The Lithuanian-American basketball power striker/middle player Domantas Sabonis has distinguished himself as a very passionate and cunning player. He comes from a string of basketball stars; his effective pick and roll skills have kept him at the top of his burgeoning basketball career. He was impressive on the court and always willing to give his best. Learn more about the Power Forward below.
Who is Domantas Sabonis?
Domantas Sabonis is a talented basketball player who holds the position of Power Forward/Center for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played as a professional in the Spanish and Euro leagues for the junior team Unicaja Baloncesto. He then moved to the USA where he played college basketball with the Gonzaga Bulldogs of the University of Gonzaga.
Born in Portland, Oregon, Domantas Sabonis first entered this world on May 3, 1996. He was born to Arvydas Sabonis and his wife Ingrida Mikelionyte. His father is a basketball Hall of Famer who finished his professional career with the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA. Sabonis is of Lithuanian descent and has dual citizenship of a Lithuanian and an American.
The boy started playing basketball at a very young age; his father considered him the rudiments of the game, which gave him an advantage. When he was sixteen years old, Domantas joined Unicaja Malaga, a Spanish basketball team that plays in both the EuroLeague and the ACB League. During his time with the team, Domantas was sent on loan to Clinicas Rincon, where he completed the 2012/13 season. The next season Domantas returned to Malaga and played in the ACB league. At only seventeen years old, he became the youngest player ever to make his debut in the ACB league. At the end of the 2013/14 season, Sabonis finished tenth on the voting list for the FIBA Europe Young Men’s Player of the Year Award.
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During his time with Malaga, the rapidly rising star also led the junior team to win the silver medal in the Spanish Youth Basketball League. This time he made it into the top five of the FIBA Europe Young Men’s Player of the Year Award list. Interestingly, Sabonis never signed a professional contract with Malaga, so he qualified for the NCAA. He was recruited by the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the United States, where he only played two seasons before being called up to the 2016 NBA.
At Gonzaga University, Domantas led the Bulldogs to win the WCC tournament in the 2014/15 season. He also helped the team advance to the Sweet 16 regional finals and the Elite 8 regional finals. Although they lost to Duke University, Sabonis finished the season with 7.1 rebounds and 9.7 points per game. He was awarded both the All-WCC Freshman Team and the selection for the NCAA Tournament Southern Regional All-Tournament Team. When he ended his college career as a student, he was named to the first team of the WCC, the second team of the All-American, and the selection for the All-American Team after averaging 11.8 rebounds and 17.6 points per game this season.
Domantas Sabonis NBA Draft
After his impressive second season, Sabonis signed up for Draft 2016 and was finally selected by the Orlando Magic. After being drafted, he moved to Oklahoma City Thunder alongside Victor Oladipo and Ersan Ilyasova in exchange for Serge Ibaka. The Lithuanian star signed his rookie contract with Thunder on August 12, 2016.
In his first professional season with Oklahoma City, Domantas Sabonis was the second Thunder after Kevin Durant to be among the five starting members of the team. His extraordinary skills as a baller attracted the attention of the NBA, which earned him a place on the world team for the 2017 Rising Stars Challenge. Sabonis scored 10 points, sealing the World Team’s victory over the US team in the Rising Star Challenge. He finished his rookie season with an average of 3.6 rebounds and 5.9 points per game.
In 2017, the Luthiania star was traded to the Indiana Pacers for Paul George alongside Victor Oladipo. While the 2017/18 season was still running, Sabnis was elected the world team for the second year in a row. He led the world team to triumph over the USA team, scoring 11 rebounds and 13 points in the game. Domantas scored an average of 7.7 rebounds and 11.6 points by the end of the season, while the Pacers took advantage of the team’s option for his contract.
His Personal Life
This amazing basketball prodigy has been wonderful since the beginning of his career, thanks to his great instincts and basketball quotient. He was born into a family of basketball stars; his father Arvydas played professional basketball from 1981 to 2005. He has three siblings, two brothers – Tautvydas and Zygimantas – and a sister named Ausrine.
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Just like Domantas, his two older brothers are professional basketball players based in Europe. The three brothers have represented the Lithuanian national basketball team in equal parts at various levels of international competitions.
Moreover, the basketball star has not shared any information about his relationship status. Apparently, he is still single and not yet married. He might be in a relationship but has decided to keep this out of the media. In the meantime, Sabonis is concentrating on reaching the peak of his burgeoning basketball career.
Height and Weight
Domantas Sabonis has an incredible height of 2.08 m (6 feet 10 inches) and a bodyweight of 114 kg (252 pounds). He has blond hair and blue eyes.