Domantas Sabonis' special Gonzaga honor explains absence from Kings
Yesterday at 01:36 PM
Of the many skills that Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis possesses, one that goes under the radar is his availability. The 28-year-old big man is a workhorse who logs major minutes and rarely misses games, which made his absence from the Kings on Saturday confusing. However, there was good reason for Sabonis to be away from his team. Without a game on the schedule, Domas was able to make the trip to Spokane to see his jersey retired by his alma mater, the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Domantas Sabonis is in the house, joined by wife Shashana and Mark Few. Coming off NBA Western Conf. POW honors, #Gonzaga's career leader in FG percentage returns to have his No. 11 jersey honored tonight. Former GU Dir. of Analytics/Kings asst. Ricky Fois here as well. pic.twitter.com/lI10ByZM6x
— Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_SR) January 19, 2025
Sabonis joins John Stockton, Frank Burgess, Adam Morrison, Kelly Olynyk and Dan Dickau as the sixth Gonzaga men’s basketball player who have had their jerseys hung in the rafters inside of the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane. Women’s star Courtney Vandersloot also had her jersey retired by the school in 2023 after a spectacular career that included three straight WCC Player of the Year selections.
“He was the ultimate Zag; one of the all-time greats,” Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said of Sabonis during the ceremony, per Cole Forsman of Sports Illustrated. “He was and still is a ferocious competitor. He was just a relentless worker on and off the practice floor. And then from an old coach’s perspective, he was the greatest teammate out there.”
The son of FIBA Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis, Domantas played only two years at Gonzaga before entering the NBA Draft. In those two seasons, Sabonis was twice named an All-WCC performer and led the conference in rebounds per game during his sophomore season. He played a key role in leading the Zags to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons.
Since arriving in the NBA, Sabonis has become the player that many expected his father would’ve had he not suffered a career-altering achilles tear in the mid-eighties. Since joining the Kings in the middle of the 2021-22 season, Sabonis has averaged 19.5 points, 13.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. He’s on pace to become the 7th player in league history to lead the NBA in rebounds per game for at least three consecutive seasons.
Sabonis is expected to be in the lineup for Sacramento’s game versus Washington on Sunday.
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