Domantas Sabonis to honor father, Arvydas Sabonis, by wearing No. 11 with Sacramento Kings

Sabonis will switch from No. 10 after receiving a blessing from the family of Kings Hall-of-Famer Bob Davies

Apr 2, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) kisses his daughter Eleven in the forehead before a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Domantas Sabonis has decided he wants to carry on his family’s legacy next season.

The former Gonzaga standout has worn the No. 10 since being traded to the Sacramento Kings in 2022. On Friday, the 28-year-old All-NBA forward announced a change to the No. 11 for the 2024-25 NBA season.

The No. 11, which had been retired by the Kings, holds a special meaning for the Sabonis family. Domantas’ father, NBA Hall-of-Fame player Arvydas Sabonis, wore the number during his seven seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. His playmaking and passing ability helped revolutionize the center position in basketball all over the world.

Domantas and his wife Shashana even named their daughter Eleven Rose Sabonis, who was born nearly one year ago on July 11. 

Sabonis wore No. 11 during his two seasons at Gonzaga, where he was an All-American forward before being selected, coincidentally, 11th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic (traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder thereafter). The Lithuanian forward donned the number again after he was traded in 2017 to the Indiana Pacers, where Sabonis was a two-time All-Star.

Sabonis switched to No. 10 once he arrived in Sacramento because the franchise had retired No. 11 in honor of Hall-of-Fame player Bob Davies, who played 10 seasons with the Rochester Royals and was an NBA champion in 1951. Davies’ children gave Sabonis their blessing to wear their father’s old number.

“My siblings and I are so proud of our father and everything he accomplished throughout his legendary NBA career,” said Bob Davies’ daughter Camy Davies Keck in a news release. “He was a great influence on our family as well as many young aspiring athletes. He was definitely a man of true character. Given the Sabonis family’s special connection to number 11, we thought it was fitting to share our dad’s number with Domantas and wish him much success. We are thankful to the Kings organization and fans for their continued support."

Davies was a four-time All-Star and averaged 16.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game in the 1951-52 season. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969.

Sabonis capped off another historic season as the league’s leader in rebounds, double-doubles and triple-doubles. The 6-foot-10 Lithuanian averaged 19.4 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists — a stat line that only Wilt Chamberlain has ever put together before. Sabonis’ 77 double-doubles were the most since Moses Malone in the 1978-79 season. He also became one of just six players in league history to record at least 26 triple-doubles in a season. 

For the second straight season, Sabonis earned All-NBA third team honors.

“The number 11 holds a special place in mine and my family’s lives, having worn it throughout my career in honor of my father,” Sabonis said. “I’m incredibly thankful to the Davies family for sharing number 11 with me and I look forward to building on the legacy of all those who wore it before me.”