Arvydas Sabonis
A 7-foot-3 basketball genius from Lithuania whose sublime passing and skill, displayed fully only after major injuries, redefined what a giant could do.
Born 1964 (age 62)·Lithuanian basketball player and executive·Birthday: December 19·Baby Boomers
Biography
Arvydas Sabonis was a myth before he was a reality for most NBA fans. In the 1980s, stories filtered out of the Soviet Union about a colossal center who moved with a guard's grace, fired outlet passes like a quarterback, and possessed a feathery shooting touch. He dominated international play, leading the USSR to gold in 1988 over a US team of college stars. Political barriers and devastating Achilles injuries delayed his NBA arrival until he was 31, past his physical prime. What the Portland Trail Blazers got was still a revelation. Sabonis, with his vast basketball IQ, became the hub of their offense, a playmaker from the high post whose no-look passes and three-point range made him a proto version of today's modern big man. He played the game with a weary, veteran savvy that was both beautiful and effective, helping Portland remain a contender. His legacy is one of immense, unfulfilled potential in the NBA, but also of a player whose fundamental skill and vision expanded the imagination of an entire generation about the possibilities of a center.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Arvydas was born in 1964, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arvydas Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Arvydas's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1969Started school
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 60
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 62 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won an Olympic gold medal with the Soviet Union in 1988 and a bronze with Lithuania in 1992 and 1996.
- Named the EuroLeague's FIBA European Player of the Year (Mr. Europa) twice in the 1990s.
- Led the Spanish club Real Madrid to a EuroLeague championship in 1995, earning Final Four MVP honors.
- Had his #11 jersey retired by the Portland Trail Blazers, honoring his impactful seven-season tenure.
Did You Know?
He and his son, Domantas Sabonis, are the first father-son duo to both be named to the NBA All-Star team.
He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 1985, but the selection was voided because he was under the league's minimum age at the time.
He was an accomplished fisherman and once caught a 600-pound shark.
After retirement, he became the owner and president of the Lithuanian basketball club Žalgiris Kaunas.
“I played for the flag on my chest, not the name on my back.”
