Location: center
Height: 2.21 m/7 ft 3 in
Weight: 127 kg/279 lb
Birthday: December 19, 1964
Draft: 24th in the first round of 1986
. Yao Ming is only on the list, and Sabonis' strength and reputation can be seen.
Personal evaluation:
"He is over 3 now, but the Sabonis in my mind is still the 21-year-old and 22-year-old giant who fought against me on the court. He is the greatest center I have ever seen in my life. What I want to say is that he even surpasses Shaq, Ewing and Hakeem ... He can do anything on the court, passing, dribbling, three points and dunking ... Yes, he is the best. " -vlade divac (former all-star center of Sacramento Kings)
When he was young, Sabonis was fierce as a beast, and once smashed rebounds.
In p>198, Sabonis joined the local Zalgiris Kaunas team, and basketball was regarded as a sacred sport in Lithuania. However, from 1945 to 1984, Zalgiris won only one league championship. At that time, the overlord of the men's basketball team in the former Soviet Union was the sworn enemy CSKA Moscow (that is, CSKA Moscow Central Army). From 1945 to 1984, CSKA won 21 league titles, including 9 consecutive championships from 1976 to 1984. Sabonis's joining changed the tendency of Balance. From 1985 to 1987, he led Zalgiris to win three league titles in an unprecedented way, and was named the best player in Europe in 1984 and 1985 by Gazetto dello Sport, Italy's most famous sports newspaper.
As CSKA Club belongs to the Central Military Department, it can attract the best young athletes from all over the Soviet Union in the name of military service, although everyone knows that the so-called military service is just a cover. In order to avoid letting Sabonis fall behind, Zalgiris Club has long registered for him in an agricultural college in Kaunas, where Sabonis only goes once a month, not to attend classes, but to attend lectures on basketball. As long as Sabonis is present, the room will always be full, and everyone wants to hear him talk about basketball. Just in case, the Lithuanian government even prepared a document to prove that Sabonis has adopted two local orphans, because in the regulations of the former Soviet Union, being a father can be exempted from military service.
"Although CSKA has the privilege of the draft, we never expected to get Sabonis. Everyone knows that it is impossible for him to represent CSKA Moscow against Lithuania. Sabonis is the perfect player in the eyes of basketball coaches. He is so popular in Lithuania that I think he can be the president there if he wants. " -Alexander Gomelsky (Russian meritorious coach, who coached CSKA club and won the national basketball team of the former Soviet Union in Seoul Olympic Games in 1988)
In June p>1985, the Atlanta Hawks selected Sabonis in the 77th overall position in the fourth round of the draft, but later the NBA found that Sabonis was younger than the draft standard (required to be 21 years old), so the draft of the Atlanta Hawks was declared invalid. The following year, Sabonis was seriously injured in the game, and his right achilles tendon was completely torn, but the Portland Trailblazers selected Sabonis with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the draft one month later. Because of the bad political relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union at that time, Sabonis could not play in the NBA immediately, but he went to Portland to treat his injuries with the help of the Trailblazers trainer. When Sabonis recovered, he returned to Zalgiris Kaunas to continue playing. In 1988, he led the national team of the former Soviet Union to win the men's basketball gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, when they defeated the American team led by David Robinson, Mitch Richmond and Manning in the semi-final.
In p>1989, Gorbachev carried out Perestroika and Glasnost policies in the former Soviet Union, and Sabonis was finally able to leave the former Soviet Union to meet the challenge in a higher level basketball league. However, due to too many injuries to the knee and achilles tendon, Sabonis thought that he was not suitable to play in the NBA at that time, so he chose the lower Spanish professional basketball league. He played there for six seasons, and played for Forum Valladolid (1989-92) and Real Madrid (1992-95) for three years each. Under the leadership of Sabonis, Real Madrid won two consecutive Spanish league titles in 1993 and 1994, and won the European club championship in 1995. In the regular season of 1994-95, Sabonis became a well-deserved MVP by averaging 22.8 points, 13.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.4 assists per game.
average data of Sabonis in the regular season
Team appearances, playing time, shooting three points, free throws, total rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in the frontcourt and backcourt, foul score
95-96 Blazers 73 23.8 54.5% 37.5% 75.7% 2.6.8.1 1.8 .88 1.7 2.11 2.89 14.5
9. 6-97 Pioneer 69 25.5 49.8% 37.1% 77.7% 1.7 6.3 7.9 2.1 .91 1.22 2.19 2.94 13.4 < P > 97-98 Pioneer 73 32. 49.3% 26.1% 79.8% 2.7.9 1.3..89 1. 16.
98-99 Pioneer 5 27. 48.5% 29.2% 77.1% 1.8 6.1 7.9 2.4 .68 1.7 2.94 12.1
99- Pioneer 66 25.6 5.5% 36.8% 84.3% 1.5 6.3. 7 2.79 11.8
-1 Pioneer 61 21.3 47.9% 6.7% 77.6% .8 4.6 5.4 1.5 .66 1.2 1.39 2.25 1.1 < P > 2-3 Pioneer 78 15.5 47.6% 5.% 78.7% 1. 63 .96 1.81 6.1
Career 47 24.2 5.% 32.8% 78.6% 1.65.7 7.3 2.79 1.5 1.78 2.74 12.
Average playoff data table
Team's playing time, shooting three points, free throws, total rebounds, assists, steals and blocking mistakes in the frontcourt and backcourt. Foul score
95-96 Blazers 5 35.4 43.2% 55.6% 71.7% 2.4 7.8 1.2 1.8 .8 .6 2. 3.4 23.6
96-97 Blazers 4 27. 42.9% 25.% 87.5% 2.4.5 6.5. 25 4.75 11.3
97-98 Pioneers 4 26.8 45.% 5.% 85.7% 1.8 6. 7.8 1.75 .75 2.5 4.75 12.3 < P > 98-99 Pioneers 13 3.2 39.8% 2.% 9.7% . .15 1.46 2.69 1.
99- Pioneers 16 3.8 45.3% 28.6% 79.6% 1.25 6.7 1.9 .88 .81 1.63 3.69 11.3
-1 Pioneers 3 34.7 48.3% .% 75. .33 2.33 .67 4. 11.3
2-3 Pioneer 6 14.3 66.7% .% 8.% 1.3 4. .8.67 .67 1.2.33 1.
Career 51 28.8 45.2% 31.9% 8.2. .94 .94 1.61 3.43 12.1
Anyone who has seen Sabonis play when he was young will know that he is one of the five greatest centers of all time. Even now, he can still beat his opponent with three points, hook and even dribble. He can make his teammates play better and have a deep reading ability for the game, just like Big Bird, Magic and Jordan. -Old Deng Liwei
Breaking American Myth
How great is Sabonis? Because he didn't play in the NBA at the peak of his career, it is controversial.
However, Sabonis may at least be better than "Admiral" Robinson.
In Seoul in p>1988, Sabonis met Robinson. Robinson was selected as the No.1 scholar by the Spurs in 1987. Because of his military service, the "general" has not yet played in the NBA, but Robinson has already made his own name in the NCAA and has been compared with Olajuwon and Ewing. Robinson, Manning, another No.1 scholar, and Richmond, the super scorer, led the American team to the Olympic Games, which Americans called an unbeatable basketball team.
Americans have reason to be proud. Before 1988, the United States was proud of the world basketball with such a lineup of college students. Jordan also led the American team to win the gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. This time, Americans are looking forward to standing on the highest podium in the world basketball again. However, Sabonis broke the American dream.
Previously, Sabonis had also smashed rebounds in the former Soviet Union, which attracted people's attention, but this could not touch the arrogant nerve of the American Basketball Association. They knew that Sabonis was such a person, but they believed that Robinson was stronger. But when the former Soviet Union and the United States met in 1988, the American Basketball Association became stupid.
That year, Sabonis was 24 years old and Robinson was 23 years old. The young "general" felt that he had encountered an incredible thing: Sabonis could jump behind him, grab the rebound in the frontcourt and dunk directly into the basket.
Robinson's trademark shaking and jump shot can't escape Sabonis' two big hats, but when it was Sabonis' turn to attack, he flew high in the inner arc position of the free throw line. Not to be outdone, Robinson jumped up and blocked the basket, and his two small arms almost protected the basket, but he still couldn't stop Sabonis. Europeans violently dunked the ball into the basket through Robinson.
It was Sabonis who knocked down the proud American team that prompted the American Basketball Association to make up its mind. They reached an agreement with the NBA to select professional players for the Olympic Games. It can be said that Sabonis's performance in Seoul is of epoch-making significance, which directly gave birth to the "dream team".
Heaven is doomed
In the winter of p>1964, Lithuanian tailor Andrews Sabonis and Lithuanian beauty queen Ingrid welcomed their eldest son, Avidas, who was only 1.85 meters tall. At that time, no one thought that the crying newborn would grow to 2.2 meters, and no one thought that he would become the king of world basketball. Of course, no one thought that basketball career would bring him all kinds of injuries.
Because of his amazing height, Sabonis was discovered at the age of 13 and began to practice basketball. At the age of 15, he was selected for the Soviet National Youth Team. At the age of 16, Sabonis was selected by his hometown team Zal Quilis kaunas, and it was at that time that Sabonis began to smash rebounds. From 1985 to 1987, Sabonis led kaunas to achieve three consecutive league titles and completely conquered CSKA Moscow, which had dominated the basketball of the former Soviet Union for 4 years.
However, Sabonis, who was tricked by nature and given unparalleled basketball talent, had trouble showing his talent. His fate in the basketball temple-NBA was full of twists and turns.
As early as 1985 and 1986, the Eagle and the Trailblazers had picked Sabonis in the draft respectively. However, Sabonis was first rejected by the NBA on the grounds of age restriction. In 1989, the Soviet Union disintegrated, and Sabonis finally had the opportunity to play abroad. However, his long-term overload training of all beings had a bad result-Sabonis suffered serious injuries to his knee and achilles tendon in his right foot. In desperation, Sabonis chose to play in the Spanish League. In the three years in Madrid, Sabonis led the team to win the league championship in the first two years, and won the European championship in the last year. Sabonis himself was elected MVP. So Sabonis decided to say, "There is nothing to challenge in Europe. I will go to the NBA."
It was 1995, and Sabonis was 31 years old. His torn achilles tendon and knee made it difficult for him to jump more than 15cm. He always gritted his teeth when defending, but it became a drag on the whole team-he seemed to enter the F1(F1 field like a tractor. Even so, Sabonis still occupied the position of the pioneer's main center with superhuman basketball IQ, and made the pioneer still have strong fighting capacity in the post-drexler era, and made it to the playoffs seven times.
Dominate Europe again
In the summer of p>23, 38-year-old Sabonis decided to terminate his contract with the Pioneers and return to Lithuania, hoping to spend more time with his family. As a result, a more surprising scene happened. Sabonis, who is nearly 3 years old, was able to continue to rule European basketball.
Before returning to Europe, Sabonis said, "I am a man who almost broke my leg." But it was this 4-year-old man with a "broken leg" who was elected European MVP in his first season back in Europe. He led his former club Zhar Quilis kaunas to the top four of the European League, including the Lithuanian League MVP, the European League regular season MVP and the top 16 MVP.
At that time, Sabonis could hardly take off, but he was able to rely on good luck.