1988 Seoul Olympic Basketball Semifinals. The United States, which is said to have built the strongest amateur team, faced the Soviet Union. The main gun of the Soviet Union that sank the U.S., which was determined to win, was Avidas Sabonis (59, now Lithuania). At 220 cm tall, he was the world’s strongest center at the time, boasting a soft shot touch and a graceful pass. At this time, the shock of defeat had a decisive influence on the United States calling in all the professional players four years later to form the ‘Dream Team’.
This season, the NBA Sacramento Kings. The Lithuanian power forward led the team to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Domantas Sabonis (27) debuted in 2016. He is the son of Abidas. Domantas played a key engine role in bringing the Kings, who had been in the bottom tier for over 10 years, to third place in the Western Conference this season. 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. Contribution is also number one in the team. On the night of the 30th of last month, when the Kings defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 120-80 and confirmed their advance to the playoffs, in front of the Golden One Center at their home stadium, ‘Domantas! The chants of “Domantas!” continued to resonate. Domantas was like a downpour to the Kings, who suffered the longest playoff drought among the four major American professional sports teams (baseball, football, basketball, and ice hockey).
Domantas’ idol is, of course, his father. His father made a name for himself as an ‘invincible center’ in his heyday. He was also named to the NBA in 1986 with the 24th pick in the first round, but due to injuries and public opinion during the Cold War (Soviet player), he joined the team in 1995 at the age of 31. His father said, “I never asked my son to play basketball,” but the son became a basketball player following his father, who was a national hero, as if accepting his fate. Domantas is smaller than his father at 211 cm but more agile. He is said to have inherited his passing sense from his father and is considered one of the ‘smartest players in the league’.
Unlike his father, who was known as a ‘born genius’, Domantas is classified as a ‘late-late’ type. In his debut season in 2016, he averaged only 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds, but gradually improved his performance. After moving to the Indiana Pacers, he was selected as an All-Star twice (season 2019-2020 and season 2020-2021), and his talent was in full bloom. He moved back to the Kings last season and was selected as an All-Star again this season. He already surpassed his father’s season highs (16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds). His annual salary this season is 18.5 million dollars (approximately 24.5 billion won).
“All my life in basketball,바카라사이트 I’ve been told that ‘I’m worse than my father’. I was angry at first, but now I’m rather grateful. Without those words, I wouldn’t be here.” On the 16th, Domantas will play the first leg of the first round of the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors, the champion of the previous year. “It’s the playoffs that we’re in because of the Sacramento fans. I will not disappoint you.” Experts are predicting a slight advantage for the Warriors amid close ice.