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Tie-Dyed Lithuanian Slam-Dunking Skeleton® Back for “The Other Dream Team” Documentary
The Real Story Behind the Image - Creator of Iconic Skeleton explains its meaning & embraces Lithuanian basketball culture

For Release -01-29-14 - New York, N.Y. – (Release from www.Skullman.com) The basketball documentary The Other Dream Team, directed and produced by Marius Markevicius and Jon Weinbach, is a sports and political documentary about the national Lithuanian basketball team that competed at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. It's out on DVD and is reported to have plans for international TV syndication.

It highlights Lithuanians’ experiences behind the Iron Curtain, where elite athletes were subjected to 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. The Other Dream Team movie cast:  The Other Dream Team full movie cast

Aside from the hardships on the road to the 92′ Olympics, the film celebrates the infamous tie-dyed uniforms worn by the Lithuanian Olympic team that feature NY sports artist Greg Speirs’ trademark design, the Original Lithuanian Slam Dunking Skeleton, now a historic piece of Lithuania’s basketball culture. IMDB movie bio:  The Other Dream Team movie bio  and  Audio Interview  VIDEO CLIP

The team stepped on the podium in 1992 to receive their bronze medals wearing the artist's design. However his contribution was not acknowledged and a skewed version of the story behind the source of the famous design was put out to the press giving the credit to others. However the film touches on setting the facts straight about where the image came from by including a 23 second clip on the artist who created it explaining his inspiration. The film could have gone into a little more detail getting this fact across to the audience. It was not created by a rock group. If you thought you knew the story behind the source of the skeleton on the tie dye uniforms, it's not what you've heard. Fact: It was not created as the icon of a rock group. It came from a completely different source created independently by an artist from NY. with a completely different inspiration.

Facts: "The 'Slam Dunking Skullman' Skeleton, that became a household icon when it was worn on tie dyed uniforms by the 1992 Lithuanian Olympic Basketball Team in the Barcelona Olympics was created by New York artist Greg Speirs, who describes his inspiration for the infamous skeletal image in the documentary film. The artist's Slam-Dunking Skeleton became a legendary icon for the team and for the country of Lithuania. At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona the Men’s Lithuanian Olympic Basketball Team stepped up to the podium to receive their bronze medals and wore the uniforms for the world to see. His creation has come to represent the spirit of the team and used to promote the film's run in theaters across the U.S., but his major part in this story has remained in the background until now. The documentary reveals a 23 second clip of the artist describing his inspiration behind the shirt as more people begin to learn the real story behind the source of the image. The information is now available to any reporter, who wishes to report a truthful account of the story, by a simple Google search. Until now the key part the artist played in this story had been credited to others. Reports that do not include the complete facts are just being disingenuous to their readers." -Mike Thompson, Marketing Director /Skullman.com. YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9ITlbG55ug  Although he is represented in the documentary only for a few seconds his contribution came to become the identity of the team as well as the main image representing the documentary itself. So look carefully, you may miss it. The fact is that the image was an independent creation that came from the artist and was not an icon of a musical group. Go to www.skullman.com for more info. Even billionaire Richard Branson, wore the Greg Speirs' Lithuanian basketball Skullman tie-dye t-shirt while inviting everyone to a leadership forum in Kaunas this June where he will be the keynote speaker. The image becomes an unofficial symbol of Lithuania's success as Sir Branson speaks about Lithuania's success as he tugs on and notes Speirs' Skullman shirt he is wearing to the viewers. See video link: http://verslas.delfi.lt/verslas/rbransonas-teigia-esas-suzavetas-lietuviu-sekmes-istoriju.d?id=60674845

The origin of the Slam Dunking Skeleton - from the artist himself: “The 1992 Lithuanian Basketball Team represents what happens in freedom…people excel. The struggle of the Lithuanian team struck a chord with me so I decided to come up with an image which I believed represented them. I came up with the Slam Dunking Skeleton because it symbolized the team, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes and coming up from nothing, and rising up to overcome the obstacles, which are represented by the hands reaching up in the image. The image is one of breaking out of oppression. This was my interpretation in 1992 and the real meaning of the image. It's not a dead skeleton, but this skeleton represents rebirth and a new life. Also, you can't have freedom without free enterprise”-Greg Speirs. Hear the audio interview from the artist himself: Audio Interview at www.gregspeirs.com

The major charitable donation to the team:

The shirts became a sought after collectible and started selling. The artist then acquired the status as the major sponsor of the team by donating 100% of his profits from the sales of the t-shirts to fund the team. Recent news reports state millions were given to Lithuania from sales of the T-Shirts, which featured the artist's Slam Dunking Skeleton Trademark with his donation funding the 1996 Team and used to build the basketball school in Lithuania. He was entitled to all of the profits generated from sales of his creation, but instead donated 100% of his profits to the team, children's charities and for the basketball school in Lithuania which can only have been given on behalf of the artist as the owner of the artwork. It was no one else's to give but the artist's. Up until now a different story had been told. His donation eclipsed all of the funding by the big names involved. The public is now slowly discovering the fact about the artist's huge donation to the team. The Other Dream Team movie bio: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3998173   The original shirts have been reissued & are available at:: www.skullman.com   

About Greg Speirs: He has created skeleton artwork for over 40 years and is named to Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. The former 1970′s Grooves Music Magazine Art Director was also commissioned by Prince Albert of Monaco to create the art for the Princes' Monaco Olympic Bobsled Team sleds in 1995 for the World Cup Bobsled Championships, 1995-1997, and the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. His Slam-Dunking Skullman and dedication to the 1992 Lithuanian Olympic Basketball Team was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame on Dec. 07, 1993. His 1970's works include the Max Damian rock band's "Take it to the Max" album cover with legendary record producer Artie Kornfeld of Woodstock fame. Official website: www.gregspeirs.com  Facebook: www.facebook.com/iamskullman   YouTube video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9ITlbG55ug       Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/GregSpeirs       Audio Interview     Lithuanian Slam Dunking Skeleton® & Lithuanian Tie Dye® brands. 1992 © & Registered Trademarks of Greg Speirs. www.facebook.com/iamskullman

   ®  ©1992 Greg Speirs Greg Speirs, creator of the iconic Slam-Dunking Skeleton.   Photo: Billionaire Richard Branson, (wearing Greg Speirs' Lithuanian basketball tie-dye Skullman t-shirt), inviting everyone to a leadership forum in Kaunas this June where he will be the keynote speaker http://verslas.delfi.lt/verslas/rbransonas-teigia-esas-suzavetas-lietuviu-sekmes-istoriju.d?id=60674845