The Soviet and Lithuanian basketball legend Arvydas Sabonis was born 19 Decembver, 1964 in Kaunas, Soviet Union. The 221-centimeters-tall center played for some of the strongest clubs in Europe, such as Žalgiris Kaunas (1981-1989 & 2003-2004) and Real Madrid (1992-1995). He also played 7 seasons in the NBA with Portland Trail Blazers (1995-2003).
Sabonis made his professional basketball debut with Žalgiris Kaunas in 1981 at the age of 17. For almost a decade, Sabonis was one of the biggest stars in the USSR Premier League, and Žalgiris-CSKA rivalry was one of the best basketball rivalries ever. He helped his team to win three consecutive league titles from 1985 to 1987, displaying some stellar performances against the CSKA legend Vladimir Tkachenko.
Sabonis had a successful EuroLeague career, making his debut in the 1985/86 season as Žalgiris was able to reach the Final. The Lithuanian giant was the second–best scorer of the season with 380 points in 15 games, averaging 25.3 points per game. In the Final against Cibona Zagreb, Sabonis scored 27 points but it wasn’t enough to secure a win. During his EuroLeague career, the Lithuanian center was always among the leading scorers of the competition, finishing in Top 20 in every of his 6 seasons in the EuroLeague.
After several unsuccessful attempts to win the EuroLeague, Sabonis finally enjoyed a success in 1995 as Real Madrid won the title, and the 31-year-old center won the Finals MVP award, finishing season with 371 points in 17 games, averaging 21.8 points per game. At the age of 40, he played his final EuroLeague season together with his hometown club Žalgiris. Sabonis won EuroLeague MVP award, scoring 300 points in 18 games, averaging 16.7 points per game. In total, in his 6 seasons in the EuroLeague, Sabonis scored 1864 points in 94 games, averaging 19.8 points per game.
Sabonis had a very successful international career with the Soviet Union and Lithuanian national team, winning the Olympic Games gold medal, as well as FIBA World Cup and Eurobasket titles. In 1985, he became the Eurobasket MVP, averaging 20.6 points per game.
In his EuroLeague, FIBA Saporta Cup, FIBA Korac Cup, and international games from 1982 to 2004, Sabonis scored 3702 points in 193 games. He finished his career as 10th best scorer in the history of the Soviet Union national team with 661 points.
ACCOLADES
EuroLeague champion (1995)
EuroLeague (1986)
EuroLeague Finals MVP (1995) EuroLeague Top 16 MVP (2004) EuroLeague MVP (2004)
FIBA Korac Cup Top Scorer (1992) FIBA Saporta Cup (1985)
FIBA Saporta Cup (1989) FIBA Korac Cup (1992)
Olympic Games (1988) Olympic Games (1992, 1996) FIBA World Cup (1982) FIBA World Cup (1986) Eurobasket MVP (1985) Eurobasket (1985) Eurobasket (1995) Eurobasket (1983, 1989) USSR Premier League (1985, 1986, 1987) USSR Premier League (1983, 1984, 1988, 1989) ACB League (1993, 1994) ACB League (1995) LKL League (2004) #10 all-time in scoring in Soviet Union national team history with 661 points
Year
85/86
86/87
92/93
93/94
94/95
03/04
TOT
Team
Age
22
23
29
30
31
40
GP
15
9
20
15
17
18
94
PPG
25.3
22.8
16.5
17.4
21.8
16.7
19.8
PTS
380
205
329
261
371
300
1864
RNK
2nd
14th
7th
18th
5th
14th
FIBA SAPORTA CUP STATISTICS
Year
84/85
88/89
TOT
Team
Age
21
25
GP
10
8
18
PPG
19.2
20.6
19.8
PTS
192
165
357
TRK
FIBA KORAC CUP STATISTICS
Year
91/92
TOT
Team
Age
28
GP
13
13
PPG
24.6
24.6
PTS
320
320
TRK
SPANISH LEAGUE STATISTICS
Year
89/90
90/91
91/92
92/93
93/94
94/95
TOT
Team
Age
26
27
28
29
30
31
GP
35
32
32
30
27
34
190
PPG
23.3
18.4
21.8
17.1
17.7
22.9
20.4
PTS
815
590
696
514
478
778
3871
TRK
1/4
1/4
1/4
OLYMPIC GAMES STATISTICS
Year
1988
1992
1996
TOT
Team
Age
24
28
32
GP
7
8
8
25
PPG
13.3
23.9
16.9
16.8
PTS
93
191
135
419
RNK
24th
2nd
6th
FIBA WORLD CUP STATISTICS
Year
1982
1986
TOT
Team
Age
18
22
GP
5
10
15
PPG
9.6
14.8
13.1
PTS
48
148
196
RNK
55th
20th
EUROBASKET STATISTICS
Year
1983
1985
1989
1995
TOT
Team
Age
19
21
25
31
GP
7
8
5
8
28
PPG
17.7
20.8
16.4
21.8
19.5
PTS
124
166
82
174
546
RNK
8th
4th
10th
4th
Description for statistics
FIBA Saporta Cup is the same competition, as FIBA European Cup Winners’ Cup, ULEB Cup or EuroCup, a 2nd-tier European Cup competition. FIBA Korac Cup is the same competition as FIBA EuroChallenge, a 3rd-tier European Cup competition. GP – Games played PPG – Points per game PTS – Total points RNK – Individual scoring ranking TRK – Team ranking