Rytas Vilnius has retained another important piece of its championship-winning team. The capital club has officially extended its partnership with 24-year-old, 203 cm tall basketball player Kay Bruhnke. A new 1+1 contract has been signed with the German national team member, and the player will remain in Vilnius after a successful season in which the club triumphed in the FIBA Champions League.
Bruhnke’s career in Lithuania began in 2023 when he signed with M Basket-Delamode Mazeikiai. With this team, the German quickly became one of the league’s standout players, and his strong performance in November 2024 earned him the LKL Player of the Month title (averaging 21.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 24 EFF). After one and a half seasons in Mazeikiai, the player transferred to Turk Telekom Ankara in the Turkish top division via a buyout, and in the summer of 2025, he returned to Lithuania to join Rytas Vilnius. In addition to his club career, Bruhnke has been regularly called up to the German men’s national basketball team since 2024.
“As soon as the season ended, we spoke with Kay and aimed to keep him in our ranks because we believe that he has not yet revealed his full potential in Vilnius. We are pleased that the player’s vision matched ours. he showed a desire to stay and understands that he still has something to prove. He is an extremely competitive forward who is not afraid of hard work and puts team goals above personal ones. We believe these are very important qualities that can allow us to achieve significant victories in the upcoming season,” Rytas Vilnius sporting director Arturas Jomantas commented on the decision to extend the player’s contract.
During the past 2025–2026 season, the forward made a significant contribution to the team’s victories on both international and domestic fronts. In the FIBA Champions League, Bruhnke played 16 games, averaging 22:19 minutes, scoring 7.6 points, grabbing 4.9 rebounds, dishing out 1.7 assists, blocking 0.7 shots, and recording a performance index rating of 7.9. He shot 65.6 percent from two-point range, and his dunks were recognized as some of the most spectacular of the past FIBA Champions League season.
In the LKL, the player appeared in 32 matches, where in an average of 21 minutes he recorded 6.03 points (61.8% 2PT, 31.8% 3PT, 82.4% FT), 3.28 rebounds, 2.16 assists, and 0.6 blocks.
“Sveiki, „Rytas“ Vilniaus šeima. Last season, we went together through a lot of emotions. I will never forget the highs of winning the title and the painful lows of dropping out early. I clearly remember the huge support of the fans, the organization, and the city itself. I feel a responsibility of bringing the Rytas family more positive memories and great achievements. The culture of the club, the ambitions, and incredible fans are reasons why I wanted to come back. I want to push myself like I have never before, so we can celebrate more amazing moments together. I am super excited to be back. Pirmyn, vilniečiai!“ say Bruhnke spoke about his decision to stay in Vilnius.