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Sporting Witness: The Grateful Dead Makes Lithuanian Basketball Bronze Possible

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Lithuania - The Other Dream Team

23/08/2014 GMT

The Grateful Dead Makes Lithuanian Basketball Bronze Possible

BBC World Service - Sporting Witness, The Grateful Dead Makes Lithuanian Basketball Bronze Possible

Funded partly by the US rock band the new independent nation beat the former Soviet Union

How the Lithuanian basketball team became Olympic heroes in 1992 thanks to the Grateful Dead.

In 1992, newly independent Lithuania managed to get its basketball team into the Barcelona Olympics after American rock band Grateful Dead agreed to help with fundraising. A brilliant generation of Lithuanian players then won a bronze medal in a grudge match against the former Soviet Union. Witness speaks to Arvydas Sabonis and Gintaras Krapikas, two members of the Lithuanian side.

With contributions from journalist Ramunas Bogdanas

Picture: The Lithuanian team in their Grateful Dead shirts, Credit: Getty Images Sports Classic

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