Arvydas Sabonis

Arvydas Sabonis
	Sabonis with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1996
Personal information
Born	19 December 1964 (age 59); Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
Listed height	7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
Listed weight	292 lb (132 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	1986: 1st round, 24th overall pick
	Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career	1981–2004
Position	Center
Number	11
Career history
1981–1989	Žalgiris
1989–1992	Fórum Valladolid
1992–1995	Real Madrid
1995–2001	Portland Trail Blazers
2001–2002	Žalgiris
2002–2003	Portland Trail Blazers
2003–2004	Žalgiris
Career highlights and awards
	FIBA Club World Cup champion (1986); FIBA European League champion (1995); 3× USSR League champion (1985–1987); 2× ACB League champion (1993, 1994); LKL champion (2004); Spanish Cup winner (1993); FIBA's 50 Greatest Players (1991); 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008); 6× Euroscar Player of the Year (1984, 1985, 1988, 1995, 1997, 1999); 2× Mr. Europa Player of the Year (1985, 1997); 4× Lithuanian Sportsman of the Year (1984–1986, 1996); EuroBasket MVP (1985); FIBA European League Final Four MVP (1995); EuroLeague Regular Season MVP (2004); EuroLeague Top 16 MVP (2004); All-EuroLeague First Team (2004); 2× Spanish League Finals MVP (1993, 1994); 2× Spanish League MVP (1994, 1995); 2× Spanish All-Star Game MVP (1991, 1992); 2× EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer (1986, 1995); NBA All-Rookie First Team (1996); No. 11 retired by Žalgiris Kaunas; FIBA European League Rebounding Leader (1993); EuroLeague Rebounding Leader (2004); EuroLeague Blocking Leader (2004); EuroLeague PIR Leader (2004);
Career NBA statistics
Points	5,629 (12.0 ppg)
Rebounds	3,436 (7.3 rpg)
Assists	964 (2.1 apg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
	Basketball Hall of Fame as player
	FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Men's basketball
Olympic Games
Representing Soviet Union
Representing Lithuania
World Cup
Representing Soviet Union
EuroBasket
Representing Soviet Union
Representing Lithuania
European Championship for Cadets
Representing Soviet Union

Arvydas Romas Sabonis (Lithuanian pronunciation: [ˈaːrviːdaːs ˈsaːboːnʲɪs]; born 19 December 1964) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and businessman. Recognized as one of the best European players of all time and one of the best big-man passers in the history of the game,^[1]^[2] he won the Euroscar six times and the Mr. Europa Award twice. He played in a variety of leagues, including the Spanish ACB League, and spent seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Playing the center position, Sabonis won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics, in South Korea, for the Soviet Union, and later earned bronze medals at the 1992 Olympic Games and 1996 Olympic Games representing Lithuania. He retired from professional basketball in 2005. Sabonis was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers 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 in recognition of his great play in international competition.^[3] On 4 April 2011, Sabonis was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,^[4] and he was inducted on 12 August 2011. On 24 October 2011, Sabonis was voted as the next President of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, 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 as of 2022^[update].^[5]

^ "The Old College Try: The complicated recruiting sagas of Arvydas Sabonis and his son Domantas". Sports Illustrated Longform. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
^ Staff, The Ringer (11 October 2017). "Our Favorite Passers in NBA History". The Ringer. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
^ "FIBA announces 2010 Hall of Fame Class". FIBA. 20 August 2010. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
^ "Rodman, Mullin, Winter named to Naismith Hall of Fame". NBA. 4 April 2011. Archived from the original on 7 April 2011.
^ "Pacers trade Domantas Sabonis to Kings in 6-player deal". NBA.com. Retrieved 28 December 2022.

[1] "The Old College Try: The complicated recruiting sagas of Arvydas Sabonis and his son Domantas". Sports Illustrated Longform. Retrieved 3 November 2023.

[2] Staff, The Ringer (11 October 2017). "Our Favorite Passers in NBA History". The Ringer. Retrieved 3 November 2023.

[3] "FIBA announces 2010 Hall of Fame Class". FIBA. 20 August 2010. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.

[hall-4] "Rodman, Mullin, Winter named to Naismith Hall of Fame". NBA. 4 April 2011. Archived from the original on 7 April 2011.

[5] "Pacers trade Domantas Sabonis to Kings in 6-player deal". NBA.com. Retrieved 28 December 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]