Inspirational Story Of One Of The Most Famous Tie-Dye Shirts Created For A Post-Soviet Lithuanian Basketball Team By An American Rock Band Is Going Viral
There are certain pieces of clothing that are just legendary for various reasons. Perhaps their brand is really famous or the person modelling it, but in this case it’s the story and what it meant for the tiny European nation of Lithuania. With the Olympics approaching, people tend to revisit the most inspiring and incredible events that have happened to the athletes. This one story surfaced from as far back as 1992 thanks to Twitter user Mike Korzemba, who goes by the name of @mikekorz and by u/Thryloz on Reddit.
They reminded everyone of a fascinating story of how the Grateful Dead, an already pretty legendary American rock band, responded upon finding out that the freshly independent country of Lithuania was struggling to send their newborn national basketball team to the Olympics. Thanks to the musicians, Lithuania sent their team to the 1992 Olympics wearing incredibly cool T-shirts that became really famous.
As the Olympics are approaching, the story of Lithuania and their struggle to make it to the 1992 Olympics surfaced, getting a lot of attention online
Image credits: mikekorz
Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 and was ready to conquer the Olympics with their talented athletes finally playing for the nation and not for the USSR. Unfortunately, the financial state of Lithuania’s fund towards the participation in the 1992 Olympics was more than tragic. They announced the country’s withdrawal as there was no sponsorship and a huge lack of money.
Famous Lithuanian NBA player Sarunas Marciulionis was behind the people taking initiative to spread the word about the athletes trying to make it to the Olympics
Image credits: mikekorz
Sarunas Marciulionis, a Lithuanian who was playing for the NBA at that time, understood how desperate his fellow citizens were to make it to the Olympics. Lithuania has always been famous for their dedication and obsession with basketball, so they felt that it was essential to make it to the games. But not with what they had in their pockets back then. Marciulionis, with the help of Warriors assistant coach Donnie Nelson, began raising funds as the story about their struggle was covered by San Francisco Chronicle sports writer George Shirk.
Image credits: mikekorz
American rock band the Grateful Dead came across the story and were amazed by the former USSR country and their dream to send their basketball players to compete
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
The story managed to conquer the hearts of the famous American rock band the Grateful Dead, who decided to invest in the cause. Their public relations manager presented the story to the band members and they decided to contribute to Lithuania’s basketball team’s journey to the Olympics. What also followed was a box of tie-dye T-shirts designed by their band’s designer.
Image credits: Chris Stone
Greg Speirs created the now-legendary shirt design and it was worn by the whole team as they accepted bronze medals at the Olympics in Barcelona
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
The T-shirt that has now become a recognizable token of Lithuania’s sports team was designed by Greg Speirs and features a skeleton dunking a basketball. It came with matching flamboyant shorts—all garments colored in the country’s national colors—yellow, green and red.
The shirt that became a part of pop culture was even worn by Phoebe in Friends
Image credits: VilijaSysaite
Image credits: 40sReborn
People online shared pictures of themselves wearing the famous shirt
Image credits: Charles_Fielden
Lithuania travelled to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and played the games for the first time as a country after being under the USSR for nearly 60 years. They won bronze medals and accepted them wearing the Grateful Dead’s tie-dyes. It was an incredibly emotional and proud moment for the whole nation and it is said that it probably would not had happened without the help of the American rock band.
Image credits: honeydroodroo
The shirt is tie-dyed in the national colors of Lithuania and really stands out
Image credits: EloiseEve
Image credits: ThaMantisMojo
The shirts have now became a part of pop culture and people are often trying to get their hands on the originals as a few other designs have followed. The shirt was also famously worn by Phoebe in Friends and they are often spotted at the Grateful Dead’s concerts. People online shared pictures of them wearing the flamboyant shirts or expressed their fascination with the struggle and freedom story of the Lithuanian basketball team.
And here is what Twitter users had to say about the famous t-shirt and the story behind Lithuania’s basketball team and their journey to the Olympics
Image credits: olorin1313
Image credits: olsencassidy
Image credits: adamperetti
Image credits: PhilWrye
Image credits: LeosBurner
Image credits: JohnTaylor8249
Image credits: Stuz719
Image credits: TheOnlyChirpy
Image credits: curategg
Image credits: JohnTaylor8249
Image credits: ScribblingSteve
Image credits: adamperetti
Image credits: TimWardCam
Image credits: arturasfanclub
Image credits: Halleyj04599553
Image credits: Pave2112
Image credits: SolomanRabbi
16Kviews
Share on Facebook
This is amazing. It’s awesome how people come together to make a dream come true.
check out who helped get Monty Python and the Holy Grail made.
Load More Replies... Still have the shirt, safely stored but slightly faded since I wore it the first year then put it away.
https://wreg.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/597978296/30th-anniversary-of-the-iconic-1992-skullman-lithuania-tie-dye-olympic-basketball-uniforms/
Kaip LIETUVIŠKAM SAITUI gėda lietuviškas pavardes rašyti be spec raidžių. GĖDA!!!! Ypač turint galvoje kad pačios autorės varde ir pavardėje 2 spec raidės
The US team, dubbed the "Dream Team" won the gold with Croatia, like Lithuania, competing in their first Olympics after the fall of communism winning the silver and Lithuania took the Bronze. Four of the Lithuanians had played on the Soviet team in the previous Olympics. Two of them, Arvydas Sabonis and Šarūnas Marčiulionis, later signed with the NBA. They were playing against what is considered the best assembled basketball team of all time that included Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin, and Christian Laettner. Only Laettner has not been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
True, but it was also the first time the US allowed NBA players to be in the olympics, before 1992 the US had a rule only "amatures" could play for the US in the Olympics, so it was mostly college kids, like the famous Miracle on Ice hockey team was all college kids against an all pro-Soviet team.
Load More Replies...
This is amazing. It’s awesome how people come together to make a dream come true.
check out who helped get Monty Python and the Holy Grail made.
Load More Replies... Still have the shirt, safely stored but slightly faded since I wore it the first year then put it away.
https://wreg.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/597978296/30th-anniversary-of-the-iconic-1992-skullman-lithuania-tie-dye-olympic-basketball-uniforms/
Kaip LIETUVIŠKAM SAITUI gėda lietuviškas pavardes rašyti be spec raidžių. GĖDA!!!! Ypač turint galvoje kad pačios autorės varde ir pavardėje 2 spec raidės
The US team, dubbed the "Dream Team" won the gold with Croatia, like Lithuania, competing in their first Olympics after the fall of communism winning the silver and Lithuania took the Bronze. Four of the Lithuanians had played on the Soviet team in the previous Olympics. Two of them, Arvydas Sabonis and Šarūnas Marčiulionis, later signed with the NBA. They were playing against what is considered the best assembled basketball team of all time that included Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin, and Christian Laettner. Only Laettner has not been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
True, but it was also the first time the US allowed NBA players to be in the olympics, before 1992 the US had a rule only "amatures" could play for the US in the Olympics, so it was mostly college kids, like the famous Miracle on Ice hockey team was all college kids against an all pro-Soviet team.
Load More Replies...
143
14