Arvydas Romas Sabonis (; born 19 December 1964) is a Lithuanian former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and businessman. Sabonis won the Euroscar six times and the

Mr. Europa Award The Mister Europa European Player of the Year Award was an annual basketball award created in 1976, and given until 2010, by the panel of journalists of the Italian weekly magazine '' Superbasket''. Its purpose was to praise the best basketball ...

twice. He played in a variety of leagues, including the Spanish ACB League, and spent seven seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). Playing the center position, Sabonis won a gold medal at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

, in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, for the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, and later earned bronze medals at the 1992 Olympic Games and 1996 Olympic Games representing

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. He retired from professional basketball in 2005. Sabonis was selected by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

in the first round of the 1986 NBA draft, but he did not play his first NBA game until 1995, at the age of 30. On 20 August 2010, Sabonis was inducted into the

FIBA Hall of Fame The FIBA Hall of Fame, or FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honors players, coaches, teams, referees, and administrators who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA in 1991. Originally built in ...

in recognition of his great play in international competition. On 4 April 2011, Sabonis was named to the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

, and he was inducted on 12 August 2011. On 24 October 2011, Sabonis was voted as the next President of the

Lithuanian Basketball Federation The Lithuanian Basketball Federation (), also known as LKF, is a national governing body of basketball in Lithuania. It was founded in 1936, but due to Occupation of the Baltic states, Soviet occupation, the federation disappeared from FIBA. It w ...

, replacing Vladas Garastas, who had led the LBF since 1991. He resigned from the position on 2 October 2013, but he came back to it on 10 October 2013. His son, Domantas Sabonis, plays for the NBA's

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

Early life and career

Born in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

, in then

Lithuanian SSR The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; ; ), also known as Soviet Lithuania or simply Lithuania, was '' de facto'' one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union between 1940–1941 and 1944–1990. After 1946, its terr ...

, Soviet Union, Sabonis began playing basketball at age 13. By the time he was 15 years old, he was a member of the Soviet national junior team. Sabonis was excused from mandatory service to the

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

, by enrolling at the Lithuanian University of Agriculture, in his hometown.

Professional career

Žalgiris

Sabonis made his professional club debut in 1981, with one of the oldest basketball teams in Lithuania, Žalgiris, in his hometown of

. With the club, he won three consecutive Soviet Premier League titles, and the 1986 FIBA Club World Cup (FIBA Intercontinental Cup).

Valladolid

In 1989, Sabonis left Žalgiris, and signed with the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

club Fórum Valladolid. During the 1991–92 season, Sabonis helped the team to reach the semifinals at the Korać Cup.

Real Madrid

In 1992, after playing with Fórum Valladolid for three seasons, Sabonis joined the Spanish club

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

, and with them, he won two Spanish League titles, and a FIBA European League (EuroLeague) title, in 1994–95. With Real Madrid, during the 1994–95 Spanish League season, he averaged 22.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.3 blocked shots, in 42 games played. While in the 1994–95 FIBA European League season, he averaged 21.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, in 17 games played.

Portland Trail Blazers

Sabonis was originally selected by the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

with the 77th overall pick of the

1985 NBA draft The 1985–86 NBA season, 1985 NBA draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA draft of the "NBA draft lottery, lottery" era. It was also around this time where the league decreased the amount of rounds the draft spent, with the ...

. However, the selection was voided because Sabonis was under 21 at the time of the draft. The following spring, he suffered a devastating

Achilles' tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris muscle, plantaris, gastrocnemius muscle, gastrocnemius (calf ...

injury. Nevertheless, he was selected by the

, with the 24th overall pick of the 1986 NBA draft. As of 2024, Sabonis would be the last player to be selected in multiple

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

s, since the process of players entering multiple draft years would be abolished after the 1980s. Sabonis was not allowed to play in the US by the Soviet authorities, despite LSU Tigers head coach Dale Brown's plans to have Sabonis studying and playing at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, thus keeping him in an

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

status. However, he did go to Portland, to rehabilitate his injury with the Blazers medical staff, in 1988, while also practicing with the team. After the 1994–95 European season, Sabonis and Portland contacted one another about a move to the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. Before signing Sabonis, Portland's then-general manager,

Bob Whitsitt Bob Whitsitt is a former sports executive in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL). He has served as the general manager (or in an equivalent role) for three teams: the Seattle SuperSonics and Po ...

, asked the Blazers team physician to look at Sabonis' X-rays. Illustrating the impact of Sabonis' numerous injuries, Whitsitt recalled in a 2011 interview, that when the doctor reported the results, "He said that Arvydas could qualify for a handicapped parking spot, based on the X-ray alone." Nevertheless, the Blazers signed Sabonis. He had a successful rookie campaign, averaging 14.5 points, on 55% shooting, and 8.1 rebounds per game while playing less than 24 minutes per game. Sabonis was selected to the All-Rookie First Team and was runner-up in both Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year voting. His postseason averages went up to 23.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. In the first playoff series of his NBA career, Portland lost to Utah in five games. Sabonis averaged 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game in 1997–98, all career-highs. During Sabonis's first stint in Portland, the Blazers always made the playoffs (part of a 21-year streak); between 1998 and 1999, the Oregon franchise changed large parts of its roster in order to compete for the NBA Championship (after six consecutive first round losses) with center Sabonis the only player remaining in the starting five. Kenny Anderson and Isaiah Rider were traded for Damon Stoudamire and Steve Smith. In both those years, the Blazers reached the Western Conference Finals. In 1999, they were swept by the eventual champions, the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, while, the next year, the team (starting Sabonis, Smith, Stoudamire,

Rasheed Wallace Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels before declaring for the draft in 1995. ...

, and recently added Scottie Pippen) lost to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

(at the beginning of the team's three-peat), in seven games. The question that frequently surrounds Sabonis's NBA career revolves around how good he could have been had he played in the NBA during his prime. Sabonis was already 30 when he joined the Blazers, by which time he had already won multiple gold medals, suffered through numerous injuries, and had lost much of his mobility and athleticism. In

Bill Simmons William John Simmons III (born September 25, 1969) is an American podcaster, Sports journalism, sportswriter, and cultural critic who is the founder and CEO of the sports and pop culture website ''The Ringer (website), The Ringer''. Simmons fir ...

's "Book of Basketball", Sabonis the international player is idealized, while Sabonis the Blazer is described as "lumbering up and down the court in what looked to be concrete Nikes" and ranking "just behind Artis Gilmore on the Moving Like a Mummy Scale." In

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

's David Thorpe's view, Sabonis would be the best passing big man in NBA history, and possibly a top-four center overall, had he played his entire career there. In Clyde Drexler's view, if Sabonis had been able to spend his prime in Portland, next to the plethora of other Trail Blazers' All-Stars (Drexler, Terry Porter, Buck Williams, Steve Johnson, Kevin Duckworth, and Clifford Robinson), the Trail Blazers would "have had four, five or six titles. Guaranteed. He was that good. He could pass, shoot three pointers, had a great post game, and dominated the paint." Despite his height and weight, he was "a magician in the post who played the game with a style I've never seen from a big man. He was a point guard in a center's body. And, just to be fair to Arvydas, he was better than most point guards are at distributing the ball." His age and injuries made him appear as a "big guy who looked like he couldn't make it up the court, but the same guy who made the defense look foolish with a pass that whizzed by their ear. It just goes to show you how smarts and court savvy will always age better than a guy with no brains and all athletic ability". On 6 April 2001, Sabonis scored a season-high 32 points while making 11 of 12 field goal attempts during a 122–91 win over the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. After the 2000–2001 NBA season, Sabonis refused to sign an extension with the Trail Blazers and retired from the NBA. In his own words, he "was tired mentally and physically." Instead, he returned to Europe, where he signed a one-year deal, at a nominal salary, with Žalgiris Kaunas, expecting to join the team for the most important games of the season down the stretch. However, he ended up missing that season in its entirety, resting and recovering from injuries. Sabonis rejoined the Trail Blazers for one final season, in 2002–2003. He won the Euroscar twice while playing with the Blazers. He also became a fan favorite, and had a warm welcome back when he visited Portland in 2011, en route to being enshrined into the

Naismith Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

Back to Žalgiris

Sabonis went back to Žalgiris to play his final season, in 2003–04. He led the team to the Top 16 stage of the EuroLeague that year, and was named the Regular Season MVP and the Top 16 MVP. He also became the team's president. Sabonis would officially retire from playing professional basketball, in 2005.

National team career

Soviet national team

In 1982, Sabonis was one of the players in the senior Soviet Union national team that toured the United States, playing against various

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

teams. Despite being recommended to rest, instead of playing in the

, the Soviets allowed Sabonis to remain a part of their national team. Sabonis led the

to a gold medal, with a win against the 1988 edition of the United States national team, that featured future NBA All-Stars David Robinson, Mitch Richmond, and

Danny Manning Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to and short for the male name Daniel.🖾🖾 People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist * Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer * Danny Baker (born 1957), English j ...

in the semifinals. This was the last American Olympic team that was not composed of active

players. The team later beat

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

in the finals. In his career with the senior Soviet national team, Sabonis also played at the following major tournaments: the

1982 FIBA World Championship The 1982 FIBA World Championship was the 9th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Colombia from 15 to 28 August 1982. Qualification Venues Competin ...

(gold medal), the 1983 EuroBasket (bronze medal), the 1985 EuroBasket (gold medal), the

1986 FIBA World Championship The 1986 FIBA World Championship was the 10th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. It was hosted by Spain and was held from 5 to 20 July 1986. The final phase of the tournament was hel ...

(silver medal), and the 1989 EuroBasket (bronze medal). He was named to the

EuroBasket All-Tournament Team The FIBA EuroBasket All-Tournament Team, or FIBA EuroBasket All-Star Five, is the FIBA Europe award that is bestowed upon the five best players of each FIBA EuroBasket tournament. Pau Gasol holds the record for the most selections in the All-E ...

in 1983 and 1985, and he was named the EuroBasket MVP in 1985. The 1985–1988 stretch of a heavy playing schedule, and lack of rest, took a significant toll on Sabonis's future health and durability. Various leg injuries were not given much time to heal, due to the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

climate that surrounded international competition, as well as the intense rivalry of the Žalgiris Kaunas versus CSKA Moscow games in the USSR Premier League. In a 2011 interview, Sabonis expressed an opinion, that overuse by the coaches of the Soviet national program, was a major contributing factor to his first Achilles' tendon injury, back in 1986.Lithuania Calling
Also Another key moment for his future health, took place in 1988, when Sabonis had a surgical Achilles procedure performed in Portland, but was rushed back on the floor with the USSR Olympic team, before a full recovery. The decision to include a limping Sabonis, on the USSR roster for the 1988 Olympic Games, was protested at the time by the Portland medical staff, and was later heavily criticized. While the Soviets cleared him to play professionally in 1989, when his Soviet national teammate, Šarūnas Marčiulionis, went to North America, Sabonis postponed his travel, over feeling that he was not physically ready for the NBA. Eventually, Sabonis would develop chronic knee, ankle and groin issues, that substantially limited his mobility and explosiveness, by the mid-1990s.

Lithuanian national team

After breakup of the

, and the independence of

, Sabonis then became a member of the senior Lithuanian national team. He represented Lithuania at the following major tournaments: the 1992 Summer Olympic Games (bronze medal), the 1995 EuroBasket (silver medal), the 1996 Summer Olympic Games (bronze medal), and the 1999 EuroBasket. He was named to the

in 1995. Sabonis was also awarded a silver medal at the 2013 EuroBasket tournament, due to being the

(LKF) President.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 73 , , 21 , , 23.8 , , .545 , , .375 , , .757 , , 8.1 , , 1.8 , , .9 , , 1.1 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 69 , , 68 , , 25.5 , , .498 , , .371 , , .777 , , 7.9 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , 1.2 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 73 , , 73 , , 32.0 , , .493 , , .261 , , .798 , , 10.0 , , 3.0 , , .9 , , 1.1 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , 48 , , 27.0 , , .485 , , .292 , , .771 , , 7.9 , , 2.4 , , .7 , , 1.3 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 66 , , 61 , , 25.6 , , .505 , , .368 , , .843 , , 7.8 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , 1.2 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 61 , , 42 , , 21.3 , , .479 , , .067 , , .776 , , 5.4 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 78 , , 1 , , 15.5 , , .476 , , .500 , , .787 , , 4.3 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .6 , , 6.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 470 , , 314 , , 24.2 , , .500 , , .328 , , .786 , , 7.3 , , 2.1 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , 12.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 5 , , 5 , , 35.4 , , .432 , , .556 , , .717 , , 10.2 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .6 , , 23.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 4 , , 4 , , 27.0 , , .429 , , .250 , , .875 , , 6.5 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .8 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 4 , , 4 , , 26.8 , , .450 , , .500 , , .857 , , 7.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 13 , , 13 , , 30.2 , , .398 , , .200 , , .907 , , 8.8 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 1.2 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 16 , , 16 , , 30.8 , , .453 , , .286 , , .796 , , 6.7 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .8 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 3 , , 3 , , 34.7 , , .483 , , .000 , , .750 , , 8.3 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , 2.3 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 6 , , 1 , , 14.3 , , .667 , , , , .800 , , 4.0 , , .8 , , .7 , , .7 , , 10.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 51 , , 46 , , 28.8 , , .452 , , .319 , , .802 , , 7.4 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .9 , , 12.1

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1985–86 , style="text-align:left;", Žalgiris , 13 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 24.5 , , , - , style="text-align:left;", 1986–87 , style="text-align:left;", Žalgiris , 6 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 21.3 , , , - , style="text-align:left;", 1992–93 , style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , , , 30.9 , , .543 , , .500 , , .663 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 12.0* , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , , , 16.5 , , , - , style="text-align:left;", 1993–94 , style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , , , 34.3 , , .577 , , .350 , , .723 , , 11.9 , , 2.9 , , 1.0 , , , , 17.4 , , , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 1994–95† , style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , , , 33.8 , , .572 , , .545 , , .783 , , 11.2 , , 2.6 , , 1.8 , , , , 21.8 , , , - , style="text-align:left;", 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;", Žalgiris , 18 , , 14 , , 28.3 , , .560 , , .366 , , .696 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 10.7* , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 1.6* , , 16.7 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 26.3* , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 89 , , , , 31.6 , , .562 , , .439 , , .716 , , 11.4 , , 2.4 , , 1.3 , , 1.6 , , 19.2 , ,

Personal life

Sabonis is married to Ingrida Mikelionytė, the first

Miss Lithuania Miss Lithuania () is a national Beauty pageant in Lithuania. History Miss Lithuania began in 1993 and debuted at the Miss World competition. The pageant traditionally broadcast live on "Lietuvos rytas TV". Since 2012, the Miss Lithuania Organi ...

, a fashion model, and a movie actress. They have a daughter named Aušrinė, and three sons: Žygimantas, Tautvydas, and Domantas – the last two being born in the cities their father was playing,

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

and Portland. Once Sabonis left the NBA, the family moved to the Spanish coastal city of

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

. Domantas was drafted 11th overall in the 2016 NBA draft and is currently a three-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

, and currently plays for the

. Žygimantas, and Tautvydas decided to continue their careers in Europe. Both Domantas and Tautvydas played for the Lithuania national team in different levels of competition. In September 2011, Sabonis suffered a heart attack, while playing basketball in

. Doctors said that the heart attack was not life-threatening. According to his son, Domantas, Arvydas is a huge fan of the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, his favorite basketball player is

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

and his favorite color is green.

Popular culture

He appeared on the Lithuanian cover of the video game NBA Live 2001. Arvydas Sabonis's basketball career and journey to represent his native country Lithuania in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics is highlighted in the documentary film The Other Dream Team. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012 and was distributed by Lionsgate in the U.S. and Disney internationally.

References

External links

*
FIBA Archive ProfileEuroleague.net ProfileSpanish ACB Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabonis, Arvydas 1964 births Living people 1982 FIBA World Championship players 1986 FIBA World Championship players Atlanta Hawks draft picks Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Kaunas Basketball players with retired numbers BC Žalgiris players Businesspeople from Kaunas CB Valladolid players Centers (basketball) Commander's Crosses of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Euroscar award winners FIBA EuroBasket–winning players FIBA Hall of Fame inductees FIBA World Championship–winning players Goodwill Games medalists in basketball Grand Crosses of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR Liga ACB players Lithuanian expatriate basketball people in the United States Lithuanian expatriate basketball people in Spain Lithuanian men's basketball players Lithuanian Sportsperson of the Year winners Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees NBA players from Lithuania Olympic basketball players for Lithuania Olympic basketball players for the Soviet Union Olympic bronze medalists for Lithuania Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic medalists in basketball Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Real Madrid Baloncesto players Recipients of the Olympic Order Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Presidential Order of Excellence Soviet expatriate sportspeople in Spain Soviet men's basketball players Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy alumni