Sarunas Jasikevicius was stunned but firm, speaking in a stern, serious voice that might have known that he was speaking to more than a “youngster” reporter.
The coach of Zalgiris, a Lithuanian basketball team, defended his center, Augusto Lima, after Lima missed a playoff game for the birth of his daughter. Zalgiris won the semifinal game Friday, but an inquisitive reporter, who is not a father, wanted to know how Jasikevicius felt about Lima being absent from the team.
Here’s the exchange, which quickly has made its way around the internet:
Reporter: Coach, what do you think about Augusto Lima going away in the midst of a series to attend the birth of his child?
Jasikevicius: What do I think about it? I allowed him to go.
Reporter: But is it normal for a player to leave the team during the semifinals?
Jasikevicius: Do you have kids? When you have kids, youngster, you’ll understand. Because that’s the height of a human experience. Wow, that’s a good question, really. Do you think basketball is the most important thing in life?
Reporter: No, but a semifinal is important.
Jasikevicius: To whom is it important?
Reporter: The team.
Jasikevicius: Which one?
Reporter: Zalgiris.
Jasikevicius: Did you see the number of fans at the game? Important? When you see your first child, you will understand what the most important thing in life is. Because nothing can be more majestic in the world than the birth of a child. Not titles, not anything else. Augusto Lima is now in heaven emotionally. I’m really happy for him.
As for Lima, he posted on Instagram on Sunday welcoming his daughter, Alba, to the world.
“It is undoubtedly the best gift of my life,” Lima wrote in Spanish.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUXNmpjF4Fw/?taken-by=augustolima7&hl=en