lithuanian Minister of Education, Science, and Sport.
“A shooter must keep shooting, no matter how many he misses.”
