Domantas Sabonis shared his all-time starting five during an interview with GQ Sports recently and it’s quite an interesting one, to say the least.
“John Stockton, shoutout to Gonzaga, solid point guard that’s gonna get the team going,” Sabonis said. “Then we go with the GOAT Michael Jordan. Got to go with LeBron (James), KD (Kevin Durant), and then at center Arvydas Sabonis, my dad. Killer team.”
Well, there’s a little bit of bias in some of those selections, for sure. Let’s look at them one by one.
Sabonis went with John Stockton as his point guard and while that might surprise some, it makes sense when you consider both men went to Gonzaga. While Stockton doesn’t tend to show up on such lineups all that often, there is no denying he is one of the greatest points of all time.
Stockton made 10 All-Star teams and 11 All-NBA teams in his 19-year career. He won a record nine assists titles and is the NBA’s all-time leader for assists and steals.
Michael Jordan was Sabonis’ pick at shooting guard and he named him as the GOAT as well. Jordan won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, a DPOY, and 10 scoring titles in his storied career. He should be a lock for any all-time starting five and that’s the case for the man who comes next too.
LeBron James slots in at small forward for Sabonis and is one of two active players on his team. James has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title in his career. He is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and is the closest challenger to Jordan for that GOAT title.
LeBron’s great rival Kevin Durant was Sabonis’ power forward. Durant has won two titles, two Finals MVPs, an MVP, and four scoring titles in his career. He might just be the most complete scorer the game has ever seen.
Lastly, Sabonis went with his father Arvydas Sabonis for the center spot. Arvydas was past his best when he arrived in the NBA, which meant he didn’t end up winning any accolades in the league. What he did outside the NBA, though, was quite special.
Arvydas won the gold medal with the Soviet Union in 1988 and the bronze twice with Lithuania in 1992 and 1996. He also won two ACB titles, two Spanish League MVPs, and two Spanish League Finals MVPs with Real Madrid. Sabonis won a FIBA European League (EuroLeague) title during his time with the Spanish team as well.
Mitch Richmond got to play against Arydas in both the NBA and international competition and had nothing but praise for him. Richmond said Sabonis was like Nikola Jokic but bigger and compared his frame to that of Shaquille O’Neal. It’s just a shame that he had been bogged down by injuries by the time he came to the NBA in 1995.
While we couldn’t get to see Arydas at his best in the league, we are getting to see the best of Domantas. Sabonis averaged 19.4 points, 13.7 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Sacramento Kings in 2023-24. The three-time All-Star was rewarded for his efforts with a spot on the All-NBA Third Team for the second straight year and he is now hoping to lead the Kings to the Promised Land.
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