Šarūnas Marčiulionis, a Lithuanian, is generally credited with bringing the move to the NBA.
Developed in European basketball, the move is generally accepted to have been brought to the NBA by Lithuanian Šarūnas Marčiulionis, and was popularized in North America by Manu Ginóbili, an Argentine who arrived in the NBA from the Italian league.
Nelson used an unconventional lineup that featured three guards (Richmond, Hardaway and Šarūnas Marčiulionis) and two forwards (Mullin and the 6-8 Rod Higgins at center).
Despite a language barrier during his NBA career (Warriors coach Don Nelson hired his son Donnie as an assistant chiefly to serve as an interpreter for Marčiulionis), Marčiulionis was a devoted teammate and active in the communities he played in.