Chuck Aleksinas

Charles John Aleksinas (born February 26, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He started his college basketball career for the Kentucky Wildcats and won an NCAA championship as a freshman in 1978. Aleksinas transferred to the UConn Huskies after his sophomore season and was a second-team All-Big East Conference selection in 1981. He was picked in the fourth round of the 1982 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls but started his career in Spain during the 1983–84 season where he earned the nickname "Asesino" ("assassin" in Spanish) because of his rough play. Aleksinas signed with the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and played for them during the 1984–85 season. He finished his career in Spain and Italy where he played for five seasons.

High school career Aleksinas was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, and attended Wamogo Regional High School. He averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds per game as a junior on the basketball team. As a senior during the 1976–77 season, Aleksinas averaged 40.1 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocks per game. He appeared in 28 games and averaged 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds. Aleksinas was selected to the All-Big East Conference second-team in 1981.

Professional career Aleksinas was selected by the Chicago Bulls as the 76th overall pick of the 1982 NBA draft. He was released by the Bulls and instead tried to join a team in Europe. Aleksinas started his career with Estudiantes de Madrid during the 1983–84 season where he played alongside Terry Stotts. During a game, Aleksinas collided with an opposition player who suffered a 20-stitch cut in his hand and then knocked down another player by hitting him in the face with his elbow. The crowd started chanting "asesino" which Aleksinas mistook as his own name until he was informed by a teammate that they were calling him the Spanish word for assassin. He played as a reserve during the 1984–85 season.

Aleksinas returned to Spain where he played for Zaragoza in 1985–86 and OAR Ferrol in 1986–87. He finished his career with a stint in Italy. He operates his own business that specializes in selling rare auto parts. Lithuanian authorities attempted to secure Aleksinas for the national team in 1992 but were denied by FIBA because he did not have a Lithuanian citizenship for at least three years.

Career statistics

NBA Source

Regular season