Former Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Domantas Sabonis has stayed in shape this offseason, his first as a member of the Sacramento Kings, by playing for the Lithuanian National Team during the FIBA world cup qualifiers.
Lithuania just secured a big victory over Hungary on Wednesday, aided in part by a 17 point performance from Sabonis. The two-time All-Star added four assists and three rebounds in his 30 minutes of action.
Lithuania remains a strong European competitor on the international stage, with their basketball success dating back to the days where Domas’ father, Arvydas Sabonis, roamed the center position in the 1980’s.
The team now features the younger Sabonis, as well as Jonas Valanciunas, Ignas Brazdeikis, and Rokas Jokubaitis, giving them a nice core of NBA-caliber talent to build around as the Olympics approach in a few years.
Sabonis is one of a handful of former Zags participating in FIBA events this summer, including David Stockton (Team USA) Jeremy Pargo (AmeriCup) Angel Nunez (Panama) Kelly Olynyk, and Kevin Pangos (Team Canada). Kyle Wiltjer was initially listed on Canada’s roster, but is not currently with the team.
Andy hosts the Locked on Zags and Locked on College Basketball podcasts, and serves Locked On in a marketing/digital content creator role as well. He lives just outside Portland with his wife Jenna and dog, Tillie.
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