Official: Simonas Lukosius to Join Unicaja on Loan

It's official. Unicaja announced on Monday the agreement to sign Simonas Lukosius, who arrives in Málaga on loan from Dubai Basketball for the upcoming season. The operation, which the CEO of the Emirati club had already confirmed in an interview, is now officially confirmed by the Málaga club.

The 24-year-old small forward at 6'7" brings what Txus Vidorreta has been searching for: perimeter scoring threat at the three position.

The Night That Changed Everything

His calling card has a date and venue. In the Basketball Champions League Final Four final, Lukosius posted 23 points on 7-of-10 from three-point range to lead Rytas Vilnius's historic comeback against AEK Athens, decided in overtime 86-92. He was named Final Four MVP.

His season numbers are not those of a primary scorer, but of a highly efficient specialist: 8.3 points in the BCL with 51.6% from three-point range and 2.1 makes per game from 6.75 meters, plus 3 rebounds and one assist. In the Lithuanian league he averaged 6.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.

Three Countries in His Development

Born in Kaunas on August 13, 2002, son of a Lithuanian father—former player and coach—and German mother, Lukosius trained first in the academies of Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis. At 17, he moved to Germany to play for Dragons Rhöndorf, the affiliate of Telekom Baskets Bonn, with whose first team he made his Bundesliga debut in the 2020-21 season.

Then came his college years in the United States: two seasons at Butler and two more at Cincinnati, averaging 10.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in the NCAA, maintaining the shooter's profile that has defined him ever since.

His return to Europe came last season with Rytas, and that performance caught the attention of Dubai Basketball, who acquired his rights to immediately loan him out.

Germany Over Lithuania

With dual citizenship, he chose at age 19 to represent the German national team, and made his debut in the recent FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifying window, posting 5.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in two games with the reigning world and European champions.

In Málaga he will join another Lithuanian in the same position, Ignas Brazdeikis.