Domintus Sabonis was named the 2021 All-Star in the game, which is a good thing to celebrate.
From a role player who entered the Thunder, averaging 6 points and 4 rebounds per game, to the all-around interior line averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists per game today, and even becoming the league's first cover delivery master (averaging 6.8 cover assists per game this season, blocking 15.9 points for teammates) and the top blocking finisher (the fourth in the league to average blocks and scores per game, behind Vucevic, Gobert and Jokic). It's also inspiring.
After all, even his father played in the NBA that year, and he was an All-Star.
But well... He and his father, in fact, the style is not the same.
He is the left hand, his father is the right hand; he is a high-strategy + mid-position back of the blocker, the style is actually more like Scola or the young Gasol.
His dad, on the other hand, was a different style.
Previously describing the strength of Arvedas Sabonis was somewhat difficult. After all, giants in the NBA world, such as Chamberlain, such as sky hooks, such as big dreams like sharks, always have to be a scoring monster, everyone has a feeling; so the old "Sabonis is the best center passer in history" such a topic, many fans listen to it and grin: can pass the ball is nothing, and not a guard...
So how strong the Sharks are, just shoot the rebounding data directly; Russell, Wharton Sr. and Sabonis, it is more difficult; to cite examples, you have to say "you see how strong Divac and Gasol Jr."
Fortunately, there is Jokic now. Looking at him, everyone can probably understand that an elder who can pass the ball, even if he is not very willing to score, can affect the game to what extent.
Before Jokic appeared, quite a few people believed that Avidas Sabonis was the first passing center in history.
In fact, just a few moments ago, Grant Hill said that Jokic came like Sabonis.
Of course, it's more than that.
The following paragraph was written for the magazine almost fourteen years ago.
Arvidas Sabonis's father, Alsodoras Sabonis's grandfather, Waslas Sabonis, was a Lithuanian tailor at 185 centimeters tall. As for how Mr. Andrews married his wife Ingrida, a Lithuanian beauty queen, model and film actress, that was their secret.
The modest couple had their eldest son, Arvidas Sabonis, in the winter of 1964.
At the age of 13, Sabonis was taught to play basketball, and at the age of 15, he entered the former Soviet youth team.
At the age of 16, the Zalkilis Kaunas, who had won only one former Soviet championship in forty years, came to the door and asked for the big man so that they would not be so embarrassed to play against CSKA Moscow, the overlord team that won 21 championships in forty years, nine consecutive titles from 1976 to 1984.
They devised a strange —and now seemingly ominous — training program for Sabonis that made him quickly precocious. The result is that Sabonis, who is 221 centimeters, has the strength to break the rebound early.
In 1982, the 18-year-old Sabonis won the gold medal at the World Championships with the former Su men's basketball team. In 1985, at the age of 21, he won the European Championship.
His personal achievements are the most terrifying: from 1985 to 1987, Kaunas won three consecutive league titles. The mighty CSKA Moscow looked at this huge beast and was silently stunned.
At the 1985 European Championships, Sabonis played like this: he could run, jump, pass, shoot three-pointers, and make such a "mid-range shot after shaking the basket" - remember that it was almost forty years ago, and he was 221 centimeters high.
This big guy was as tall as a hill, but the word bulky had nothing to do with him, at least when he was younger.
In Seoul in 1988, the U.S. team, led by David Robinson, Danny Manning and Mitch Richmond, a super scorer, found themselves encountering a monster. The Soviet Union against the United States ... Sabonis, 24, vs. Robinson, 23.
Robinson, dressed in the number 11, found the guy across from him so strange. He can jump behind him, grab a rebound in front of him and slash straight into the basket.
Similarly, with his signature shake and jump shot, Sabonis was able to catch up and slap the ball down.
Former Sue defeated the United States, Sabonis overwhelmed Robinson, and the Americans failed to reach the final of the 1988 Olympic Games. In a way, it was this defeat, it was Sabonis who led to the later Dream Team:
"It seems that it is time to send NBA players to play!"
Robinson graduated from college that year and served another two years. In the fall after being held down by Sabonis, he played his first NBA game: against the league king Los Angeles Lakers, with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 3 blocks in his debut game. After that game, the magician said, "Some people are never rookies. ”
Robinson himself averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks per game in that year's rookie season, turning the Spurs from 21 wins the previous year to 56 wins.
Think about how powerful Robinson is at this point?
And Sabonis was holding down, it was robinson like this.
Prior to this, the Hawks and Trail Blazers had picked up Sabonis in the draft despite the violation and other risks. But it wasn't until 1989 that Sabonis qualified to play abroad. The problem was that after years of unscientific heavy-load training, his knees and Achilles tendons were already scarred.
He went to Spain. First for Valladolid, then for Real Madrid. In his first two years at Real Madrid, Madrid became league champions. In the third year, the European champion. He himself was elected MVP.
In 1995, with little to challenge in Europe, he went to the NBA.
He was 31 years old at the time and his knees had been destroyed. The Portland Trail Blazers doctor said that with an X-ray of Sabonis's knee, he could apply for a disability grant. The Portland media said a witty tale that this big guy had twice the size of the head of an average center, and the thick pads wrapped around his knees made his legs twice as thick as the others.
He started as a substitute. The Trail Blazers entered the spring with a record of 38 wins and 22 losses. With the intention of giving it a try, he was put into the starting lineup – and then what? At the end of the spring, the Blazers won 18 and lost 4.
In the 1996 playoffs, in five games against the Utah Jazz, Sabonis averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds per game.
It was then known that he played in the NBA for a total of seven years. In these seven years, the Blazers have entered the playoffs every year. In 1999 and 2000, the Blazers reached the Western Conference Finals twice, losing to the Championships Spurs and Lakers that year.
The rules of the NBA are actually not suitable for him to play: at that time, the high-level strategy was not as popular as it is today, and the NBA's defense of 3 seconds was not conducive to his mountain-like defensive ability. But his back, his response, his passing, his substitutions, his rebounds, his blocks, his hook shots were all shocking. The huge size of 223 cm, 132 kg, whether it is a mountain in the forbidden area or a cover wall, is good enough.
But the most amazing thing is his hands.
Sabonis has a pair of hands that are almost unparalleled in the world. Those hands were so huge, so he often grabbed the rebounds with one hand. However, these hands can deliver soft hook shots and beautiful passes. His most signature skill is this: receiving the ball on his back, holding a ball with one hand like we pinch an apple, and the next second, the ball has reached a strange corner of the field.
So it's no surprise that Rashid Wallace was by Sabonis' side, playing the best offensive performance of his career and the highest shooting opportunity under the basket.
Sabonis Jr. is the best in the NBA this season in terms of high-handed passing, but with such a skilful high-low pass, he is still inferior to his father:
Before Jokic appeared, probably only Divac was close to a similar level.
But even Divac himself, speaking of Sabonis, would humbly say:
"He was in his thirties when he arrived in the NBA, but the Sabonis I remember is still the giant in his twenties who played against me on the court. He's the greatest center I've ever seen in my life, surpassing even the Sharks, Ewing and Big Dreams... He can do anything on the pitch, he's the best. ”
Divac certainly has an element of exaggeration in saying this, and the reason is not surprising:
In the 1988 Olympic Final, he watched Sabonis have 20 points and 15 rebounds, and he was defended to 11 points and 3 rebounds on 3-of-11 shooting...
Of course, speaking of Ewing and Big Dreams... We can still discuss this topic.
Sabonis's NBA career statistics, because of playing time, era, injury and age, are not flashy at first glance.
But take a closer look, down to a turn-based system.
All NBA Career Regular Season Stats:
Old Sa: 26 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks per 100 possessions, 57% true shooting percentage, PER is 21, WS is 0.2 per 48 minutes, BPM is 4.4.
Ewing: 31 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks per 100 games, 55% true shooting percentage, PER is 21, WS is 0.15 per 48 minutes, BPM is 2.9.
Big Dreams: 30 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks per 100 games, 55% true shooting percentage, PER is 24, WS is 0.18 per 48 minutes, BPM is 4.7.
Even sabonis, who is old and injured after 30 years old, has never been the main attacker in the Blazers, but in the regular season, refined to the unit time, his performance is still similar to the old two legends.
In 2003, Sabonis returned to Kaunas – and then, at the age of 40, he won the Lithuanian championship and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League. At the age of 40, he won the Lithuanian League MVP, the Europa League regular season MVP and the Round of 16 MVP.
The old Dunlivier of the Trailblazers at the time said:
"Anyone who has seen Sabonis play when he was younger will know that he is one of the five greatest centre-forwards of all time. Even now he can still beat opponents by three-pointers, hooks, and even dribbling. He can make his teammates play better and have a deep reading of the game, just like Bird, Magician and Jordan. ”
Coincidentally, Sabonis' own favorite team and player is indeed Celtic and Larry Bird, respectively.
And last year, Popovich said Jokic was "Bird reincarnated."
The two strongest passing giants of all time – Jokic and Sabonis – have all been more or less used to relate to Berdera, and conversely, what can be said?
One last little detail.
Speaking of Sabonis being conditioned by injuries, we Chinese fans can easily think of another one.
NBA career statistics.
Yao Ming: 32 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, offensive efficiency per 100 rounds, 112 defensive efficiency 99, PER value 23, true shooting rate of 60%, WS value of 0.2 per 48 minutes, BPM value of 3.2.
Old Sa: 26 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, offensive efficiency, 112 defensive efficiency, 97 per per cent, 57% true shooting percentage, 0.2 WS per 48 minutes, BPM 4.4.
Pretty similar, right?
It may be said that Yao Ming is a better scorer, and Lao Sa is a better strategist and defensive anchor.
And in the FIBA world.
Yao Ming averaged third in points and rebounds at the 2004 Olympic Games, and second in points, third in rebounds and third in blocks at the 2008 Olympic Games.
Sabonis was third in rebounding + blocking at the 1988 Olympic Games and won the championship with the team. In 1992, he scored third + rebounding + blocked, and in 1996, he scored seventh + rebounded second.
It was the king of the penalty area of their own time, each with an injury, carrying the team forward, a real giant.