Like father, like son: Arvydas and Domantas Sabonis

Sometimes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In OlyBet.TV’s new series, we look at the best father-son duos in basketball.

Arvydas Sabonis is undoubtedly one of the greatest European basketball players ever. Some might even consider him the very best, but since it is difficult to compare different eras and because the center reached the NBA too late, it is impossible to objectively place him on that throne.

Sabonis, who hails from Lithuania’s basketball capital, Kaunas, has a trophy cabinet that contains nearly everything except an NBA title. The 221 cm tall giant is an Olympic champion, a world champion, a European champion, and a EuroLeague winner; the list of titles and honors could go on and on.

However, Sabonis could have had an even more remarkable career. Unfortunately, his journey started under the Soviet Union’s occupation, which, for a long time, prevented him from moving abroad.

Moreover, the Soviet Union coaches put too much strain on his body. In the late 1980s, Sabonis played a lot and was not given enough time to recover from various injuries.

For example, the Lithuanian should have skipped the 1988 Seoul Olympics after undergoing Achilles tendon surgery in the United States shortly before the tournament. Regardless, the communist regime needed its best player for the Olympics.

With a limping Sabonis, they won the coveted gold.

Thought he wasn’t ready for the NBA

A year later, Sabonis received permission to leave the Soviet Union. Although his NBA rights belonged to the Portland Trail Blazers thanks to the 1986 draft, the player felt he was not physically ready for the league.

Instead of heading across the pond, like his compatriot Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Sabonis moved to Spain for six years. He first signed with Valladolid and then with Real Madrid. In the 1994/95 season, he played a crucial role in leading the royal club to a EuroLeague victory, averaging 21.8 points and 11.2 rebounds.

However, by the mid-1990s, his lower body had endured so much strain that various knee, ankle, and groin problems limited his explosiveness and mobility.

He was no longer quite the same player he once was.

Although Sabonis, in his prime, was physically astonishing, his game did not solely rely on that. The Lithuanian was an intelligent player who could direct the offense near the paint and often saw passing lanes that 99% of players missed.

After winning the EuroLeague with Real, Sabonis had achieved everything in the Old World. At age 30, with an aching body, he finally moved to the NBA, where he played seven seasons and 521 games with the Blazers. His averages of 12 points and 7.3 rebounds per game clearly showed that he could have been a dominant force in the league with a slightly healthier body and an earlier move.

It is also worth mentioning that at age 39, Sabonis returned to his hometown of Kaunas to have one last dance with Žalgiris. Although he moved like a truck hauling tons, he was still chosen as the EuroLeague MVP. Sabonis’ average statistics over 18 games were 16.7 points and 10.7 rebounds, which is exceptionally good by European standards, especially at such an age.

The stubborn boy, Domantas

Arvydas Sabonis and his wife, former Lithuanian model and actress Ingrida, had four children. Naturally, the three sons loved basketball, and while Tautvydas has become a valued assistant coach for Žalgiris, Domantas has reached the highest heights as a player.

For his father, this is no surprise.

When Arvydas was once asked if any of his sons might follow in his footsteps, he pointed to Domantas, who was extraordinarily stubborn and left-handed. “He has all the tools,” said the father, thinking about his son’s potential basketball career.

Domantas, born in Portland in May 1996, came into a free world where no one forced him to play or pushed his body to the breaking point. Nevertheless, Sabonis grabbed a basketball at every opportunity, initially battling against his older brothers.

Although Sabonis was born in the U.S., he grew up as a basketball player in Malaga, Spain, where the family moved after Arvydas’ career ended. At the local powerhouse Unicaja, Domantas emerged as a highly regarded talent, but instead of a lucrative professional contract, he chose a college career.

Gonzaga has become one of the strongest forces in U.S. college basketball in the 21st century, frequently using players from Europe. With Sabonis, the team’s coaches got a very good young player who had to be held back because he just wanted to train, train, and train more.

Coaches have recalled that they had to lock the gym one night to force Sabonis to rest.

“He has to be stopped because he has such a passion from his genes. He reminds me of his father,” said one coach who remained anonymous to the Lithuanian outlet 15min. “If you lose a shooting contest while on the team with Sabu… Even his hands will shake.”

Although Sabonis had a good rookie season in the NCAA, he moved to the starting lineup in his sophmore season thanks to Polish center Przemysław Karnowski’s severe back problems. The Lithuanian excelled both on the court and in the classroom, and reaching the NBA was just a matter of time.

In the 2016 draft, the 208 cm tall big man was picked 11th overall and has had a brilliant career. He is the first Lithuanian to record a triple-double in the NBA, has been repeatedly selected for the All-Star game, and has led the league in rebounds in the last two seasons. Sabonis’ biggest weapon is not his physicality but intelligence and versatility.

Just like his father, because sometimes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.