Arvydas’ basketball career ended in 2003-04, and Domantas and his family relocated to Malaga, Spain. Despite the fact that he was only sixteen years old, he did not sign a professional contract with Unicaja that included a payment to keep his NCAA eligibility.
Sabonis turned down a three-year, $630,000 contract from Unicaja to play in the NCAA. Before the 2014-15 season, he committed to Gonzaga University’s NCAA Division I team.
On March 10, he helped the Gonzaga Bulldogs win the WCC Tournament for the third time in a row with a 91-75 victory over the BYU Cougars. Sabonis was chosen 11th overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2016 NBA Draft.
On draft night, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Serge Ibaka, Ersan Lyasova, and Victor Oladipo.
On October 26, he made his Thunder debut as the team’s starting power forward in a 103-97 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He had five points and four rebounds in 16 minutes.
The Thunder were the sixth seed in the 2016-17 NBA Playoffs, but they were defeated 4-1 by the Houston Rockets in the first round, and Sabonis played only six minutes. The Indiana Pacers traded Sabonis and Victor Oladipo for Paul George on July 6, 2017.
He was not only unable to participate in the 2017 NBA Summer League due to the unexpected trade, but he was also unable to play for the Lithuanian national team during the 2017 EuroBasket. The Pacers and Sabonis agreed to terms on a four-year, $77 million contract the day before the start of the 2019-20 season.
Sabonis became only the second Lithuanian to be selected as an NBA All-Star for his outstanding accomplishments, earning him a spot in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game with an average of 18 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.
Sabonis also competed in the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge, where he lost in the championship round to Bam Adebayo but came close to winning the trophy.
In his first All-Star appearance, he contributed to Team LeBron’s 157-155 victory, putting him on the winning side. Sabonis made his EuroBasket debut for Lithuania in 2015, winning a silver medal. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he competed for Lithuania’s Olympic national team.
On February 8, 2022, the Pacers traded Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, and a 2023 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Tristan Thompson, Buddy Hield, and Tyrese Haliburton.
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