Domantas Sabonis (born May 3, 1996) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays as a power forward for the Indiana Pacers in the NBA.
Domintas Sabonis began his basketball career in Europe, joining Gonzaga University in 2014, being named to the West Coast League's All-Nations First Team in 2015-16, entering the NBA through the draft in 2016, and being selected by the Thunder with the 11th pick.
As a white striker, Sabonis has a good low-post ability and shooting feel, and is called "Little Sa" by fans. The nickname comes from his father, Sabonis, the NBA's first-ever passing center, with excellent vision and pass accuracy. And Xiao Sa does not play this set, he is more as a teammate's strategy, through space and blocking to create opportunities for the team.
At just 22 years old, Sassa is about to enter the third year of his NBA career. His rookie season hasn't been easy, and he said his first year at the Thunder wasn't comfortable playing. I vaguely remember that last year and Oladipo packed a deal to come to The Little Sa in India City, when I first arrived, I was not familiar with life, and I was always careful when I spoke. He and Audi trained hard together in last year's offseason, slimmed down successfully, and became known as the "hard training brothers". A year later, Xiao Sa not only played the best result of his career in the Pacers, but also won the respect and love of the people of India. In today's training camp, Xiao Sa is serious and positive, and has been praised by coaches and teammates, and Xiao Sa has repeatedly told the media that it is a heritage and his honor to play for the national team like his father Sabonis Sr.
In July, the 22-year-old Sabonis Jr. led Lithuania to victories over Poland and Hungary and scored a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds against Poland. Not long ago, Lithuania advanced ahead with the first place in Group J, with a good result of 8 wins and 0 losses. Although Xiao Sa was unable to participate in the September competition with his teammates, he also posted a picture on the social network in time and wrote "China World Cup 2019". I like to represent my country. I wish I could have played with them a few weeks ago too! Bojan Bogdanovic lost to us, haha. However, next summer, my goal is to be able to be in Beijing with my teammates. Sabonis Jr. told Tencent Sports, "It would be fun [if you could go to China]. It's great to be able to represent your national team on such a big stage! ”
The father of the younger Sabonis, Avedas Sabonis, has won world-class medals for Lithuania many times and is a hero in the hearts of the Lithuanian people. The Lithuanian star, known as the "roof of the world", is also Yao Ming's idol. Today, Sao Sa and his family often appear on the sidelines of the Pacers' races to cheer on their youngest son. Young Xiao Sa, although his current achievements are not comparable to his father,but he is getting closer to his father step by step through his own efforts.
Sabonis Jr. was officially named in the NBA by the Magic team with the 11th pick in the 2016 NBA draft, but in the Magic period and the Thunder period, Sabonis Jr. was step by step from the bench and the bench to today's team starter and All-Star. Let us deeply understand the power of genes. Sabonis Jr. has a solid style of play, is good at rebounding and defense, and is often not the most prominent one on the team, but it is like this that the player gradually grows into the leader of the Pacers. The Pacers could compete with the Heat with the Big Three under the leadership of Paul George, but after Paul George left, it was obvious that there was no previous prestige, Oladipo's injury, Andner's difficult responsibility at a critical moment, so that Sabonis Jr. seized the opportunity to grow quickly. The NBA played such a great performance in the first game of the regular season, and everyone thinks that Sabonis Jr. can lead the Pacers further this year and then compete for more honors for himself and the team