Do you think a healthy Arvydas Sabonis in his prime would’ve dominated in the NBA? Let us know in the comments below ✍ If you enjoyed the video, help us grow by hitting the like button & subscribing to our channel! 🙌 For more content like this visit: basketnews.com Lastly, don't forget to follow us on social media: Twitter: twitter.com/basketnews_com/ Instagram: instagram.com/basketnews/ Facebook: facebook.com/basketnews/
For all you youngsters born in the 90s, allow me to introduce you to Sabonis: before the injuries, he had ridiculous hops; handles; passing vison; deep range from three, a mid-range and post game, facing the basket and with back to basket; and he was an absolute dog... Sabonis was the reason USA basketball petitioned to allow pros to play, hence, we had the first Dream Team.
@@kisswriters I was born in the 2000s . The man was a machine . An unguardable giant of a machine . In Europe during the 90s there wasn't a center as dominant as Sabonis was .
Arguably the best video about Sabonis ever made. Also he was one 4th quarter away from the NBA finals where he most probably would have been gotten the champions ring.
Well put ZhylvisLT. Many people do not realize how close Sabonis and the Blazers came to beating the Lakers in the conference finals in 2000. If that happens, the stacked Blazers would almost certainly defeated the Pacers in the Finals. If that happens I believe Sabonis gets much more acclaim and recognition. Not to mention I always believed that a 7th ring for Pippen would have done the same for him. I always believed that Pippen's contributions to the Bulls 6 titles was underrated.
Sabonis was ahead of his time. We will never know how good he could have become if joined the NBA early, but even then he was way ahead of his time. Only in recent years NBA witnessed more of Sabonis type of players. Jokic is prime example of what Sabonis could have been in the NBA.
But even still Jokic is Miles below Sabonis in talent and athleticism. A prime Sabonis would have guaranteed multiple chips for Portland. Put him on the 90s team with Drexler, Porter, Kersey and Buck Williams and Jordan would have never got close to a chip let alone six
@@vecislt well his injuries were also from being overworked. Dude made Lebron's 8 straight finals look like a vacation because the Soviet Union turned his knees into cement essentially.
Complete bullshit. You cant rewrite history when there are numbers scream the truth. He was a 20/12 player in a shitty league, what an Earth shattering talent.
Seeing this at 03:58, it's even sweeter when I see European players win the MVP award. It's difficult for the younger ones to understand, but European players are no better today than 20-30 years ago, the difference is that today they immediately get the opportunity in the NBA and complete freedom to take as many shots as they want. David Robinson is undoubtedly one of the best bigs in the history of basketball, and Sabonis destroyed him in the 80s.
Sabonis was the lab child of Kareem, Wilt & Walton... such a shame he never got to the NBA before the achilles, knees and all those crates of vodka. Great video mate - best mini doco out there on Arvydas. What a player he was.
I was lucky to see him live in a european championship game against my greek team in the mid 80’s. He had this wow factor. His every move was so fluid, like watching a dancer. The whole arena cheered for him. It’s shocking for greek fans to do that for an opponent but to us it felt like we were watching an exhibition game. I have no doubt in my mind that a young Sabonis would have taken the NBA by storm.
And yet his numbers were so mediocre while playing against MUCH lesser talent? You probably would've said the same about Jason Williams, a mediocre PG who seemed impressive when you watched him in person, but his numbers showed what he really was. Youre mistaken if you think a guy who avg. 20 and 12 in a much weaker league 'would take the NBA by storm' because he eas 7'3" and could shoot 38% from 3.
Galis scoring on Sabonis was actually the biggest WOW I saw in basketball. 185 vs 223. I saw Sabonis play many times in the USSR championship. He could not jump very high and his scoring/rebounding was never through the roof. Yes, he could pass and could shoot long distance - better than any other soviet big man. He'd do fine in the NBA but I can not see him storming the league in any way.
I remember as a really young kid when I first started watching NBA basketball, I saw Sabonis on the TrailBlazers and I could see how old he was for a rookie and had huge knee braces and was always on a super limited minutes restriction. And on every broadcast, the announcers would say Sabonis was the biggest beast in Europe and how it's a shame we never got to see even close to the best version of him. I didn't understand how huge he was in Europe until I saw an NBATV special about him decades later. Your videos are great for giving even more background on Sabonis and his European career.
I watched him playing,first time, for USSR in 1985 in the European cup and i didn't believe my eyes.For my generation Sabonis wasn't a ''what if''.Sabonis was the best but he was unfortuned.He played in NBA at his mid thirties and we all saw of what he was capable.Imagine him young and without serious injuries.
Sabonis would be at the same level as Jordan or The Dream Hakeem if he joined NBA much earlier. He proved that he is special one, the one and only for Lithuanians. He is the GOAT of basketball for Lithuania 🇱🇹! This is what if… actually the saddest what if because of soviets….
Sabonis in prime for me was best ever Robinson look like amater in Seul and on that geame Sabonis wasnt complitly helthy in finale he destroy Jugoslavia almost alone
Proof if this is how he was really serviceable in his older age when he finally came. Had he came 7-10 years earlier, Portland would’ve been way more dangerous
If you want an analogy NBA Sabonis was a better version of the Joker... and NBA Sabonis was at 30-40% of his real abilities.peak at that time.... So imagine a 7.4 Joker with rim protection
People don't realize how good he was before the injuries he could have dominated the NBA my only concern is the NBA team and coach screwing it up like they did with Sampson and handicapping him by making him play primarily in the post.
😅😅😅, a better version of the 2 time MVP. Sabonis couldn't handle Jugoplastika and Cibona in Euroleague back in the 80s let alone NBA superstars of this era. Averaged 3 assists per game. Tired of listening this bs and creating of an urban legend for a guy that choked so many times in big games. Better than Jokic 😂😂😂😂😂
Fantastic video, the best I have ever seen, with very detailed explanations. I had the chance to see Sabonis play live in December of 1983. He had just turned 19. He was absolutely amazing. Congratulations for the work and thank you.
We were so dominant in the 1980's basketball as Yugoslavia, nobody could come close. But there was this guy, who could make a difference. Sabonis. Competing either against our national team, or against Cibona with Petrovic, we feared him. We were much better as teams, but he was soooooooo big and capable. Luckily for us, he had a bad temper, too. Which did cost Zalgiris titles against Cibona. But they somehow managed to win a lost game against Yugoslavia at the Olympics, when we had 9 points +. with some 50 seconds to go. If he joined NBA in the 80's, he'd be one of the GOATs, if not the one.
I ve been lucky enough to watch him play, both in Europe and NBA. No doubt, one of the best european players ever. We didnt watch him play back in 1987 with CCCP in the european national championship that was held in Greece, but we did see him in Belgrade 2 years later. The semi final against Nick Galis was a memorable one and there are a couple videos to look for about the battle these 2 legends had that night.
I have heard of Galis. I think that Red Auerbach tried to sign him around 1980-81, and they couldn't complete the deal (I think he was at college at Seton Hall or something).
@@jab1289 Yes, its been said tha R.A commented that not signing him back then, was the biggest "mistake"/regret in his career.Galis graduated SH and he did play alongside to Larry Bird in the college allstar game, trying to pass the ball more to him than scoring himself, because he knew Boston were looking to recruit him. An offseason injury and a rather large financial offer from the greek team "Aris", were the reasons that made him decide to come and play basketball in his parents homeland. The rest is History.
And Galis took him apart being what, 184? I watched Sabonis played many times in the ussr championship. He was indeed the best soviet center for a while but far from a super-human.
@@Shiljamannn he was injured all the time because the USSR medical staff wouldn't let him fully heal, or subjected him to experimental procedures before throwing him back out for international competition. 85% of his injuries could've been avoided with proper medical practices.
@@Shiljamannn he didn't get all those injuries, because he was made of glass like AD. It happened (first torn achilles) because of Alexander Gomelsky who was head coach of the Soviet national team at that time. I believe that with the medicine he could get in the NBA he would be fine
@@Shiljamannn Sabonis getting here in the late 80s, getting American treatment and therapy?! Playing along Drexler, Buck and the rest? Please! The greatest player, not named Michael Jordan.
That the Atlanta Hawks draft wasn't allowed was because of his age. Overseas players needed to be 21 years old when being drafted and at the time he was only 20 years old. Not for the "put back rule" !!! Larry Bird was drafted by the Celtics in 1978 only to join them in 1980. In 1979 he played for the university of Indiana reaching the NCAA college finals, losing to Magic Johnson and Michigan State !!! In my opinion the NBA landscape would be totally different if Arvydas Sabonis in his prime would have had the possibility to play in the nba. Sorry for Magic, Bird, Isiah and even Jordan, because of how his injuries were caused by overload.
Loved his game! couldn't jump over a piece of paper by time he showed up in NBA but he passed like Magic Johnson and had great post game and 3 point range as well!
Vydas was a giant machine of a Center . So big and yet INSANELY mobile and clever as a player . At his prime he was Real Madrid's BEST prolific player ( yes , even above Arlauskas ) . Too bad I was born after 2000 - didn't have the chance to ever see him play .
Great video! We love Arvydas Sabonis in Portland. If only he could have played with Drexler and Porter, right? Arvydas in his prime in the NBA would have been special. Arvydas played like Walton in 77' - total offense run through the big man. It's a style of basketball like fine art.
This video does not mention his last season in Europe where he was on his way to the Euroleague final four before suffering a last second defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv in an Epic battle
He's a threat player when he was younger.... It's a shame we never get to see him play in the 80s and he were drafted in the best class ever! 1984-1985 season!
Sabonis was the best Passing center of all time n the NBA ….If he would’ve came to the NBA at a young age Whatever team he went to as along as he a good front n back court he would of have some championships under his belt
We would have won a title if he had been healthy in the early 2000s. Even Drexler said they would have won a few titles in the early 90s had Sabonis been allowed to come to the US after he was drafted.
I moved to Europe from the United States and at the age of 10 in 1994. Sabonis is the G.O.A.T of basketball. Jordan, Leflop are the G.O.A.Ts of the company, N.B.A
Hall of Famer ..great overall player, extremely talented n gifted...for his size especially...but GOAT n all time...too many "what ifs" ...if everyone had one what if in their career ..certainly great video and huge respect for Mr Sabonis
He was always clever. After injuries he simply couldn't jump over people as he was used to so he had to rely on his skill more than his athletics :) you had fair share of monsters in your country too.
I'm afraid that is not the reason why the Hawks pick was voided. I believe the reason was that, unless you declared yourself eligible before, you could only draft players in the year they turned 22. In 1985 (in December) Sabonis would turn 21. There was another draft pick that was voided in that draft. It was that of another European player, Fernando Martín, selected in the second round by the Nets, because he had turned 23 in 1985.
Dude are you Lithuanian?? Cuz u pronounce Sabonis and Marciulionis names perfectly. Sabas is legend without long career in NBA. I can only imagine what kind of beast he would have been in his prime
arvydas in his 20s was more athletic and explosive than jokic. he was a far better defensive player as well. obviously because of his injuries he had to become more of a finess player when he came to the nba.
Boricua hispanic india n black iam.. i have the basketball card from sabonis was play with Pippen they went to the final west SIDE v Kobe n Shaq portand trail blazer was a great team in that time. I hope his son win a champions ring to make sabonis happy. Sabonis was humble person.
Euro players in the 80s had much richer international experience than USA players because they could pick players from youth teams. Eg Divac made his debut in the men's team at age 16. In usa he'd have to be at least 23.
I watched him on TV 88 Olympics he dominated the young David admiral Robinson if not those restrictions he will be a good center to play in the nba and he will dominate.
I think Magic Johnson also played against Sabonis and thought he was phenomenal. I think this might have been in the University games. Arvydas would have been phenomena. Alas, part of his peak would have coincided with Magic's/Larry's/Karl's/Thomas'/MJ's and fierce competition with very tough man-to-man and also from the likes of an older Kareem, Ewing, Robinson, Olajuwan, etc. Difficult to dominate especially with MJ around. But Arvydas would have been a fantastic player, if he had remained injury free.
I fully agree Sabonis is up there as one of the biggest “What Ifs” but Len Bias owns that. That said, considering his international and foreign careers I think he (Sabonis) is still one of the best centers in Basketball history. (A better version of Jokic, and Jokic is very good). Personally I think Shaq has a case for a what if, what if he had the right mentality and some maturity - could he have been the GOAT, surely he would have been in the conversation.
I dont think nba coaches at the time would have been able to institute a playing style that would have taken advantage of his skills in his prime. The trailblazers had no clue how to use Petrovic - they wanted him to be a spot up outside shooter - and lucky he got out of there to Nets who had Chuck Daly as coach.
I take that partially back given Rick Adelman was coach of Blazers and he was coach of 2000s era Kings who played style where Sabonis could have thrived.
If not for Arvydas going complete HAM on team USA in the late 80s, we may not have had the Dream Team formed..fact!!!!! He was like the IVAN DRAGO of Basketball to USA Basketball lol
We all like kids was Sabonis no matter play ⚽ love his play but when play against Yugoslavia that was end our love for him he take that trophy from our hands😂
If he played since 1986 Arvydas Sabonis could make at least 35-36 ppg same level with Wilt Chamberlain, MJ, and Harden. And in play-off stage he will make 50 ppg same level with Wilt Chamberlain...omg so sad
