Kristian Kullamae returned to Lithuania last summer for his second stint at the club
Back where he belongs: Kristian Kullamae’s return to Lietkabelis
Player Spotlight
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It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Kristian Kullamae playing for Lietkabelis Panevezys. The Estonian guard and the Lithuanian club already had a history prior to this season and he felt comfortable coming back.
Kullamae has been one of the major bright spots in a rather disappointing 2025-26 campaign for Lietkabelis. He has been averaging 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals through 14 BKT EuroCup games, but the team has slumped to a 3-11 record in Group B and faces an uphill battle to stay in the fight for the playoffs.
“We have had problems with injuries and players moving in and out, and that has hurt us to stay consistent,” Kullamae told David Hein.
Lietkabelis has in the past played well at home, with a 22-13 record in Panevezys over the previous four seasons and a 9-27 road mark. But Lietkabelis has managed just one win in seven home games this season.
When asked why the team is struggling at Kalnapilipo Arena, Kullamae shrugged and said: “If I knew that, we wouldn’t have that record. But I think it goes back to just not being a full team for parts of the season.”
Kullamae had a successful run with Lietkabelis in his previous season, 2022-23, with the team finishing the regular season 10-8 and reaching the playoffs. The team actually had home-court advantage in the last 16 and was leading by 12 points. But Paris Basketball ended up winning 97-98 to eliminate the Lithuanian side.
“That really hurt because we had the lead and couldn’t hold it. But also because we were playing at home and couldn’t take advantage of being with our fans,” said Kullamae, who scored 20 points in the loss.
The 1.94-meter guard was thrilled about coming to Lithuania in 2022 as it was a chance to really shine as a leading player. He had played the previous three seasons in Spain – 2019-20 and 2020-21 in the second division. Kullamae reached the Spanish League in 2021-22 with San Pablo Burgos, but he only contributed 3.3 points and 1.1 assists.
“Lietkabelis was a great opportunity for me to play a leading role for the first time with a professional team,” said Kullamae, who averaged 10.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 19 EuroCup games that season.
As much as he enjoyed his success in Lithuania, Kullamae jumped at the chance to return to the Spanish League in 2023 to play with Bilbao Basket.
“I always wanted to play a big role in a Spanish team, and Bilbao gave me that opportunity. And I am really thankful for the two years I spent there,” he said.
Kullamae was playing in the FIBA Europe Cup and helped Bilbao reach the semifinals in 2023-24, losing to eventual champions NINERS Chemnitz. Bilbao lost the first game at home 73-98, allowing 57 points in the second half. The Spanish team was able to win the return leg in Germany 73-82, but it was not enough for the two-game aggregate.
“We had one bad half and that kind of hurts because we had a good team. But like everything, that was a learning experience. You have to keep fighting all the time,” Kullamae said.
The Estonian, as well as most of the team and head coach, returned for the 2024-25 season and bounced back to win the 2025 FIBA Europe Cup, defeating PAOK Thessaloniki in the finals 154-149 over the two games.
“We made up for our mistakes and won it. It was a great group of guys and it really meant a lot to win the title,” Kullamae said.
That title was the only professional championship Kullamae has won in his career.
“Not everyone can say they are European champions. So it will be something I will remember for the rest of my career, if not the rest of my life,” he said.
Kullamae said it was a lot of fun celebrating the crown with the Bilbao supporters.
“They really celebrated, and it was great being at the parties and celebrations and giving something back to the city,” he said.
When Kullamae was looking for a club for this season, playing in the EuroCup was a major factor. And he was very happy about Lietkabelis’s interest in bringing him back.
“I knew what the organization was like – I had a great relationship with Coach [Nenad] Cenak from the first time,” he said.
Besides Coach Cenak and Kullamae, also back from the 2022-23 season is Jamel Morris, who spent last season in France with Elan Chalon.
When asked what he likes most about his coach, Kullamae said: “He really cares about his players and wants the best for them and help them get the best out of them.”
Despite the struggles, Kullamae knows there is still a lot of basketball to play.
“We just want to try and win as many games as possible and see what happens.”