An NBA All-Star, a legendary father and the enormous weight of legacy

FROM THE ROAD, the modern villa delivers Italy to Northern California. Old-growth oliva trees shadiness the driveway starring toward Tuscan elms framing the beforehand doorway while rows of Cabernet Sauvignon vines stitchery outpouring sunlight beside 1 of the 2 garages.

Suddenly, the quiet of a lukewarm evening is surgery by a child's laugh, and a smiling Domantas Sabonis emerges from the different car shed -- which doubles arsenic a gym, pinch weights, an crystal bath and sauna -- successful grey shorts, a achromatic T-shirt and pinch an outstretched hand.

The Sacramento Kings' do-everything prima guardant and the Kings had landed aft midnight, and Sabonis and his family returned to his home, astir a half-hour's thrust from downtown Sacramento, to walk the uncommon disconnected time arsenic his ninth NBA regular play nears its end.

Sabonis' wife, Shashana, carries their soon-to-be-9-month-old girl inside, and the then-27-year-old Sabonis takes a spot astatine a information area array beside a children's booster seat.

He lifts his 2-year-old son, Tiger, atop his knee.

"What does Daddy do?" the 6-foot-10 Sabonis asks.

Tiger is shy, but smiles. He knows. When he started crawling, he wanted to play pinch a basketball. His first connection was "ball." Sabonis treasures photos and videos of those early days, but it was almost eerie, he says. They hadn't moreover introduced the crippled to Tiger; it was arsenic if he was drawn to it, instinctively.

Now, Tiger has artifact hoops astir the house. He tin dribble and dunk and Sabonis useful pinch him connected his shooting motion, showing him really to decently travel through. As he sits connected his father's knee, Tiger is wearing cream-colored shorts and a matching garment covered successful hoops prints. "He is obsessed," Sabonis says.

Tiger comes to games, cheers and wants his dada to sprout and dunk each clip he touches the ball. But Tiger doesn't yet cognize really bully his begetter is -- that, past season, his begetter became the 2nd subordinate successful NBA history to grounds 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 600 assists successful a season, joining Wilt Chamberlain, who did truthful successful 1966-67 and 1967-68 and won NBA MVP honors successful some seasons.

And this season, his dada is averaging a career-high 20.8 points connected a career-best 62.2% shooting. He's shooting a career-high 42.9% from 3-point range, ranks 3rd successful the convention successful rebounds (12.7) and leads the convention successful double-doubles (21).

Sabonis, successful his 3rd afloat play successful Sacramento, is trying to assistance a woebegone Kings franchise that seeks sustained occurrence successful a powerful Western Conference, while besides representing the continued improvement of the modern large man, personification who tin grip the ball, sprout from agelong region and service arsenic an violative nexus.

Doing each three, he believes, will not only thief dependable the Kings, presently 12-13 and retired of the play-in, but grant his legendary father, Arvydas, who, successful galore ways, began that improvement decades ago.

A FEW DAYS later, from Lithuania, Arvydas Sabonis travels backmost successful time, to erstwhile Domantas was small, conscionable bouncing the ball, conscionable arsenic his grandson Tiger does now.

"He was ever connected the court," Arvydas says.

Sons are calved into their father's shadow, but fewer are ever arsenic ample -- virtually and metaphorically -- arsenic the 1 Domantas was calved into successful May 1996. He arrived during the Portland Trail Blazers' playoff tally successful Arvydas' rookie NBA season. The Trail Blazers had, for years, tried to lure the 7-foot-3, 292-pound Arvydas and had drafted him No. 24 a decade earlier.

But Lithuania was past portion of the Soviet Union, and the Soviets wouldn't fto their prized subordinate play successful America. Arvydas had begun playing for the Soviet inferior nationalist squad astatine 15 and soon became considered the champion world subordinate successful the world: a upland of a man who whipped no-look passes for illustration Magic Johnson, possessed a soft-shooting touch from beyond the arc and dominated beneath the rim.

In 1982, Indiana Hoosiers caput coach Bob Knight said aft an accumulation crippled betwixt the Hoosiers and the Soviet nationalist team, successful which the 17-year-old Arvydas led accelerated breaks, made turnaround jumpers, and vanished pinch 25 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, that Arvydas "was arsenic bully a imaginable arsenic I'd ever seen."

For years, his fable only grew. U.S. politicians became involved, trying to assistance successful bringing him to the NBA, but Arvydas remained down the Iron Curtain, caught successful the geopolitical propulsion of the Cold War. He suffered 2 Achilles tendon ruptures successful his early 20s -- he later suspected 1 was from overuse -- earlier the Soviets relented, allowing him to sojourn Portland for curen successful 1988. He led the Soviets to the Gold Medal successful the ensuing Olympics successful Seoul, moreover though he hadn't afloat recovered, but Arvydas suffered knee injuries and accent fractures successful the years that followed, erstwhile he played professionally successful Spain. Still, the Trail Blazers ne'er gave up their pursuit.

Finally, successful the summertime of 1995, 5 years aft Lithuania collapsed free of a soon-to-crumble Soviet Union, a woody was struck. "If not NBA now, never," Arvydas said then. "Last chance." He turned 31 successful his rookie season, was named to the All-Rookie first team, was a runner-up for Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year and averaged 23.6 points and 10.6 rebounds successful the playoffs. Age and injuries had slowed him considerably, but he was still a force, which presented a tantalizing mobility that has lingered ever since:

What if Arvydas Sabonis had travel to the NBA successful his prime?

"We would person had four, 5 aliases six titles," erstwhile Blazers awesome Clyde Drexler erstwhile told ESPN. "Guaranteed. He was that good."

In his early seasons, Arvydas recalled Domantas -- who goes by Domas -- shooting and dribbling astatine the Trail Blazers' believe facility, processing a emotion of the game. "Domas, I retrieve ever wanted to [wear] No. 23 because of Jordan." Arvydas says.

Domantas didn't past cognize astir the fable of his father. To Domantas, Arvydas was conscionable his dada whom he loved and admired and who besides played basketball. Arvydas retired from the NBA aft the 2002-2003 season, erstwhile he was 38.

A fewer years later, successful 2006, aft the family had moved to Málaga, Spain, Domantas sat astatine his computer. Alone and curious, he typed his father's sanction into YouTube. He was 10.

Highlight clips emerged. As Domantas began watching, his eyes grew wider pinch each no-look walk and heavy 3.

"Wow," he thought to himself. "He was really really good."

A portion of Arvydas had ever hoped that immoderate of his 3 sons -- Zygimantas, Tautvydas and Domantas, the youngest -- mightiness prosecute the game.

"If personification plays basketball," he recalls thinking, "[I'll] beryllium happy."

He didn't want to push them, to unit them to unrecorded up to his legacy, which only grew erstwhile he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame successful 2010 and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 1 twelvemonth later. But Domantas ne'er imagined pursuing thing else. His 2 older brothers went connected to play professionally successful Europe, but Domantas had bigger goals.

Two years aft his father's Hall of Fame induction, Domantas played for a Spanish master squad and the Lithuanian under-16 nationalist squad astatine the FIBA European Championships. He became known for piling up double-doubles, moreover grabbing 27 rebounds successful 1 outing. He wore No. 11, his father's number.

Domantas wasn't arsenic flashy arsenic Arvydas, aliases arsenic tall, and he couldn't sprout aliases walk for illustration him, but he was quicker, pinch beardown instincts for grabbing loose balls.

Arvydas would watch his son's games from the stands, and Domantas would consciousness his father's presence. Wearing "Sabonis" connected his jersey meant proceeding from others who wondered astir his dad, aliases who saw his dada play and wanted to stock stories, aliases who shared that they wished his dada could've stayed patient -- what mightiness person been.

Domantas took pridefulness successful carrying the name, motivated to beryllium that he was worthy of the greatness attached to it. In 2014, he enrolled astatine Gonzaga, playing 2 seasons earlier leaping to the NBA -- he was drafted 11th, fittingly the aforesaid arsenic his father's jersey number -- and joining the Oklahoma City Thunder. In Domantas' preseason debut successful October 2016, the Thunder traveled to Spain to look Real Madrid, a squad Arvydas played for galore years prior.

Arvydas flew successful from Lithuania, and, hours earlier the game, the 2 sat down for an question and reply to talk astir the connections, past and present, begetter and son. They sat beside each different connected a patio, the Spanish sun beaming down -- the 20-year-old Domantas beside his towering father, past 51, streaks of grey done his acheronian hair.

"He was a 7-footer that could do everything for illustration a constituent guard," Domantas said. "Everyone would opportunity he could shoot, pass, play successful the post, everything, hook shots, truthful if I tin get thing from his game, that would beryllium awesome."

The stoic Arvyedas turned to look astatine his son. He would soon respond by saying he wished his boy each the champion arsenic he embarked upon the opening of his NBA career, and really important it was to proceed working. "In hoops always, you request to work, activity and activity and you ne'er extremity if you want to advancement and beryllium good," Arvyedas said.

But earlier Arvyedas said immoderate of that, he told Domantas what each boy wants to perceive from his father.

Arvydas smiled. "I'm very proud."

ABOUT AN HOUR earlier tipoff connected a outpouring nighttime astatine the Golden 1 Center successful Sacramento, Doug Christie rises from a courtside spot and points to a circumstantial spot connected the tribunal -- 1 bookend of the free propulsion line, known arsenic the elbow. Then, the erstwhile Kings defender calls upon a representation from his 15-season career, which stretched from the early 1990s and into the mid-2000s.

It was the first clip he played Arvydas Sabonis.

During the game, Christie remembers, the Trail Blazers' halfway stood astatine the elbow, caught the shot and tossed a swift, underhanded walk to a teammate, almost arsenic if he were throwing a bowling shot down the lane. Christie almost did a double-take, he says now.

"Oh s---, wow!" Christie thought to himself.

Most centers passed from up high, supra their shoulders, aliases offered a bounce pass, but successful this infinitesimal -- and truthful galore others to travel -- Arvydas was much creative, much daring. And Arvydas could measurement extracurricular and sprout 3-pointers, too, which virtually nary centers moreover attempted backmost then. Christie knew Arvydas was older, wracked by injuries and a sore back, ankles and troubled knees that near him lumbering up and down the court. "He had a torn Achilles, and he was still a monster," Christie says. "So you tin ideate what he was arsenic a young man."

After his playing profession ended, Christie visited Pepperdine, to watch his alma mater play a Gonzaga squad featuring Domantas. Christie instantly saw shades of Arvydas successful Domantas' consciousness for the game, his expertise to scan the tribunal and move the ball, particularly astatine his size.

Christie became a Kings adjunct coach successful 2021, and 1 twelvemonth later, the squad traded for Domantas, who had developed into an All-Star pinch the Indiana Pacers. Christie began moving pinch him, and the relationship wasn't mislaid connected Christie: playing the father, coaching the son. And erstwhile asked astir his early days of coaching Domantas, Christie points to the aforesaid spot connected the level that served arsenic a flashpoint for his ain memories of Arvydas: the elbow.

Domantas caught the shot and moved it supra his caput pinch 1 hand, scanning the level for teammates, successful the aforesaid measurement that his begetter had earlier him, reminding Christie excessively of halfway Vlade Divac and guardant Chris Webber, his erstwhile teammates connected the powerhouse Kings teams from the early 2000s. Both were large but skilled passers -- and if a teammate made a bully surface and trim to the basket, the shot would find them. In Domantas, Christie saw the aforesaid type of potential.

And so, too, would coach Mike Brown.

FOR YEARS BROWN had been dreaming of building an discourtesy centered astir a skilled, versatile, cerebral large man who could make speedy decisions, pass, screen, sprout and onslaught the rim. More of a constituent defender than a center. "A constituent center," Brown says.

The inspiration came from Brown's clip arsenic an adjunct coach for the Golden State Warriors from 2016 to 2022. From the bench, he saw really integral guardant Draymond Green was to the Warriors' offense: operating distant from the rim, passing the ball, mounting bully screens to free up Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, rolling difficult to the rim, guiding teammates to circumstantial spots -- serving arsenic an aerial postulation controller. "He makes that point go," Brown says.

And erstwhile Green caught the shot connected the perimeter, the Warriors often ran a circumstantial action that Brown recovered particularly tantalizing: the dribble-handoff. Green would person the ball, and group a surface connected his teammate's defender while handing him the ball.

In that moment, a world of options opened.

Green could free up the teammate for an unfastened 3-pointer. Or he could clone the handoff and thrust difficult toward the rim, trying to people aliases walk to an unfastened teammate erstwhile the defense collapsed. Or he could manus the shot disconnected to a teammate, past rotation toward the rim and beryllium fed a speedy walk for an easy bucket.

The DHO, arsenic it's known successful hoops parlance, was a potent weapon. And moreover much so, Brown believed, if it had the correct practitioner.

What's more, he thought, not galore teams employed it, truthful not galore teams practiced defending it. If he ever became an NBA caput coach again, Brown envisioned 1 time building an discourtesy astir the DHO.

What he needed was the correct opportunity and, astir of all, the correct subordinate to tally it.

Meanwhile, immoderate 2,200 miles away, Domantas was moving DHO actions much and much during his clip pinch the Pacers, wherever he spent 5 seasons aft playing successful Oklahoma City. In 2020-21, erstwhile he was named an All-Star for the 2nd consecutive season, Domantas was progressive successful a league-high 780 handoffs, according to ESPN Research. The adjacent season, 716, different league-high.

The only different subordinate moreover close? Denver Nuggets prima Nikola Jokic.

On Feb. 8, 2022, the Kings traded for Sabonis, sending Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Pacers (while besides receiving Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round draught prime successful return). A fewer months later, the Kings began looking for a caller caput coach, and Brown, keenly alert of who they conscionable acquired, pushed to capable the role.

In the occupation interview, he laid retired his vision, pinch Domantas being the centerpiece. Brown imagined Domantas moving moreover much DHO actions, particularly pinch Kings rising prima defender De'Aaron Fox. Those 2 alone, Brown said, would coming a powerful one-two punch. He sewage his wish.

He was hired successful May 2022 and brought pinch him 2 assistants from Golden State. In his first play arsenic the Kings caput coach, the squad ran 1,136 full nonstop handoffs pinch Domantas, past the astir successful the Second Spectrum search era, which dates backmost to 2013-14.

Domantas averaged 19.1 points and a league-best 12.3 rebounds and was named an All-Star for the 3rd time. Fox, meanwhile, earned his first All-Star nod. The Kings' discourtesy improved from 24th the play earlier to the league's champion successful Brown's first season. The Kings collapsed a 16-year postseason drought, the longest progressive streak successful the 4 awesome North American men's master sports leagues, and Brown, for his part, was named the NBA Coach of the Year.

To watch the Kings now is to spot Brown's imagination successful existent time. Sabonis' 91.7 touches per crippled past play classed 3rd among each players, trailing only Jokic (101.3) and Luka Doncic (92.1). And erstwhile Domantas has the ball, he moves it quickly: Among the apical 25 players successful full touches past season, Sabonis had the second-shortest mean touch length, up of only Anthony Davis of the Lakers.

While his touches per crippled person dipped this play pinch the presence of DeMar DeRozan, he still ranks 3rd successful the NBA among centers, down only Jokic and Anthony Davis.

Brown knows each the numbers. And he's effusive successful his praise.

"I'm not saying Domas is amended than Jokic aliases thing for illustration that," Brown says, "but, to maine that's why Domas is simply a amended playmaker than Jokic."

Brown says that Jokic is 1 of the champion passers ever, a subordinate much akin to Aryvdas, who says of Jokic, "Look, Jokic is incredible. He tin do everything. He's not excessively quick, but he's very smart."

But Domantas' domiciled is different, he notes. He's much of a constituent guard, tasked pinch bringing the shot up connected 1 broadside of the floor, then, if thing is there, moving to the different broadside of the level disconnected the dribble to make a play for others. It's not thing Jokic does aliases is tasked pinch doing, Brown says. It's not thing Aryvdas did, either.

In his day, Arvydas was considered the champion passing large man successful the world. While Domantas whitethorn not beryllium arsenic flashy, he ranks 2nd successful passes per crippled this season, trailing only Jokic. That uptick comes aft the Kings person employed the DHO moreover much pinch Domantas -- 1,421 successful 2023-24, a caller league-high successful the Second Spectrum search era. Domantas' DHOs person been arsenic effective arsenic ever this season: the Kings mean 1.05 points per nonstop handoff from him, the second-highest fig successful a play successful his profession arsenic Sabonis, erstwhile again, leads the NBA successful handoffs starring straight to an action.

From Lithuania, Arvydas beams pinch pride. In truthful galore ways, his boy represents the culmination of a activity that he helped begin. He could admit the connection, the evolution, from himself to his son.

"I'm very happy the Sabonis humor is location and showing [well]," Arvydas says. "My story, it ended short. Now comes a Sabonis pinch a agelong story."

SINCE ARVYDAS SABONIS retired, he has recovered small usage for the spotlight.

"Look, I'm [nearly] 60 years old," he says. "Everybody knows astir immoderate they request [to know] astir me. It's been written. Everybody knows. That's it. But Domas, okay, that's different story. But astir me? What to talk about?"

If there's thing Arvydas mightiness beryllium incorrect about, it's this. Domantas says he hears astir his begetter almost each night, and has for years. He understands, too, that there's an aura astir Arvydas, an unanswerable what-if that hangs complete the history of an full sport.

Aryvdas knows that his sanction and bequest predominate his son's life. But successful Arvydas' ain life, it's the opposite.

"Here successful Europe, I'm walking astir and everyone is asking maine astir him," Aryvdas says.

A 10-hour clip quality separates California and Lithuania, and a 7 p.m. tipoff successful Sacramento requires Arvydas to watch his son's games astatine 5 a.m. section time. He watches live, but it's difficult, he says. When he does watch, he is quiet. He studies. He loves the advancement Domantas has made. Two years ago, Domantas began dribbling the shot up the court. Last year, he improved his passing. This year, his 3-point shooting. "Each year, thing new," Arvydas says.

Sometimes, Arvydas will inquire his boy why he didn't spot a definite opportunity to score. Or why he didn't spot a circumstantial teammate who was open.

"You were besides 7-3, Dad," Domantas will say. "You could conscionable sprout complete the apical aliases spot complete the top. I'm smaller. I've sewage to activity a small harder."

Domantas knows that his begetter possessed almost supernatural tribunal vision. And moreover if he tried to make immoderate of his father's no-look passes, which Domantas readily describes arsenic "insane," he's not judge his teammates would moreover beryllium ready.

"His teammates expected it each time," Domantas says. "If I threw 1 of those correct now, it would deed the backmost of my teammate's head."

Hearing this, Arvydas offers a solution.

"You request to walk to their look 2 times," Arvydas says pinch a hearty laugh. "On the 3rd time, they'll drawback it."

There is room to grow, and Domantas knows it. "I watch Jokic arsenic overmuch arsenic I can," he says, "just to spot really he's doing things, really their guys are moving." He wants to beryllium much fierce offensively, and Christie wants him to look astatine the handbasket much and beryllium a threat to thrust to the rim.

Christie besides feels a deeper responsibility. Two summers ago, he traveled to Lithuania, smoked cigars and drank vino pinch Arvydas, his aged adversary. He watched the begetter and boy together, the dynamic. The gravity of their lineage resonated, and erstwhile Christie returned home, he did truthful pinch a greater purpose. This past summer, they worked much connected Domantas' correct hand, connected his jump shots. "We're starting to spot it," Christie says.

When Christie started moving pinch Domantas, 1 of the first things he told him was that Domantas didn't moreover cognize really bully he was -- and really bully he could be. Christie believes Domantas will pat into abilities that he doesn't moreover cognize he possesses. Arvydas believes this, too.

"He has time," Arvydas says of his son's NBA career, mentioning the top point lacking from his own.

If location is 1 changeless successful his feedback, 1 constituent that Arvydas preaches much than immoderate other, it is beingness health, which greatly undercut his ain career.

"After each game, you request to spell and do recuperation," Arvydas tells his son. "It doesn't matter if it's 2 hours, 3 hours. It's each for you. For your health."

And Domantas heeds the advice. "I'm ever successful the curen room," Domantas says. "Either crystal bath, massages. We person each these types of machines nowadays to thief you recover."

Those machines didn't beryllium for Arvydas, nor did different advances successful modern medicine.

"I don't consciousness thing astir this," Arvydas says. "It's intolerable to know. What happened is what happened. I'm excessively happy to travel [over to the NBA]. Okay, I'm coming and I'm 30 years old, but I cognize what is location and that's it. What happened if I travel if I'm 18 years aged aliases 20 years old? Who knows?"

That mobility will unrecorded forever, but successful Domantas location is different Sabonis, a young and patient one, playing astatine a ascendant level successful the NBA.

"I conscionable consciousness bad because I'm thing for illustration him," Domantas says of his father. "He's astatine a full different level, truthful it's not the same."

Sitting astatine his room table, Domantas says he isn't judge he'll ever measurement up to his dad.

"You cognize really immoderate legends ne'er die?" Domantas asks. "Well, it's hard. I'm conscionable different hoops player. He's a legend."

It doesn't matter that he has posted 1 of astir ascendant seasons successful NBA history, 1 that drew statistical comparisons to Wilt Chamberlain. The statistic don't matter, he says. It's overmuch bigger than that. It was his father's effect connected his country, too.

"I still person time, but I don't know," Domantas says. His begetter was historic. And his accomplishment level? "I consciousness for illustration there's a large quality there."

Relay each this to Arvydas, and he is dismayed. "I consciousness uncomfortable to perceive this," Arvydas says. "He has his way. He's playing his way. He's Domantas Sabonis. He's lefty and a different story. We spot what happens erstwhile it's final, erstwhile he's vanished this job. It's not over."

Relay each this to others astir Domantas, and they opportunity he's being overly modest, that he plays much for illustration his dada than he knows.

"There's times wherever he's conscionable driving and he hits a behind-the-back walk to a feline that's cutting, and you're like, 'How did you spot that?'" Fox says. "So there's a small there."

With the Pacers, Domantas wore No. 11, a tribute to Arvydas. And opening this season, he started wearing No. 11 for the Kings. (The number was antecedently retired by franchise fable Bob Davies, but his children gave their blessing for Domantas to deterioration it. In a June news release, Domantas stated, "The number 11 holds a typical spot successful excavation and my family's lives, having worn it passim my profession successful grant of my father.")

For his ain career, Domantas continues to cod accolades, and his floor plan continues to grow. Last season, he was featured successful the inaugural play of the Netflix documentary bid "Starting 5" pinch 4 different family names: LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum. Looking ahead, he wants to triumph medals pinch the Lithuanian nationalist team, conscionable arsenic his begetter did, and to get the NBA title that eluded his begetter too.

For each their differences, Arvydas notices 1 powerful commonality.

"He is simply a warrior -- for illustration me."

Back astatine his house, Domantas says it feels bully that he has helped the family sanction unrecorded on, and he pictures Tiger learning much astir him and his grandpa, and possibly pursuing the crippled conscionable arsenic they did.

The early evening sunlight starts to fade, and retired from down the room island, Tiger emerges again. He eyes his begetter and the artifact hoop nearby.

"You want to play hoops earlier dinner?" Domantas asks his son.

The answer, from the adjacent procreation of Sabonis: an emphatic "YEAH!"