Arvydas Sabonis
(Born 1964)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2011
Card Shown:
2016-17 Panini Grand Reserve
Upper Tier Signatures
Position: C
Height: 7’3″
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Arvydas Sabonis played out the prime of his career in Europe. He led the USSR and Lithuanian Olympic teams to one gold and two bronze medals, respectively. Sabonis also won three Soviet League titles, two Spanish League titles, and two Lithuanian League titles. Arvydas later entered the NBA and spent seven seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. He was a skilled shooter and passer for a big man. Many wonder what might have been if Sabonis had entered the world’s best basketball league when he was first drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1985 NBA Draft. Instead, it took nearly a decade before Arvydas would enter the NBA.
Awards and Honors
- Arvydas led the Soviet Union to the gold medal in the 1988 Olympic Games, defeating Yugoslavia 76-63 in the final game. The Soviet team also starred Sarunas Marciulionis, while the Yugoslavian squad was led by Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic. In the next two Olympic Games, in 1992 in Barcelona and in 1996 in Atlanta, Sabonis led Lithuania to bronze medals.
- Sabonis was the European Player of the Year six times (1984, 1985, 1988, 1995, 1997, 1999).
- Although older than most rookies at the time, Arvydas was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1995-96.
- Sabonis garnered many international awards including European Championship MVP in 1985, Spanish League Finals MVP in 1993-94, Spanish League MVP in 1994-95, and Euroleague MVP in 2004.
- Arvydas helped his USSR teams win the gold medal at the World Championship in Colombia in 1982 and the silver medal at World Championship in Spain in 1986.
Points of Interest
- Before he arrived in the NBA in 1995, Sabonis was one of the dominant players in Europe. He joined the Portland Trail Blazers that year and played for them for seven seasons before retiring in 2003. Arvydas had retired previously in 2001, and he sat out the 2001-02 season, but he returned for one last season with the Trail Blazers in 2002-03. Sabonis helped the Blazers to reach the playoffs in each of his seven seasons with the team.
- In the 1992 Olympics, the world was captivated by the story of the Dream Team and its run to the gold medal. However, the movie “The Other Dream Team” portrays the Lithuanian Olympic team, led by Sabonis and Marciulionis, playing as an independent nation after breaking away from the shackles of the Soviet Union. Sponsored financially by the band The Grateful Dead, and wearing tie-dyed warm-ups, Lithuania was a symbol of hope and democracy in a formerly communist area of the world. Although not at the level of the United States, Lithuania captured the bronze medal and the hearts of many around the world.
- Arvydas’ son, Domantas Sabonis, played at Gonzaga University and was selected by the Orlando Magic with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft. At 6’11” tall, Domantas plays center like his father did and also mans the power forward spot at times.
- Sabonis ended his NBA career with averages of 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Although he was a very good NBA player, most American fans never saw Arvydas at the peak of his career when he played in Europe.
- In addition to being inducted into the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts in 2011, Sabonis was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010.
Statistics
Arvydas Sabonis Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com