Gonzaga to honor Domantas Sabonis in pregame ceremony

Former Bulldogs standout will have his number honored in ceremony before Santa Clara game on Jan. 18

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Domantas Sabonis. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Gonzaga men's basketball program is set to honor two-time All-NBA forward Domantas Sabonis in a pregame ceremony on Jan. 18, when the Bulldogs host Santa Clara at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Sabonis' No. 11, which he wore throughout his two seasons in Spokane, will hang among an exclusive group of former men's basketball players who have their jerseys displayed along the upper walls of the Kennel. He's set to join Frank Burgess (No. 44), John Stockton (No. 12), Adam Morrison (No. 3), Kelly Olynyk (No. 13) and Dan Dickau (No. 21).

Sabonis remains Gonzaga's all-time leader in career field goal percentage (63.2%) and ranks No. 11 in program history with 694 rebounds. The 6-foot-11 Lithuanian scored over 1,000 points in just 74 games.

While guiding the Zags on a run to the Sweet 16 in 2016, Sabonis was named an Associated Press All-American honorable mention and an NCAA All-Tournament Midwest Region selection. As a sophomore in the 2015-16 season, he averaged 17.6 points per game and led the West Coast Conference with 11.8 rebounds per game (sixth-best nationally) and 23 double-doubles (fifth-best nationally).

Sabonis was the 11th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, who immediately traded his draft rights to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It wasn't long before he was part of another trade, this time a blockbuster during the 2017 offseason that sent Indiana Pacers forward Paul George to OKC in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Sabonis, the latter of whom averaged 5.9 points as a rookie. In Indiana, Sabonis elevated his game to All-Star status over four full seasons and had a career-best 20.3 points per game in the 2020-21 campaign.

Sabonis was involved in another massive deal, this time at the 2022 trade deadline, as the Pacers moved him to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for rising superstar guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Kings coach Mike Brown’s free-flowing offense unlocked the superb playmaking aspect of Sabonis’ game in no time. Alongside De’Aaron Fox, Sabonis helped the Kings reach the postseason for the first time in 16 years during his first full season with the team in 2022-23, as he took home All-NBA Third Team honors and finished seventh in MVP votes. Sacramento couldn’t make it back-to-back playoff appearances with a ninth-place finish in the Western Conference standings in 2023-24, though Sabonis still put up historic numbers and was All-NBA once again. 

Sabonis is the son of Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Fame center Arvydas Sabonis, who thrived with the Portland Trail Blazers in the late 1990s after years of dominating overseas in Spain. Domantas, born in Portland, was the youngest member of Unicaja Malaga (Spain) at 18 years old but refused to sign a contract due to his desire to play college basketball. Gonzaga came in with the recruiting pitch, and the rest is history.

Sabonis changed his number with the Kings from No. 10 to No. 11 this past offseason, as a nod to his father’s basketball legacy and his own ties to the number. His daughter Eleven was born on July 11; he wore No. 11 during his two seasons at Gonzaga before being selected, coincidentally, 11th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft.

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