Domantas Sabonis reveals he was recruited by Spain / News - Basketnews.com

Domantas Sabonis reveals how Spain once tried to recruit him for their national team during his youth, only to be swiftly dismissed by his legendary father, Arvydas Sabonis.

Credit: Getty Images via AFP/Scanpix Credit Getty Images via AFP/Scanpix

Sacramento Kings and Lithuanian national team center Domantas Sabonis recently shared some details about his youth, revealing that Spain once showed interest in him.

Domantas Sabonis

MIN:35.77PTS:19.54 (62.59%)REB:13.77As:8.27ST:0.91BL:0.62TO:3.31GM:78ProfileNBA2023/2024

However, any thoughts of him joining their ranks were swiftly dismissed by his father, Arvydas Sabonis, a legendary Lithuanian player who left a memorable mark on European basketball and enjoyed a successful NBA career before being enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.

The Sabonis family relocated to Spain in 2003, just before Arvydas retired from the NBA for the final time.As a teenager, Domantas played professionally for the Spanish club Unicaja Malaga before he spent two years at Gonzaga.

"We definitely learned and developed all-around skills growing up in that [Spanish] system. Those years I grew up, those teenage years, the most important ones, I would say," Sabonis told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on the 'Woj Pod.'

The NBA insider then asked whether the Spanish national team had ever attempted to sway him to their side in hopes of convincing him to represent their country.

"I think maybe when I was super young," Sabonis said. "When I was 14, there was a camp. They tried to sell it: 'That's just a camp, come over,' but my dad shut that down quickly. He's like, 'No, no, you are coming to Lithuania this summer."

For Sabonis, wearing the Lithuanian jersey holds unparalleled value.

"As generations pass on, that feeling stays the same. There's nothing like playing for your country, especially for Lithuania," he highlighted. "Basketball is like a religion here. Just being on those teams every summer, the feeling you get, you cannot compare it to any other game. With those colors of the flag on you, every year is a special group of guys, no matter who's representing. You build this bond that definitely translates to the court."

Domantas Sabonis

Team:Sacramento KingsPosition:PF, CAge:27Height:211 cmWeight:109 kgBirth place:Portland, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Sabonis is averaging 19.5 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists over 78 games for Sacramento and has posted 61 consecutive double-doubles. He also leads the league in triple-doubles, boasting 26, surpassing the likes of Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic.

Sabonis made the decision to delete his social media accounts at the start of the season, and the move paid dividends.

"Me personally, I deleted all my social media at the beginning of the season," Sabonis shared. "It's been the best thing ever. You don't have to worry about any of 'that.' You just go out there and play your game. You have your coaches, your family, your teammates, and their opinion is the only one that matters. You just got to go out there, trust your game, and play.

"It's amazing," Sabonis went on to say. "You have a lot more free time. Your mind is clear. You watch film and you try and learn by yourself, you don't need to read or hear anything from anyone else because, at the end of the day, you're the one on the court playing."

Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.