This is an accepted version of this page
.jpg) Sabonis with theLithuania national team in 2022 | |
| No. 11 – Sacramento Kings | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center /power forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1996-05-03)May 3, 1996 (age 29) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Nationality | Lithuanian / American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Gonzaga (2014–2016) |
| NBA draft | 2016: 1st round, 11th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Orlando Magic |
| Playing career | 2012–present |
| Career history | |
| 2012–2014 | Unicaja Málaga |
| 2012–2013 | →Clínicas Rincón |
| 2016–2017 | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2017–2022 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2022–present | Sacramento Kings |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Domantas Sabonis (Lithuanian pronunciation:[ˈdoːmɐntɐssɐˈboːnʲɪs]; born May 3, 1996) is a Lithuanian–American[1][2] professionalbasketball player for theSacramento Kings of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) and theLithuanian national team.[3] Son of theHall of Fame playerArvydas Sabonis, Sabonis is a two-timeAll-NBA Team member, three-timeNBA All-Star, and hasled the league in rebounds three times.[3]
Sabonis started his career in Spain withUnicaja Málaga. He then moved to the United States and playedcollege basketball for theGonzaga Bulldogs. After being drafted 11th overall in the2016 NBA draft by theOrlando Magic, Sabonis was traded to theOklahoma City Thunder on draft night, spending his rookie season with the team before being traded to theIndiana Pacers in 2017. He played five seasons for the Pacers and was named an All-Star twice during his tenure. In 2022, Sabonis was traded to theSacramento Kings for rising starTyrese Haliburton, in a move considered shocking to many.[4] Named to his first All-NBA team and third All-Star selection in 2023, he led the Kings alongsideDe'Aaron Fox to the third seed in the2023 NBA playoffs and helped them break theirNBA record 16-season playoff drought.[5]
Domantas was born on May 3, 1996, inPortland, Oregon, when his father,Arvydas Sabonis, was playing for thePortland Trail Blazers.[6][7][3] His mother isIngrida Mikelionytė, the first Miss Lithuania in 1988.[8] He has two older brothers, Žygis (born 1991) and Tautvydas (born 1992), and a younger sister, Aušrinė (born 1997).[9] When Arvydas was once asked if any of his sons will follow his footsteps in basketball, he singled out Domantas due to his stubbornness, and because he isleft-handed.[9]
In 2004, Domantas' father retired from basketball, and the whole family moved from Portland toMálaga, Spain.
I like a lot of things about his game. He is extremely aggressive, plays with a motor, is always going hard. Really high level rebounder, great passer, physical player, and runs and moves exceptionally well for a big guy.
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domantas Sabonis PF | Kaunas, Lithuania | Sunny View School /Unicaja Málaga | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Apr 17, 2014 | |
Recruit ratings:Scout: Rivals:  247Sports:  ESPN: (NR) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Scout: NR Rivals: NR 247Sports: #26 ESPN: NR | ||||||
Sources:
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Sabonis declined a Unicaja offer of a three-year $630,000 contract in order to play in theNCAA.[11] Hecommitted toNCAA Division I squadGonzaga University prior to the 2014–15 season.[12][13] On November 14, 2014, Sabonis solidly debuted by scoring 14 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and dishing 2 assists, along with one steal and one block in 20 minutes.[14] On February 3, 2015, after averaging 13 points and 11 rebounds per 26 minutes he was namedWest Coast Conference Player of the Week.[15] After a stellar regular season with Gonzaga, Sabonis was named to the All-WCC Second team, as well as to the WCC All-Freshman team.[16] On March 10, the Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated theBYU Cougars 91–75 and won theWCC Tournament Title for the third straight time.[17][18] Sabonis was one of the best players in the game with 15 points and 6 rebounds.[19][20] DuringMarch Madness, Sabonis led Gonzaga to the Sweet 16 with 18 points and 9 rebounds.[21] Gonzaga beatUCLA to make it to the Elite Eight, Gonzaga's first regional final withMark Few as head coach and second overall. Sabonis scored 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds during that game.[22] The season ended with a loss to the future championsDuke and Sabonis was named to the NCAA Tournament South Regional All-Tournament team.[23] In his first NCAA season, Sabonis averaged 9.7 points, along with Gonzaga team highs of 66.8% field-goal percentage and 7.1 rebounds.[24]
On April 4, Few toldESPN that Sabonis planned to return for his sophomore season at Gonzaga, adding that Sabonis never seriously considered declaring for the2015 NBA draft.[25]
On August 13, 2015, ESPN placed Sabonis 20th in its NCAA players rankings heading for the 2015–16 season, describing him as "one of the nation's best, and edgiest, rebounders".[26]
No one plays harder than Gonzaga's Domantas Sabonis. The sophomore forward is a walking double-double, which could earn him third-team All-American honors.
Sabonis began hissecond NCAA season with an outstanding career-high performance of 26 points (FG: 12/13, FT: 2/2); he also added 7 rebounds in a 91–52 win over Northern Arizona.[28] On December 19, Sabonis set a new career high in points and rebounds, scoring 36 points (FG: 12/16, FT: 12/15) and grabbing 16 rebounds; his team won 86–79.[29] The Zags' head coachMark Few said that he never had seen a monster line like that for a Zag.[30] Two days later, Sabonis improved on another career high by dishing out 6 assists; he also scored 23 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and led Gonzaga past thePepperdine Waves 99–73.[31] On January 2, 2016, he was just one point shy of his scoring record with 35 points; he also added 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks in a thrilling come-from-behind victory inOT versus theSan Francisco Dons 102–94.[32] On January 9, Sabonis once again improved his rebounds record by grabbing 17 rebounds, and adding 28 points, 3 steals, 3 blocks and 4 assists, his team won 85–74. After the game, the Bulldogs head coach Mark Few said: "Sabonis, none of us can take for granted the type of year he is having... Such consistency, it's amazing".[33] On January 21, nearly posted atriple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and a career-high 7 assists.[34] Two days later, Sabonis grabbed a new career high of 20 rebounds, as well as 12 points and 2 assists.[35] He was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for theNaismith Trophy on February 11.[36] On March 1, he was included into the First-team All-WCC.[37] Two days later, Sabonis receivedCoSIDA Academic All-American honors.[38]
On March 17, Sabonis began his secondMarch Madness appearance by leading his team past theSeton Hall Pirates 68–52 to the Round of 32, scoring 21 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and making 4 assists, despite having a flu.[39][40][41] On March 19, he helped his team to advance into the Sweet 16 stage with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, crushing the third-seededUtah Utes 82–59.[42] Moreover, he limited his direct opponent and one of the top prospectsJakob Pöltl to just 5 points and 4 rebounds.[43] Following it, Sabonis was the most efficient post-up player left in the NCAA tournament.[44] Despite his yet another monster performance of 19 points, 17 rebounds (7 offensive) and 5 blocks on March 25, his journey was stopped by theSyracuse Orange during the final match moments, losing 60–63.[45] In his second NCAA season Sabonis almost doubled his every single statistical line comparing with the previous season.[46] During the March Madness, his averages were 19.6 points, 14.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.3 blocks.[47] On March 29, Sabonis was named to theCBS College Basketball All-America Third-team, along withBen Simmons,Brandon Ingram,Jamal Murray andYogi Ferrell.[48] Sabonis also was one of the finalists for theKareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.[49]
In early April 2016, several U.S. media reports indicated that Sabonis would declare himself eligible for the2016 NBA draft and would hire anagent, marking the end of his career at Gonzaga.[50] On April 20, he signed with Jason Ranne and Greg Lawrence ofWasserman Media Group for representation in the NBA draft.[51] Prior to the draft, Sabonis rejected the offer to participate inNBA Draft Combine.[52] Instead, he participated in four pre-draft workouts with thePhoenix Suns,Toronto Raptors,Boston Celtics andUtah Jazz.[53]
Despite being only a 16-year-old, on September 5, 2012, Sabonis debuted forUnicaja Málaga againstCibona Zagreb.[54] He was later loaned toClínicas Rincón for the 2012–13 season. He returned to Málaga for the 2013–14 season and debuted in theLiga ACB on October 13, 2013,[55] becoming the youngest Unicaja player to debut in the ACB (17 years, 5 months and 10 days).[56] On October 18, Sabonis debuted in theEuroLeague againstOlympiacos Piraeus. In February 2014, he finished in the top 10 for the 2013FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award voting.[57] His best ACB game came on May 3, when he scored 13 points on 100% shooting.[58] On May 10, Sabonis helped Unicaja's junior team win the Spain Youth Basketball League silver medal. In the final game, he recorded 14 points and eight rebounds.[59] In January 2015, he finished in the top 5 for the 2014 FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award voting.[60] During his time with Unicaja, he never signed a professional contract with salary in order to remain eligible for theNCAA.[61]
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Sabonis was selected 11th overall by theOrlando Magic in the2016 NBA draft.[62] He was traded to theOklahoma City Thunder along withErsan İlyasova andVictor Oladipo forSerge Ibaka on draft night.[63][64] He did not participate in the2016 NBA Summer League in order to join theLithuania men's national basketball team training camp.[65] On August 12, 2016, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Thunder.[66] He made his debut for the Thunder in their season opener as their starting power forward on October 26, recording five points and four rebounds in 16 minutes, in a 103–97 win over thePhiladelphia 76ers.[67] He became the first Thunder player to debut as a starting five member sinceKevin Durant.[68] On November 7, he recorded season highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds in a 97–85 win over theMiami Heat.[69] On December 23, he set a new season high with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting in a 117–112 win over theBoston Celtics.[70] On January 25, 2017, he was named in the World Team for the 2017Rising Stars Challenge.[71][72] Six days later, he matched his season high with 13 rebounds and had 13 points in a 108–94 loss to theSan Antonio Spurs.[73] On February 18, he scored 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting in only 12 minutes to help Team World defeat Team USA 150–141 in theRising Stars Challenge duringAll-Star Weekend.[74] Sabonis transitioned to a bench role in early March, following the acquisition ofTaj Gibson at the trade deadline.[75] In his debut season, he was a member of the starting five in 66 of 81 games.[76] The Thunder qualified for theNBA Playoffs as the sixth seed, but they were eliminated 4–1 by theHouston Rockets in the first round; Sabonis played just six minutes in the series, as he managed court time in just two of the five games.[77] Upon concluding his rookie season, Sabonis indicated that he would participate in the2017 NBA Summer League in preparation forEuroBasket 2017.[78]
Players respect me now, players depend on me", "My teammates, when the game is tough they tell me, 'C'mon Domas, we need you,' and I like that, I like taking that responsibility.
On July 6, 2017, Sabonis was traded, along withVictor Oladipo, to theIndiana Pacers in exchange forPaul George.[80] Due to the unexpected trade, he not only missed the2017 NBA Summer League, but was also ruled out from representing the Lithuanian national team duringEuroBasket 2017.[81] In his debut for the Pacers in their season opener on October 18, Sabonis had 16 points and seven rebounds in a 140–131 win over theBrooklyn Nets.[82] On October 29, he had 22 points and 12 rebounds, while going 9-of-9 from the field in a 97–94 win over theSan Antonio Spurs.[83] Two days later, he recorded a then career-high 16 rebounds, in addition to 12 points and five assists, in a 101–83 win over theSacramento Kings.[84] On November 2, he recorded a then career-high six assists in addition to 15 points and 12 rebounds in a 124–107 win over theCleveland Cavaliers.[85] On December 18, he had a career-high three blocked shots to go with 17 points and eight rebounds in a 109–97 win over the Nets.[86] On January 3, 2018, he had a then career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting in a 122–101 loss to theMilwaukee Bucks.[87] While participating in the2018 NBA Rising Stars Challenge, Sabonis recorded 13 points, 11 rebounds and three assists to help Team World defeat Team USA 155–124.[88] On April 8, he scored a then career-high 30 points in a 123–117 win over theCharlotte Hornets.[89] In Game 5 of the Pacers' first-roundplayoff series against the Cavaliers, Sabonis scored a then-playoff career-high 22 points in a 98–95 loss.[90]
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On September 26, 2018, the Pacers picked up the team option on Sabonis' contract.[91] On October 31, he was 12-for-12 shooting while matching his then career-high with 30 points in a 107–101 win over theNew York Knicks.[92] On November 19, he had 19 points, nine rebounds and a then career-high nine assists in a 121–94 win over theUtah Jazz.[93] In December 2018, he was chosen as the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year by theLithuanian Basketball Federation.[94] On March 19, 2019, he tied a then career-high 16 rebounds in a 115–109 loss to theLos Angeles Clippers.[95]
On October 21, 2019, one day before start of the2019–20 season, Sabonis signed a four-year, $77 million contract extension with the Pacers.[96][97] On November 1, Sabonis recorded a then career-high 17 rebounds in a 102–95 win versus theCleveland Cavaliers.[98] On November 18, Sabonis recorded a then career-high 18 rebounds, and helping his team to get a 115–86 victory versus theBrooklyn Nets.[99] In December 2019, he was chosen as the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year for a second consecutive year.[100] On December 15, 2019, Sabonis got his 12th consecutivedouble-double and improved previous Pacers record for the most consecutive double-doubles, which was held byTroy Murphy since 2009.[101] On January 21, 2020, Sabonis became the first Lithuanian in the NBA history to record atriple-double with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists as the Pacers won 115–107 over theDenver Nuggets.[102] On January 26, he recorded his second triple-double with 27 points, 14 rebounds and a then career-high 11 assists.[103] On January 30, Sabonis was chosen to the2020 NBA All-Star Game after averaging 18 points, 12.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and became only the second Lithuanian to be chosen as anNBA All-Star, the other beingŽydrūnas Ilgauskas.[104][105] Sabonis also participated in theNBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge in 2020 and was just 1 shot away from the trophy, after being defeated only in the final byBam Adebayo.[106][107] During his first NBA All-Star Game appearance, Sabonis scored 2 points, grabbed 6 rebounds per 19 minutes and helped Team LeBron to win 157–155.[108]
Sabonis participated in the NBA 2K Players Tournament during the coronavirus pandemic, playing againstMontrezl Harrell, a center for theLos Angeles Clippers in anNBA 2K20 basketball game as their respective basketball teams.[109] The Pacers finished as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 45–28 record after seeding games in the Orlando "bubble". Sabonis did not participate after leaving the team in July to treat plantar fasciitis in his left foot (after trying to play through the injury).[110] Sabonis focused on rehab[111] and was not added to the Pacers' active playoff roster during their 4–0 first round series loss against the Heat. Having not played a game since the NBA shutdown in March, he finished with averages of 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. In November 2020, he was chosen as the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year for a third consecutive year.[112]
On December 23, 2020, Sabonis started the2020–21 season with a new career-high of 32 points, along with 13 rebounds, five assists, and one steal, and led his team to a 121–107 victory versus theNew York Knicks.[113] On December 27, 2020, Sabonis put up 19 points and 10 rebounds, alongside a game-winning layup, in a 108–107 win over theBoston Celtics.[114] On January 9, 2021, Sabonis achieved his new rebounding record by having a double-double of 28 points, 22 rebounds, and 4 assists (this way he became the first player of the Pacers to have a double-double of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in 3 quarters), but his team lost 125–117 to thePhoenix Suns.[115] On January 22, 2021, Sabonis set his career's new record of steals by having five of them, along with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists, his team won 120–118 inOT versus theOrlando Magic after he made a last shot to tie the game in the fourth quarter.[116] On February 3, 2021, Sabonis improved his scoring record by having 33 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in just 3 quarters, however his team lost to theMilwaukee Bucks 110–130.[117] On February 17, 2021, Sabonis once again improved his scoring record by having a triple-double of 36 points, 17 rebounds, and ten assists, leading his team to a 134–128 victory versus theMinnesota Timberwolves, becoming the first player of the Pacers to have at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a single NBA game.[118]
On February 26, he was named anAll-Star, as an injury replacement toKevin Durant.[119] At the2021 All-Star Game, Sabonis beatNikola Vučević to win theSkills Challenge.[120] On March 17, Sabonis logged his sixthtriple-double of the season with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 124–115 loss to theBrooklyn Nets, setting a new franchise record for the most number of triple-doubles in a season.[121][122] After missing six games due to a back injury, Sabonis returned to action on May 1. He logged a triple-double at the first half and finished the game with 26 points, 19 rebounds and 14 assists across 30 minutes in a 152–95 win over theOklahoma City Thunder, becoming the third player in league history to log a triple-double by halftime while also making history as the only player to record a 20-point triple-double at the break. In his efforts, Sabonis helped the Pacers record the biggest road win in league history and the second-biggest win in franchise history.[123][124][125] On May 11, Sabonis logged his ninth triple-double of the season with 16 points, 13 rebounds and a then career-high 15 assists in a 103–94 win over thePhiladelphia 76ers.[126][127][128]
On January 5, 2022, Sabonis logged his fifteenth career triple-double with 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 129–121 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.[129][130] Four days later, Sabonis scored a career-high 42 points on 18-of-22 shooting, propelling Indiana to a 125–113 win over theUtah Jazz.[131] Moreover, it was the highest NBA scoring performance by a Lithuanian, surpassing the previous record held byLinas Kleiza since 2008.[132]
On February 8, 2022, with the Pacers looking to rebuild, Sabonis was traded along withJustin Holiday,Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round pick to theSacramento Kings in exchange forTyrese Haliburton,Buddy Hield andTristan Thompson.[133] The next day, Sabonis debuted for the Kings in a 132–119 win over theMinnesota Timberwolves, logging 22 points in addition to 14 rebounds and five assists across 32 minutes of play.[134][135][136] On February 10, 2022, Sabonis was selected as the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year for a fourth time.[137] On March 9, he was suspended for one game without pay for making contact with a game official.[138]
The triple-double he [Sabonis] had, the way he got it, I thinkOscar Robertson was the only one who had a triple-double like that. To me, that's absolutely amazing. And it's not the one-off because it's not his first triple-double.
On December 21, Sabonis recorded his 20th career triple-double with 13 points, 21 rebounds and 12 assists in a 134–120 win over theLos Angeles Lakers.[140] The next game, Sabonis had his second consecutive triple-double with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a 125–111 loss against theWashington Wizards.[141] On December 28, Sabonis scored a then season-high 31 points, along with 10 rebounds and five assists in a 127–126 win over theDenver Nuggets.[142] The next game, Sabonis had 28 points on 12-for-12 shooting along with 11 rebounds and eight assists in a 126–125 win over theUtah Jazz.[143]
On January 13, 2023, Sabonis recorded 19 points, 15 rebounds, and a career-high 16 assists in a 139–114 win over theHouston Rockets. Sabonis became the first player in Kings history to record at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists in a game sinceOscar Robertson in 1965.[144] On February 1, Sabonis scored a season-high 34 points on 15-of-20 shooting from the field, along with 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in a 119–109 win over theSan Antonio Spurs.[145]
On February 2, 2023, Sabonis was named to his thirdNBA All-Star team as a reserve for the Western Conference.[146] He, along withDe'Aaron Fox, became the first Kings players to be named All-Stars sinceDeMarcus Cousins in2016.[147] On February 23, first game after the All-Star Weekend, Sabonis logged a triple-double with 18 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in a 133–116 victory over thePortland Trail Blazers.[148] On March 13, Sabonis had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists for his 10th triple-double of the season in a 133–124 loss against theMilwaukee Bucks. He also tiedMichael Jordan for 19th place in career triple-doubles with 28.[149] On April 9, Sabonis ended the regular season as the league leader in rebounds, averaging 12.3 rebounds per game.[150] He also achieved career-highs in field goal percentage (.615 FG%) and assists per game (7.3). On May 10, 2023, Sabonis was named to his firstAll-NBA team, making the third team with Kings teammateDe'Aaron Fox.[151] This is the first Sacramento-era season where multiple Kings players made the All-NBA team.[152] On April 17, he scored a playoff career-high 24 points in the Kings' 114–106 victory against theGolden State Warriors. At one point during the game, he grabbedDraymond Green's leg and was stomped on the chest by Green afterwards. As a result, Sabonis was assessed with atechnical foul.[153] The Kings were eliminated in seven games.
On July 2, 2023, Sabonis and the Kings terminated the remaining one-season contract worth $19.4 million and signed a five-year contract extension worth $217 million.[154] This is the most profitable contract inLithuania's sport history.[155]
On December 18, Sabonis logged the 35th triple-double of his career with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in a 143–131 win over theWashington Wizards.[156] On January 3, 2024, Sabonis recorded a triple-double with 22 points, a then season-high 23 rebounds and 12 assists in a 138–135 double overtime win over theOrlando Magic.[157] On January 29, 2024, Sabonis scored 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field, grabbed a career-high 26 rebounds and delivered 5 assists in a 103–94 win against theMemphis Grizzlies. He became the second player in NBA history with at least 20 points, 25 rebounds, five assists and a shooting percentage of 90% or better. The other wasWilt Chamberlain, who did it six times.[158]
On February 13, Sabonis posted his 50th career triple-double with 35 points, 18 rebounds, 12 assists and 3 blocks in a 130–125 loss against thePhoenix Suns.[159] On March 12, Sabonis recorded his 47th consecutive double-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in a 129–94 win over theMilwaukee Bucks. He surpassedJerry Lucas' previous record of 46 to become theSacramento Kings franchise leader in consecutive double-doubles in a season.[160] On March 25, Sabonis had 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to become the fifth player in NBA history with at least 25 triple-doubles in a season, joiningNikola Jokic,Russell Westbrook, Wilt Chamberlain andOscar Robertson. He also posted his 54th consecutive double-double, breaking a tie withKevin Love for the longest streak since the 1976–77 merger between the NBA and ABA.[161][162] On April 9, this streak would end as Sabonis had 8 points and 13 rebounds in a 112-105 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, peaking at 61 consecutive double-doubles.[163]
On June 14, 2024, the Sacramento Kings announced that Sabonis would switch to No. 11 jersey to honor his father,Arvydas Sabonis, who wore the same number during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Sacramento Kings had previously retired No. 11 to honorBob Davies. However, Davies' children gave their blessing for Sabonis to use theretired number.[164] On October 26, Sabonis posted his 59th career triple-double with 29 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists in 131–127 loss against theLos Angeles Lakers. He tiedLarry Bird for the 10th-most triple-doubles in NBA history.[165][166] On November 6, Sabonis posted a triple-double with 17 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds in a 122–107 win over theToronto Raptors. He became the first player in NBA history to post a triple-double without a missed field goal, a turnover, and a foul.[167] On December 12, Sabonis recorded a season-high 32 points and 20 rebounds on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 9-of-9 from the free throw line in a 111–109 victory over theNew Orleans Pelicans.[168]
On January 7, 2025, Sabonis was selected as the Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year for a fifth time.[169] On January 10, 2025, Sabonis logged 23 points and a career-high 28 rebounds in a 114–97 win over theBoston Celtics.[170] On February 13, Sabonis tied his career-high with 28 rebounds, along with 22 points and five assists in a 140–133 overtime loss against theNew Orleans Pelicans.[171] On April 11, Sabonis had 19 points, 16 rebounds and five assists in 101–100 loss against theLos Angeles Clippers. He became the sixth player since the ABA/NBA merger to have 60 or more double-doubles for three consecutive seasons, joiningMoses Malone,John Stockton,Tim Duncan,Kevin Garnett andDwight Howard.[172]
After missing the season opener on 22 October 2025 against thePhoenix Suns due to injury, Sabonis returned to the Kings’ lineup in the next game on 24 October. He scored 12 points, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, and made a put-back with 6.4 seconds remaining, securing a 105–104 victory over theUtah Jazz.[173] On 14 November, Sabonis scored a season-high 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 124–110 loss to theMinnesota Timberwolves.[174] However, on 19 November, Sabonis missed a game against theOklahoma City Thunder due to a partiallytorn meniscus and was subsequently ruled out for at least three-to-four weeks.[175] On 19 December, it was announced that he would miss four-to-five more weeks in recovery.[176] On 16 January 2026, Sabonis returned to the Kings lineup after two months of recovery from an injury and by contributing 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists helped his team to achieve a 128–115 victory over theWashington Wizards.[177]
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I can say that another basketball star is growing. His father was uncommon and such human is one per 100 years. I was thinking that if Domantas will not interfere the national team it will be good, but when he actually helps I appreciate it very nicely.
Sabonis made his international debut with theLithuania U-16 national team at the2012 FIBA U-16 European Championship, averaging 14.1 points, 14.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He grabbed a tournament-high 27 rebounds against Poland on July 27. In 2013, at 17 years of age, Sabonis played for the Lithuania U-18 team in2013 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. He averaged 14 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game[179] and was tournament leader in rebounds per game.[180] While playing againstSerbia, he scored 22 points, grabbed 22 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. Lithuania won the game 74–70 inOT.[181] In 2014, coachJonas Kazlauskas included Sabonis on the preliminary list for theLithuania men's national basketball team.[182] In 2014, D.Sabonis played in theFIBA Europe Under-18 Championship for the second time. This time he averaged 15.9 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.[183][184] On July 9, 2015, he was invited to join the Lithuania men's national team training camp for the first time.[185] On July 15, by participating in2015 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Sabonis achieved the tournament rebounds record by grabbing 28 against Ukraine.[186] He led the tournament at 13.2 rebounds per game.[187]
On July 29, 2015, Sabonis debuted for the Lithuania men's national team in a game againstAustralia, scoring 4 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.[188] Sabonis was the youngest player ever to play for the national team, beatingJonas Valančiūnas by a matter of days.[189] Sabonis averaged 6 points and 5.9 rebounds during the preparation games phase, and was the team's second best rebounder after Valančiūnas.[190] Sabonis played forLithuania atEuroBasket 2015, winning a silver medal in his debut year.[191] He also was a member of theLithuanian Olympic national team during the2016 Summer Olympics, where he averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.[192]
Sabonis married Shashana Rosen on August 15, 2021, inSaint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France; the wedding was officiated by a rabbi.[193] They have three children: a son named Tiger, born on March 11, 2022, a daughter named Eleven Rose, born July 11, 2023, and a son named Tauras Levi, born in June, 2025.[194] The family keepsShabbat and eats onlykosher food.[193] In April 2023, his wife announced that Sabonis was in the process of converting toJudaism.[193] Sabonis and his wife launched a wine brand in November 2024, dubbedOnes by Sabonis.[195]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Oklahoma City | 81 | 66 | 20.1 | .399 | .321 | .657 | 3.6 | 1.0 | .5 | .4 | 5.9 |
| 2017–18 | Indiana | 74 | 19 | 24.5 | .514 | .351 | .750 | 7.7 | 2.0 | .5 | .4 | 11.6 |
| 2018–19 | Indiana | 74 | 5 | 24.8 | .590 | .529 | .715 | 9.3 | 2.9 | .6 | .4 | 14.1 |
| 2019–20 | Indiana | 62 | 62 | 34.8 | .540 | .254 | .723 | 12.4 | 5.0 | .8 | .5 | 18.5 |
| 2020–21 | Indiana | 62 | 62 | 36.0 | .535 | .321 | .732 | 12.0 | 6.7 | 1.2 | .5 | 20.3 |
| 2021–22 | Indiana | 47 | 46 | 34.7 | .580 | .324 | .740 | 12.1 | 5.0 | 1.0 | .5 | 18.9 |
| Sacramento | 15 | 15 | 33.6 | .554 | .235 | .743 | 12.3 | 5.8 | .9 | .3 | 18.9 | |
| 2022–23 | Sacramento | 79 | 79 | 34.6 | .615 | .373 | .742 | 12.3* | 7.3 | .8 | .5 | 19.1 |
| 2023–24 | Sacramento | 82 | 82* | 35.7 | .594 | .379 | .704 | 13.7* | 8.2 | .9 | .6 | 19.4 |
| 2024–25 | Sacramento | 70 | 70 | 34.7 | .590 | .417 | .754 | 13.9* | 6.0 | .7 | .4 | 19.1 |
| Career | 646 | 506 | 30.8 | .560 | .347 | .729 | 10.7 | 4.9 | .8 | .5 | 16.1 | |
| All-Star | 3 | 0 | 16.2 | .571 | — | .500 | 3.7 | .7 | .0 | .0 | 3.3 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Oklahoma City | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.0 | .0 | .5 | .5 | 2.0 |
| 2018 | Indiana | 7 | 0 | 23.7 | .581 | .143 | .778 | 4.6 | .7 | .1 | .3 | 12.4 |
| 2019 | Indiana | 4 | 0 | 24.0 | .414 | .250 | .643 | 7.3 | 4.0 | .8 | .3 | 8.5 |
| 2023 | Sacramento | 7 | 7 | 34.7 | .495 | .200 | .571 | 11.0 | 4.7 | 1.4 | .9 | 16.4 |
| Career | 20 | 7 | 25.6 | .503 | .176 | .672 | 7.0 | 2.7 | .8 | .5 | 12.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Gonzaga | 38 | 1 | 21.6 | .668 | — | .664 | 7.1 | .9 | .4 | .3 | 9.7 |
| 2015–16 | Gonzaga | 36 | 31 | 31.9 | .611 | .357 | .769 | 11.8 | 1.8 | .6 | .9 | 17.6 |
| Career | 74 | 32 | 26.6 | .632 | .357 | .729 | 9.4 | 1.3 | .5 | .6 | 13.5 | |
Lithuania: Recipient of the Knight's Cross of theOrder for Merits to Lithuania (2015)[196]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Starting 5 | Himself | Documentary series |
Sabonis, it should be noted, was born in Portland while his father, Arvydas Sabonis, was playing for the Trail Blazers. But Domantas has dual citizenship and considers Kaunas, Lithuania, home.
Though he was born in Portland, Ore., Sabonis has dual citizenship and plays for the Lithuanian National Team in international competition
Domantas Sabonis had 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the Pacers, who have lost in six in a row.
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