Arvydas Sabonis

Arvydas Romas Sabonis (Lithuanian pronunciation: [ˈaːrviːdaːs ˈsaːboːnʲɪs]; born December 19, 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, 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.

Arvydas Sabonis
Sabonis with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1996
Personal information
Born (1964-12-19) December 19, 1964
Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
Listed height7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
Listed weight292 lb (132 kg)
Career information
NBA draft1986: 1st round, 24th overall pick
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career1981–2004
PositionCenter
Number11
Career history
1981–1989Žalgiris
1989–1992Fórum Valladolid
1992–1995Real Madrid
19952001Portland Trail Blazers
2001–2002Žalgiris
2002–2003Portland Trail Blazers
2003–2004Žalgiris
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points5,629 (12.0 ppg)
Rebounds3,436 (7.3 rpg)
Assists964 (2.1 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals
Men's basketball
Olympic Games
Representing  Soviet Union
1988 SeoulTeam
Representing  Lithuania
1992 BarcelonaTeam
1996 AtlantaTeam
World Cup
Representing  Soviet Union
Colombia 1982
Spain 1986
EuroBasket
Representing  Soviet Union
1983 France
1985 West Germany
1989 Yugoslavia
Representing  Lithuania
1995 Greece
European Championship for Cadets
Representing  Soviet Union
1981 GreeceUnder-18

On August 20, 2010, Sabonis was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in recognition of his great play in international competition. On April 4, 2011, Sabonis was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and he was inducted on August 12, 2011. On October 24, 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 October 2, 2013, but he came back to it on October 10, 2013.

His son, Domantas Sabonis, plays for the NBA's Sacramento Kings as of 2023.

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