(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)
Greg Speirs' original 1992 Barcelona Lithuania Tie Dye® Jerseys were unveiled to the world at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. 1992 Copyright & Trademark property of Greg Speirs. All rights reserved.
Official Licensor of Original Lithuania Tie Dye® Brand Apparel & Merchandise. Since 1992 © Copyright & ® Trademark property of Greg Speirs. Lithuania Tie Dye®, Lithuanian Slam Dunking Skeleton® are official trademarked brands of Greg Speirs. Original Source.
Greg Speirs creator of the iconic Lithuania Tie Dye Olympic Basketball Uniform Shirts
New York City Licensor and Apparel Designer Greg Speirs, creator of the Legendary Lithuanian Basketball Tie Dye Skullman Olympic Uniforms Shirts.
The Original 1992 – 2024 Editions Hoodies are available now on the Skullman website. Original 1992 Barcelona Lithuania Tie Dye® Jerseys. Since 1992 Copyright & Trademark property of Greg Speirs. All rights reserved.
New 32nd Year Edition of the 1992 Summer Olympics Original Lithuania Tie Dye® Basketball Shirts are Available Now for 2024 from Slammin' Sports® at Skullman
The Original Skullman Lithuanian tie dyed basketball shirts are actually an independent apparel line brand created and always owned by Greg Speirs, and were never part of the Grateful Dead.” - Mike ThompsonNEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, March 28, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- The financially strapped 1992 Lithuanian Olympic Men's Basketball team was competing for the first time as an independent country from the Soviet Union in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona after breaking away from the Soviet Union and enjoying it's country's newly gained freedom.
A New York apparel Licensor heard about the team's plight and came into the story independently and designed the iconic tie dyed Skullman uniforms for the team just so they could have something fun to wear in the Olympics for practice time heading up to the games.
NBA player Saunas Marciulionis rallying financial donations for his country's newly founded team received various monetary donations including one from the Grateful Dead musical group. According to news reports, among the other donations the team received the Grateful Dead musical group came into the story with a separate $5,000. donation of their own to Marcuiulionis, which was the part that they played in this story.
About the uniforms :
The iconic 1992 Lithuanian basketball tie dye uniforms were created by New York sports apparel Licensor and fashion designer Greg Speirs and licensed to the team by him just so the Lithuanian Olympic Men's basketball team could have something fun to use and wear during the Olympics, something that was never seen before in the Olympics or in the world of sports apparel. The initial 1992 stories calling them "Grateful Dead" were proved to be factually incorrect as they were never created as a "Grateful Dead" line by the artist, which is now known to be an accurately correct fact. See imdb: The energy behind the shirts inspired the team as underdogs for a sweet, ironic win against their former unified (Soviet) team to clinch the bronze medal.
Then the team surprised the world by showing up to receive their medals on the international stage of the Olympics bronze medal platform wearing the artist's uniforms for the world to see. The uniforms became an international sensation becoming part of sports history and one of the most memorable moments of the '92 Summer Olympics.
The line was not even created as a team line but was created just so the team could have something fun to wear while they played. "Greg was just nice enough to let them use the apparel to raise money for the team and charity once there was a demand by the public to want one. Immediately after the Olympics ended and the T-shirts started selling and became a hot collectible, Speirs saw it as a great opportunity to help the team and chose to donate all of what would have been his profits to continue to fund the team. That's why Greg is called the major sponsor of the 1992 Lithuanian Olympic Basketball Team, because the biggest sponsorship came from the sales of his shirts after the Olympics. He donated 100% of his profits to fund the team which started at $450,000 in the first wave of donations which continued after the Olympics and may have skyrocketed to millions according to news reports. All of Greg's continuing profits for the team next went into Lithuanian player Sarunas Marciulionous' 'Sarunas Lithuanian Children's Fund to help sick children in need, which was controlled by the former Lithuania team player and NBA star who received all funds. Some of the funds may have also gone into the building of a basketball school in Lithuania too." recalled Mike Thompson, spokesman for Slammin' Sports.
“The story was a major news event back in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, impacting popular culture, taking its place in Olympics history. It had a major influence on the future of sports fashion, changing the way it was perceived and viewed. The Tie Dyed Slammin® Skullman® became a legendary household icon.” recalled Mike.
The story was highlighted in the 2012 sports documentary film, "The Other Dream Team", directed and produced by Marius Markevicius and Jon Weinbach, about the national Lithuanian Olympic basketball team that competed at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona. See:
It highlights Lithuanians' experiences behind the Iron Curtain, where elite athletes were subjected to the brutalities of Communist rule. As they hid from KGB agents and feared for their lives, Lithuania's basketball stars always shared a common goal – to utilize their athletic gifts to help free their country.
Aside from the hardships on the road to the '92 Olympics, the film celebrates the artist's iconic tie-dyed uniforms worn by the Lithuanian Olympic team that feature Speirs' trademark design, the Slam Dunking Skeleton, now a historic piece of Olympic's basketball culture.
See IMDB bio documentation:
Read the documented news story:
The real meaning of the image:
The Lithuanian Slam-Dunking Skullman® represented the artist's interpretation of a team rising from nothing, "Like a Phoenix from the ashes to slam-dunking a flaming basketball to bronze victory. It's not a dead skeleton, but represents rebirth and a new life. It was not only a victory in Olympic sports, but it was as if it were an overall triumph over communism itself," recalled Speirs.
Listen to the podcast that uncovered the true facts about the story:
See CNBC news story:
The line is actually an independent line which came into this story, created and solely owned by the designer who is it's exclusive Licensor. The brand was born the moment you saw it on the bronze medal stand worn by the team. All licensing rights for the entire brand have always originated exclusively from the artist and was not created as anything "Grateful Dead" by him.
Listen to "The Other Dream Team" interview:
"Greg played a much more significant role in the story than was originally reported". recalled Mike Thompson of Slammin' Sports.
The brand has enjoyed a 32 year longevity. Vintage Editions of the shirts sell for Hundreds of Dollars Online.
Original 1992 Skullman Lithuania Tie Dye® T-Shirts are available here:
Skullman® was“enshrined” in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. on Dec.7th 1993, becoming the first & only cartoon character and licensed property to be“enshrined” in any Hall of Fame:
Official Licensor of the Original Lithuania Tie Dye® Brand Apparel & Merchandise. 1992 © Copyright & Trademark® property of Greg Speirs. Lithuania Tie Dye® & the Lithuanian Slam Dunking Skeleton® and all related indicia and symbols are Official Trademark Brands and Licenses of Greg Speirs. Official Licensor/ Exclusive, Official & Original Source.
Mike Thompson
Slammin Sports
...
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Officially licensed 2024 Edition Skullman® Lithuania Tie Dye® basketball hoodies in production.
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