Donatas Motiejà «nas (; born September 20, 1990) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the Basketball League of Serbia (KLS), the ABA League and the EuroLeague. He was drafted 20th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves who traded his rights to the Houston Rockets. After spending four seasons with the Rockets from 2012 to 2016, Motiejà «nas joined the New Orleans Pelicans in January 2017. In 2019, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs.
In 2005, Motiejà «nas began his career playing with à ½algiris Kaunas junior team, à ½algiris-Arvydas Sabonis school, who played in Lithuania's second-tier National Basketball League. In 2007âÂÂ08, he made his debut for the senior team in a Baltic Basketball League (BBL) game against the ASK Riga. He scored 15 points in 22 minutes.
In 2008, Motiejà «nas signed with AisÃÂiai for the 2008âÂÂ09 season where he went on to average 19.9 points and 7.0 rebounds in 29.3 minutes per game, and he scored a season-high 29 points in a Lithuanian League game against NevÃÂà ¾is on March 22, 2009.
In April 2009, Motiejà «nas participated in the Nike Hoop Summit and on 14 April 2009 scored 21 points for the Team World which defeated 97âÂÂ89 Team USA.
In August 2009, Motiejà «nas signed a multi-year deal with Benetton Basket of Italy's Lega Basket Serie A. In 33 league games in 2009âÂÂ10, he averaged 9.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
In April 2010, Motiejà «nas declared for the 2010 NBA draft, but later withdrew and returned to Benetton. He went on to win the 2011 EuroCup Rising Star award after helping Benetton reach Eurocup's 2011 Final Four, averaging 10.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
On June 23, 2011, Motiejà «nas was selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The next day, his rights were traded, along with Jonny Flynn, to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Brad Miller and the draft rights to the 23rd overall pick, Nikola MirotiÃÂ. Due to the NBA lockout, Motiejà «nas returned to Europe.
On September 22, 2011, Benetton loaned Motiejà «nas to Asseco Prokom for the 2011âÂÂ12 season. On December 7, 2011, he recorded a career-high 21 rebounds (18 defensive) against Union Olimpija, the most defensive rebounds in a EuroLeague game since the 2000âÂÂ01 season. He also helped lead Asseco Prokom to a ninth consecutive Polish Basketball League title in 2011âÂÂ12. During the seventh and final game of the finals, he recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds.
On July 6, 2012, Motiejà «nas signed a four-year, rookie scale contract with the Houston Rockets, and joined them for the 2012 NBA Summer League. In his summer league debut, he recorded 25 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. After the game, he quoted a famous Lithuanian idiom describing his debut: "Jeigu bijai vilko â neik ï mià ¡kà" (English: If you're scared of wolves, do not go into the woods). Overall, he averaged 16.3 points and 7.8 rebounds in four games.
On November 14, 2012, Motiejà «nas was assigned to Houston's NBA Development League (NBA D-League) affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In his D-League debut on November 23, he recorded 31 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steals. Two days later, he was recalled by the Rockets. He was later reassigned two more times throughout the season and in seven D-League games, he averaged 20.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. In 44 games for the Rockets, he averaged 5.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
On October 30, 2013, the Rockets exercised their third-year team option on Motiejà «nas' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2014âÂÂ15 season. He went on to play 62 games for the Rockets while averaging 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
In August 2014, Motiejà «nas came under fire for comments made about his Rocket teammates James Harden and Dwight Howard, describing their relationship as "Hi & bye. They even eat separately from the team. Usually in some fast food place." The comments came in an interview with Lithuanian media. It was later revealed that Motiejà «nas was misquoted in his comments due to an incorrect translation by Lithuanian media from Lithuanian to English.
On October 30, 2014, the Rockets exercised their fourth-year team option on Motiejà «nas' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2015âÂÂ16 season. With Dwight Howard out for a 11 games during November and December, and Terrence Jones out for the majority of the first half of the season, Motiejà «nas averaged 14.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in Howard's 11-game absence. After Howard's return on December 13, Motiejà «nas scored a then career-high 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting to help the Rockets defeat the Denver Nuggets 108âÂÂ96.
On January 30, 2015, Motiejà «nas scored a career-high 26 points in a 93âÂÂ87 win over the Boston Celtics. On March 27, he was ruled out for one to two weeks with lower back pain and tightness. However, the injury later ruled him out for the rest of the season, and put his chances of playing for the Lithuanian national team in doubt.
In his third NBA season, Motiejà «nas led the league in post-up field goal percentage (53.4%), with his biggest competitor being fellow Lithuanian Jonas ValanÃÂià «nas of the Toronto Raptors (51.3%). In recognition, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle awarded Motiejà «nas an "A" grade for his 2014âÂÂ15 season performance.
On December 1, 2015, Motiejà «nas was cleared to return to practice, having been out since March 2015 after requiring surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. Four days later, he returned to the Rockets' lineup and made his season debut, earning a standing ovation when he entered the game for the first time during the first quarter of the team's 120âÂÂ113 win over the Sacramento Kings. He had one rebound and took a charge in six minutes of play. He played in 14 straight games for the Rockets, including making one start, before more back pain forced him out again. He subsequently missed all of January's action, and on January 30, he was assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for the first time since 2013 to complete his rehab from the back injury. He later received two more assignments to the Vipers.
On February 18, 2016, Motiejà «nas and Marcus Thornton were traded to the Detroit Pistons in a three-team trade involving the Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers. However, four days later, the Pistons rescinded their trade following a failed physical by Motiejà «nas. On February 27, Motiejà «nas returned to the Rockets' lineup and played for the first time since December 31. The Rockets finished the 2015âÂÂ16 regular season as the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a 41âÂÂ41 record. In the first round of the 2016 playoffs, the Rockets faced the first-seeded Golden State Warriors, and in a game 3 win on April 21, Motiejà «nas recorded 14 points and 13 rebounds for his first career double-double in the postseason.
After the 2015âÂÂ16 season, Motiejà «nas became a restricted free agent. On December 2, 2016, following a prolonged contract dispute with the Rockets that lasted into the first month of the 2016âÂÂ17 season, he received a four-year, $37 million offer sheet from the Brooklyn Nets, which the Rockets matched three days later. A day after the Rockets matched his four-year offer sheet to retain him, Motiejà «nas did not show up for his scheduled physical exam with the team. Motiejà «nas' camp made the decision to not report to the Rockets because of a difference of nearly $6 million from the offer sheet he signed with the Nets; the Rockets only had to match the principle terms of the offer sheet, which came to $31 million. As a result, on December 9, the two sides negotiated a new four-year, partially guaranteed deal worth between $35 million and $37 million with bonus clauses. While they appeared to have a new deal in place, Motiejà «nas was sent home before the team's game on December 10 after taking a physical, and five days later, the Rockets renounced the four-year deal and their rights to Motiejà «nas, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
On January 3, 2017, Motiejà «nas signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. He made his debut for the Pelicans four days later, recording 11 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench in a 117âÂÂ108 loss to the Boston Celtics. An unexpected trade during the All-Star break for DeMarcus Cousins led to a diminishing role for Motiejà «nas. He initially appeared in 21 consecutive games after signing with New Orleans, but from February 25 through April 4, he did not play in 11 out of a 20-game span.
On August 9, 2017, Motiejà «nas signed a one-year, $2.2 million contract with the Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). It was reported that he was the highest-paid foreigner of the whole league. On February 1, 2018, Motiejà «nas recorded a triple-double leading his team to an important 127âÂÂ103 victory versus the Jiangsu Dragons by recording 29 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. On March 13, Motiejà «nas began the 2018 CBA Playoffs with 24 points, seven rebounds and a 104âÂÂ100 victory versus the Jiangsu Dragons. His team defeated Jiangsu Dragons 3âÂÂ0 in the first round after their third 127âÂÂ104 victory during which Motiejà «nas scored 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. In the semifinals, they faced the Zhejiang Lions, which offered a much higher competition. His team tied the series 2âÂÂ2 after Motiejà «nas' solid contribution of 35 points (a career-high in China) and 14 rebounds versus his direct opponent Ioannis Bourousis. Despite his yet another good performance of 31 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and one assist, his team was eliminated in the series 4âÂÂ3 after an 105âÂÂ95 loss in game 7.
On November 8, 2018, Motiejà «nas achieved his career rebounds record by grabbing 25 rebounds and scoring 24 points that led his team to a 100âÂÂ82 victory versus the Jiangsu Dragons. Less than a week later, on November 13, he improved his rebounds record once again by scoring 32 points and grabbing 32 rebounds, while his team defeated the Shanghai Sharks 99âÂÂ96.
On March 3, 2019, Motiejà «nas scored a career-high 43 points, along with 17 rebounds and six assists, and led his team to an 122âÂÂ83 victory. Despite a good 2018âÂÂ19 regular season, during which he averaged 27.3 points, 14 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals, his team was eliminated in the first round of the 2019 CBA Playoffs, after losing 113âÂÂ105 to the Jiangsu Dragons on March 20.
On April 4, 2019, Motiejà «nas signed with the San Antonio Spurs. He declined to sign a new contract with the Spurs because China's Shanghai Sharks offered a more valuable deal.
On August 27, 2019, Motiejà «nas signed a $6 million contract with CBA's Shanghai Sharks. On June 9, 2020, it was reported that Motiejà «nas had parted ways with the Shanghai Sharks. In 28 games during the 2019âÂÂ20 season, he averaged 22.8 points, a league-leading 15.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game in 36.7 minutes of average playing time.
On September 17, 2020, Motiejà «nas signed in China with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers.
On August 18, 2021, Motiejà «nas signed with AS Monaco. On July 21, 2023, he renewed his contract with Monaco through 2025.
On October 2, 2025, he joined Crvena zvezda on loan from AS Monaco for a three-month deal. On December 2, he extended his contract until the end of the season.
Motiejà «nas represented Lithuania's national teams in international tournaments.
Motiejà «nas led Lithuania under-18 team to the silver medal at the 2008 FIBA U18 European Championship. Despite losing to Greece in the gold medal game, he was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the tournament, after averaging 18.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. At the 2008 FIBA U20 European Championship, he averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Motiejà «nas won a silver medal with Lithuania senior team at EuroBasket 2013 tournament and went on to compete for the national team at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where he averaged 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in nine games.
In June 2015, Motiejà «nas ruled himself out of EuroBasket 2015 to continue recovering from a back injury he sustained while playing for the Houston Rockets.
Motiejà «nas has a large tattoo on his chest of an eagle clutching a basketball. He explained, "I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go." Motiejà «nas is a fan of FC Bayern Munich and Germany national football team.
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 44 || 14 || 12.2 || .455 || .289 || .627 || 2.1 || .7 || .2 || .2 || 5.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 62 || 3 || 15.4 || .443 || .250 || .604 || 3.6 || .5 || .3 || .3 || 5.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 71 || 62 || 28.7 || .504 || .368 || .602 || 5.9 || 1.8 || .8 || .5 || 12.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 37 || 22 || 14.8 || .439 || .281 || .642 || 2.9 || 1.1 || .5 || .1 || 6.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans | 34 || 0 || 14.1 || .413 || .234 || .510 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .5 || .3 || 4.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 3 || 0 || 4.3 || .500 || || .000 || 1.0 || .3 || .0 || .3 || 2.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 251 || 101 || 18.2 || .469 || .300 || .597 || 3.8 || 1.1 || .5 || .3 || 7.3
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 1 || 0 || 5.0 || 1.000 || || 1.000 || 1.0 || || || || 5.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 5 || 4 || 19.6 || .432 || .444 || .471 || 5.2 || 1.0 || .8 || .4 || 8.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019 | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 5 || 0 || 3.8 || .600 || .000 || .500 || 1.4 || .4 || || || 2.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 11 || 4 || 11.1 || .490 || .400 || .500 || 3.1 || .6 || .4 || .2 || 5.6
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007âÂÂ08 | style="text-align:left;"| à ½algiris | 3 || 0 || 7.2 || .200 || .000 || 1.000 || 2.7 || || || || 1.3 || 1.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2011âÂÂ12 | style="text-align:left;"| Asseco Prokom | 10 || 10 || 31.3 || .436 || .304 || .455 || 7.9 || .9 || .6 || .8 || 12.5 || 13.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2021âÂÂ22 | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"| AS Monaco | 38 || 34 || 19.5 || .572 || .327 || .447 || 4.6 || .7 || .5 || .3 || 9.7 || 10.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2022âÂÂ23 | style="background:#CFECEC;"|41* || 37 || 17.8 || .573 || .250 || .558 || 3.7 || .8 || .3 || .1 || 8.5 || 10.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2023âÂÂ24 | 39 || 32 || 17.7 || .550 || .377 || .727 || 3.4 || .9 || .4 || .2 || 8.8 || 10.1 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 131 || 113 || 18.9 || .547 || .319 || .562 || 4.2 || .8 || .4 || .3 || 9.1 || 10.3
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009âÂÂ10 | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| Benetton Basket | 12 || 7 || 19.7 || .547 || .714 || .444 || 3.3 || .6 || 1.2 || .1 || 7.6 || 8.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010âÂÂ11 | 16 || 16 || 27.4 || .441 || .154 || .620 || 5.6 || .8 || .9 || .6 || 10.9 || 10.9 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 28 || 23 || 24.1 || .473 || .273 || .561 || 4.6 || .7 || 1.0 || .4 || 9.5 || 9.8