That guy he is owning is David Robinson, legendary Spurs center. A healthy Sabonis would have been a top 5 NBA player...any decade you want. His son is just a shadow of how good the father was...
It really is . He was drafted in 1985 originally by the Hawks but he was to young at that time so that draft was voided because he was under 21. He was then drafted by Portland in 1986 but was not allowed to come over . He did rehab from his Achilles injury in Portland . Imagine him with Clyde Drexler, Cliff Robinson , Terry Porter , and a young Drazen Petrovic . That team would’ve won at least 1 championship maybe 2 . I believe as I said in another post, they would’ve beat Detroit in 90 with that lineup, Lakers in Western finals in 1991, and possibly my bulls in 1992 . Lol!!! It really sad he was not allowed to come over before the injuries because it looks like he was a heck of a player before those injuries.
He used to destroy the Americans in amateur/olympic basketball. Yes they were only college players....but many future hall of famers. The guy he keeps dunking on in the video is David Robinson!
Part of the problem was his "prime" was really short because USSR overplayed him. They made him play injured, played him before he had recovered from surgery and always massive minutes. He probably would have had a great nba career if he hadn't been ridden so hard in the soviet system.
OMFG he could really get up back then. blocking shots and dunking on a young david robinson. I lived near portland and saw sabonis play when he came to the nba. he was a great passer and a pretty damn good player but i couldn't really understand why people kept hyping him as perhaps the best international player of all time. after watching this clip now I realize that what i saw was a shell of what sabonis used to be. by the time he came to the nba he had lost his athleticism and explosiveness due to injuries and basically became a finess player relying on passing and shooting. this clip definitely made me see him in a new light.
He didn`t became a finess player in the NBA, he was always a finess player, even in his youth. Ask Detlef Schrempf..he played against Sabas from the age of 16 on..and he has not that much good memories about that match ups, lol;-)
Thank u for titling this "before injuries" So many people have no clue how great this guy was. Damm the Soviet Union 4 not letting him go NBA sooner. Sabonis was most skilled big man in the world when he was younger. Bigger, stronger Dirk and great passer.
In ~1995 i read a book about Sabonis. He was the legend already back then. I have seen how he played in NBA. I think it is a tragedy that he did not play in the NBA at his prime and before all those injuries. He would be in hall of fame at least, if not the best center of all time. Kudos to Lithuania from Belarus ;)
That Hakeem matchup is the one worth getting the time machine for. Sabonis vs young Shaq would have been insane too, just to see Sabonis try to deal with Shaq when he was in his best shape and arguably strongest physically. And I think Portland wins a title or two in late 80's and early nineties as well if he was playing.
Sabonis injured his legs in 1986, no one believed that he will play ever again and in 1988 he won Olympic Gold...in 1988 Marciulionis was in his prime and without injuries and this helped too a lot...both these best of the best basketball players were born in 1964 four months apart and both were Lithuanians from the same city Kaunas
Damn cold war.. he's up there with Ralph Sampson in the what might have been category. Have to respect him for being a top 10 nba center in Portland when he could barely walk around 2001.
@@grahamstrouse1165 he would have been the best center in the league in his prime by a decent margin. Yes better than David Robinson or Shaq imo. He was just a monstrosity of a player when he was young
This must be sabonis' happiest season in basketball. I was thrilled to find whole games of ussr on youtube, but couldn't bear to watch more than a couple of minutes of him going up and down court with those little steps, turning round and not being able to jump, just standing hook. I was almost in tears and i'm just a greek spectator. Amazing talent, ruined by politics, of all things. GOAT in my book.
I always remember hearing basketball aficionados and people in the game talk of how great Sabonis was. Luckily, with the internet, I get to see what they were talking about.
Wow! Sabonis definitely had one of the most complete offensive games ever: Incredible post moves, unreal court vision and passing, deadly shot, AND he could still face up and take it to the hole.
I wish we could have seen the Lithuanian Legend in the NBA while he was still young and healthy. He was pretty darn good as an older player working on badly reconstructed knees but when he was young he was SOOO good. He should have been up there with Kareem, Wilt, Russell, Shaq. He really was that good.
Things would have been very, very different if Portland had him in the late 80's and early 90's. Based on his performance in the '88 Olympics with the Soviet team I would say even after his injury he was still better than Duckworth. Instead we ended up blowing 2 championship series and 1 conference finals series. Shame.
So unlucky already suffering an Aqhiles injury with 23 years old, shame It wasnt other era, right now could easily go with 18 old to NBA, with best doctors a sportsman can have, not like he had...
mike fratello and atlanta drafted arvydas in 1985 but because the rule that players could't leave the eastern block countries until 25 he was forced to re enter the draft in 1986
@hautelick Good question. Like others have said he was blocked by the Soviet Union but he could have jumped in the 89-90 season. He was only 25 years old at the time and it's safe to assume he would have been an elite NBA center.
I have been watching everything basketball since 82' and I remember watch all the international tourneys and from 1986 until the 88 Olympics Sabonis was the best player abroad. In his prime he was as tall and as freakishly strong as Mark Eaton and nearly as athletic as David Robinson who to this day is probably the fastest 7FTer I've seen add in the fact that he could shoot from anywhere and pass as well as any big and he was a match up nightmare. I would say he was a bigger and more athletic Jokic or a more physical and skilled Porzingis. An amazing talent!
@@moneyman4740 Different kinds of players. Giannis is more athletic than prime Sabonis (who was no slouch), but Sabonis was 4” taller, had a better natural handle, was a better shooter & had better passing instincts.
@@grahamstrouse1165 obviously lmao , read my comment again , i was talking abt Giannis being the fastest 7 ft ever compared to the admiral , Robinson was 7’1 and Giannis is 6’11 but its basically 7 ft , and they have similar frames , admiral a lil more buff
There were at least a few years where Sabonis was the UNDISPUTED best basketball player on the planet. I would say from about 1983 to 1986, he was better than Jordan, Olajuwon, Old Kareem, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, etc.
I don't know about that; he's awesome but even if it's unfair that he didn't compete against the best in his prime; he still didn't...the nba is the most stacked league in the world..he would be great, and a champion in the NBA but He isn't better than Kareem,Magic,Bird, Olajuwon or Magic. He is one of the greatest.
He probably was greater than all the aforementioned players - He would be more valuable to a team than Jordan!! Jordan was great, of course, but he is NOT the best player of all time - although he is among the greatest!!
LOL hell no he wasn't better than Prime Larry Bird stop smoking whaever the hell you smoking son... stats for this game at the 1986 FIBA World Championship: Robinson -> 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks Sabonis -> 16 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks 1988 seoul Olympics: Robinson -> 23 points, 12 rebounds Sabonis -> 13 points, 13 rebounds Sabonis was a beast and could have been one of the greatest centers ever, but I don't think he would ever sniff the level of the top 5 centers ever (the center position has a pretty easily notable top 5 that are above the rest) in Shaq, Hakeen, Kareen, Wilt and Russell
Old post injury David Robinson with a limited vertical blocked many many PRIME Shaq shots and dunks. A younger Robinson with his FULL VERTICAL couldn't block pre Injury Sabonis's shot or dunk if Robinson's life depended on it. That's just a little hint of how great Sabonis was.
thanks for the video. I always love the "what the %%%% look on david robinsons face after the masive one hand follow up dunk. Shaq should look at what a tallented center looks like.
These kids today have NO IDEA how GREAT this guy was B4 all of those nasty leg injuries KILLED his mobility and changed his playing style. He had shooting range like a small forward, could pass like a 2-guard and he was incredibly agile and physical as hell. EVERY TEAM in the late 80s clamored for the right to sign him. He was the MAIN REASON the U.S. decided to go with the pros because he TERRORIZED our team, as well as the rest of the intnt'l competition. He was a f*ckin' beast!
@@edscottable I'm not 50 or Lithuanian. But I did grow up in the 80s and remember seeing him in action during olympic/internat'l play. And I remember him being an absolute BEAST!
there's an article in slam where Bill Walton talks about Sabonis being one of the best players he'd ever seen and they were going to help him defect to the west but something got lost in translation and it never materialised, but that's pretty high praise! One of the best passers from the post period, even by NBA standards!!! miss his crafty game, regardless of how slow he was, his outlet passing could almost get him an assist a game it was that good.
In many cases in this video we see Sabonis AFTER his two Achilles tendon injuries. His first injury was in spring 1985 and second time he hand Achilles injury in 1988. In this video we see him play in 1988 Summer Olimpics, which is already after two injuries. And in that event he was playing not fully healed. Yet he came to NBA with chronic knee, ankle and groin issues that substantially limited his mobility and explosiveness.
No, Sabas broke his achiles tendon of the same leg two times in a row in 1987, first time in early spring (Martch), and other time during the rehabilitation after 3-4 months after first operation
you can say whatever you want, sabonis is the greatest center of all time, he came to the nba pretty mature for a basketball player, and he had tons of injurys, imagine him without injuries and young at the nba, he could clearly fight shaq, hakeem.. he was a monster, and still is
Man he was amazing! So big and strong, with great vision and skills. I just love when a big man can shoot and pass, when they use brain not only muscules. Respect to Sabas and Kukoc who also fits into this story.
I love Jokic, but all those who compare him to Sabonis clearly didn't watch him play before injuries. He was so physically imposing... apart from all his skills
I wish the Blazers would’ve had him earlier than what they did what a player now starting for the Blazers arvidas sabonis I loved the way the announcer did that
Loved Sabonis' game. He and Bill Walton (IMO) were the best passing centers in the history of the game. Unfortunately (also like Walton) we did not get to see Sabonis at his best due to injury.
Θυμάμαι πολύ καλά αυτόν τον αγώνα, σε περιγραφή του Συρίγου (που ακούγεται για πολύ λίγο στο τέλος). Εκεί τον είδα για πρώτη φορά, και μου έκανε αμέσως μεγάλη εντύπωση. Ο Αρβύντας είχε εξαφανίσει τον ναύαρχο-Robinson. Ευχαριστώ πολύ τον uploader.
Sabonis at his prime,remember my friends his nickname at the start of his carrer in 80's''nature's miracle''.If he was healthy we wouldn't talk about Jordan,JUST REMEMBER HIS PRIME
Habría sido maravilloso ver a Sabonis en la NBA con esos años... Llegó ya con una edad avanzada y subido de peso. Así y todo dejó destellos de su gran calidad.
His son continues to improve his all around game. Almost had a triple double tonight 19-9-9. Went 12/12 FGs earlier this season. His bloodline is strong!!
The NBA back in the 80s had Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Outside we had Arvydas Sabonis, Drazen Petrovic and Oscar Schmidt. The NBA was, for one reason or another, never able to see any of them fully be it because of injuries, death or something else. They only had glimpses and pieces of what those three could do. It wasn't until the early 2000s that NBA teams actually started to realize with guys like Nowitzki and Ginobili that outside of the USA there was some real talent. Had Sabonis in his prime, Drazen not died, and Oscar had the possibility to still play for Brazil while in the NBA (not able to play for Brazil because of international rules was the reason he never signed for the NBA after being drafted), the story would be much different regarding international players in the USA.
The voice at the end of the video belongs to the late Greek journalist and sportscaster Philip Sirigos. He says: ''the crowd is shouting: Sabonis, Sabonis''. This clip is from the end of the memorable FIBA World Cup semifinal in 1986 when USSR managed to beat Yugoslavia in overtime, after covering a 9-point deficit in the last minute of the original game. The lively crowd in Madrid on that day was heavily anti-Yugoslavian (anti-Drazen Petrovic), cheering at the Soviet team`s sensational win.
If Sabonis join NBA before 1987 we had the good luck to watch him plays in NBA probably healthy...! The year 1986-1987 was the worst for his carrier for him with bad injuries that became him a different player than we knew. After that year he played with more his brain than his physical abilities.
CJ Mooney Yep, but he probably would have been still somewhat athletic had the injury problems not robbed it from him before he got to the states. The story goes that when he was evaluated medically before joining the blazers, they thought his x-rays could qualify him for a handicapped parking space. The thing was he could have been the next stepping stone for the center position, and that he could have been so dominant that they needed to change the rules, because he could pass amazingly, could shoot from the outside or inside, good-great defender and rebounder, ect.
@@chrismooney9275 almost retired? he played for another 8 years. retired at the age of 40. not bad for a guy who had both achiles ruptured at the age of 22 in mid 80's soviet union.
1) He was probably the most talented player ever. Perfect center (7-2 feet high, strengh, athletism - before injuries, shooting, huge basketball IQ, toughness, perfect center skills) with additional PG passing skills and with 3 point range. 2) The most talented player does not mean the best one. Without his devastating injuries Sabonis would have been even better than Jordan, but in real world he had these injuries and he spent hist best years at hospitals. He was realy great player, he was one of the best players born in Europe but also he was wasted talent. He realized maybe 50% of his potential, maybe even less.
Wait a second, a phenomenally talented center with a relatively unorthodox skill set who was robbed of his mobility and almost had his career derailed by injuries, but came back and wound up having a respectable career, though he left many Blazers fans (among others) wondering what could have been... I think Arvydas Sabonis WAS Bill Walton 2.0.
Ok, but Laimbeer is one of only about 19-20 players who scored 10K points and grabbed 10K rebounds, played 685 consecutive games, shot almost 50% from the field and 81% at the free throw in his career, two NBA championships, 4x NBA All-Star, led NBA in rebounds in 1986, 3 WNBA championships as a coach, 2x WNBA Coach of the Year. If that's no talent, what is?
I despise Lame Beer, but even I'll concede that he had legitimate skills. If he had focused more on improving his game instead of being an on-court troll, the Pistons might have gotten even more rings, and he'd be in the Hall of Fame.
We'll never know how good this guy was, which is sad, but the potential was immense. There wasn't a thing he couldn't do on the court. 7'3 with 3 point range, amazing pasing ability, could run the break, a physical specemin, and apparently he could do the robot too!!
When Kareem and Wilt went head to head Wilt was at the end of his Career. So head to head comparisons are not fair. They both were Great Great Centers. Mutual respect to both of them. Wilt is the most Dominant to ever play the game. That is not debatable. Jabbar played on better teams over all. The Lakers teams with Jabbar were top 2 most of his Career. Like Chamberlin's career if not for the Celtics he would have lots more titles.
he fell down the stairs and torn his achilles. Soviet doctors did a bad job with his achilles surgery though, but there wasn't much sport medicine knowledge back in the day on how to operate those well.
Dude, I'm American and I can tell you this guy would've been a top 25 player all time in the NBA. He was huge, athletic, strong, smart, team oriented....could shoot, block shots, pass brilliantly. Maybe my only knock on him was that he was so soft spoken and maybe could've been even better with a more aggressive mind set. He was like a Joe Dumars at the center position. Sabonis is a legend. His son isn't bad either.
This myth about Wilt being "in love with padding stats" bullshit needs to stop. He did whatever his coach asked him to do in order to win, whether it be scoring or dishing it to the wing men. Kareem never had the athletic mobility and maneuverability Wilt had, that's a lie. And Wilt blocked Kareem's sky hook on occasion.
Man, he was scary. Destroying David Robinson multiple times. THat's not easy to do. What a beast. I agree with some of the posters here that he may have been the best player in the world at some point in the 80s.
@zeljkoSLO The response to your question is very simple: those were FIBA world championships played in Spain in 1986! And at that period they already knew that Barcelona was chosen to host the 1992 Olimpics games. Like you already know since 2 october 2009 (7 years in advance) that Rio de Janeiro will host 2016 Olimpic games!! So I think spanish were proud to advertise it 6 years before!!!! ciao need
bro he's barely a Dirk! Olajuwon would've taken this guy out to the 3 point line crossed him over and take it to the hoop for a dunk or lay up. after he's tired of driving the ball, he'd just stop and pop jump shots from anywhere he wanted. at one point in his career Olajuwon averaged 43% from 3 point line also. he's great but no comparison to Olajuwon.
@117998642009734549270 i never compared him to olajuwon :) imo olajuwon is most complete player ever. maybe alongside lebron. however there was movie about sabonis ,and olajuwon talked about him, he said that sabonis was one of best players he ever saw. also you know that sabonis had both legs acl and mcl injuries in his prime years 1988, right after he overdominated robinson in olympics? :) he would have been best if not those injuries, but still was very dominant player, at age 40 was mvp of euroleague ;)
when you talk about sabas you talk about wilt and kareem level, in this video he was 22 years old, only thing dirk had in common with sabas was shooting range, he was shaq with and dirk in the same player
nah he wasnt like shaq, when he was young he has similarities with dirk of range and quick fadeaways, kareem skyhook and post moves, lary bird vision and iq, magical passing of magic johnson, maybe some hakeem and david robinson features, he was just another generation of basketball evolution, sadly just before he hits his prime he got acl and mcl injuries and later became way heavier slower, but still had godlike basketball iq
That guy he is owning is David Robinson, legendary Spurs center. A healthy Sabonis would have been a top 5 NBA player...any decade you want. His son is just a shadow of how good the father was...
It's a shame he didn't get to compete in the NBA prior to his injuries. Definitely ranks as one of the greatest players ever.
It really is . He was drafted in 1985 originally by the Hawks but he was to young at that time so that draft was voided because he was under 21. He was then drafted by Portland in 1986 but was not allowed to come over . He did rehab from his Achilles injury in Portland . Imagine him with Clyde Drexler, Cliff Robinson , Terry Porter , and a young Drazen Petrovic . That team would’ve won at least 1 championship maybe 2 . I believe as I said in another post, they would’ve beat Detroit in 90 with that lineup, Lakers in Western finals in 1991, and possibly my bulls in 1992 . Lol!!! It really sad he was not allowed to come over before the injuries because it looks like he was a heck of a player before those injuries.
@mb He moved to Real Madrid in 1989, lul
Remember, the guy is in the Basketball Hall of Fame and didn't play in the NBA in his prime.
+ Firat Nacer absolute crying shame we didn't get to see him in his prime vs. the nba greats
+codeman3788 The Cold War. Russians weren't allowed to play in NBA until 1990s
He used to destroy the Americans in amateur/olympic basketball. Yes they were only college players....but many future hall of famers. The guy he keeps dunking on in the video is David Robinson!
CJ Mooney
I can only imagine what it would've been like against the rest of them.
Part of the problem was his "prime" was really short because USSR overplayed him. They made him play injured, played him before he had recovered from surgery and always massive minutes. He probably would have had a great nba career if he hadn't been ridden so hard in the soviet system.
OMFG he could really get up back then. blocking shots and dunking on a young david robinson. I lived near portland and saw sabonis play when he came to the nba. he was a great passer and a pretty damn good player but i couldn't really understand why people kept hyping him as perhaps the best international player of all time. after watching this clip now I realize that what i saw was a shell of what sabonis used to be. by the time he came to the nba he had lost his athleticism and explosiveness due to injuries and basically became a finess player relying on passing and shooting. this clip definitely made me see him in a new light.
Agreed. However when he got to the NBA he was big enough to bang with Shaq and those were some fun match-ups...
He had 2 achiles injuries. When he came to the NBA he lost and inch due to surgery. He was 7'3 in his primer, 7'2 in the NBA.
You dunno why? Ask Dirk, he'll tell you all about him.
36 min. video of Sabas highlights th-cam.com/video/dlGplEv1Iv4/w-d-xo.html
He didn`t became a finess player in the NBA, he was always a finess player, even in his youth. Ask Detlef Schrempf..he played against Sabas from the age of 16 on..and he has not that much good memories about that match ups, lol;-)
Bill Walton once called Sabonis a 7'3" Larry Bird due to his unique court vision, shooting range, rugged in-game mentality, and versatility.
Sabonis had it all, he could've been easily a top 5 center of all time...amazing!
Thank u for titling this "before injuries" So many people have no clue how great this guy was. Damm the Soviet Union 4 not letting him go NBA sooner. Sabonis was most skilled big man in the world when he was younger. Bigger, stronger Dirk and great passer.
In ~1995 i read a book about Sabonis. He was the legend already back then. I have seen how he played in NBA. I think it is a tragedy that he did not play in the NBA at his prime and before all those injuries. He would be in hall of fame at least, if not the best center of all time. Kudos to Lithuania from Belarus ;)
Too bad we never got to see this version of Sabonis in the NBA. Would've been interesting to see how the younger healthy version would've done.
Totally agree. And I would be willing to bet that Clyde Drexler would have probably won a title before going the Houston Rockets.
@@Marz916 yeah clyde the glide was always described as the mini mj which is sad
Wow he really is a legend when he was younger. I’ve always heard that but finally saw it. So true. He was ferocious
One of the greatest what ifs in basketball, alongside Bill Walton.
bill walton didn't have that much potential.
Yeah.....the guy he keeps posterizing on dunks is only David Robinson.
but would this guy stop Hakeem the dream
Franklin Clinton shut up
pre22 no I will not shut up
The fact that you call him "this guy" proves that you don't know what you're talking about.
That Hakeem matchup is the one worth getting the time machine for. Sabonis vs young Shaq would have been insane too, just to see Sabonis try to deal with Shaq when he was in his best shape and arguably strongest physically. And I think Portland wins a title or two in late 80's and early nineties as well if he was playing.
Sabonis injured his legs in 1986, no one believed that he will play ever again and in 1988 he won Olympic Gold...in 1988 Marciulionis was in his prime and without injuries and this helped too a lot...both these best of the best basketball players were born in 1964 four months apart and both were Lithuanians from the same city Kaunas
Damn cold war.. he's up there with Ralph Sampson in the what might have been category. Have to respect him for being a top 10 nba center in Portland when he could barely walk around 2001.
The joke in one of the other Sabonis threads is "Sabois in a wheelcair >> Shaq in his prime"
What might’ve been he was a great player even in his old age in the NBA he dominated
@@bengardner3696 When you realize how could he was when he entered the NBA in his 30s with his legs wrecked it’s scary to think what could have been.
@@grahamstrouse1165 he would have been the best center in the league in his prime by a decent margin. Yes better than David Robinson or Shaq imo. He was just a monstrosity of a player when he was young
BEAST! The whole package. Plus that CCCP jersey was simply bad-ass. If only Valanciunas is this good.
This must be sabonis' happiest season in basketball. I was thrilled to find whole games of ussr on youtube, but couldn't bear to watch more than a couple of minutes of him going up and down court with those little steps, turning round and not being able to jump, just standing hook. I was almost in tears and i'm just a greek spectator. Amazing talent, ruined by politics, of all things. GOAT in my book.
I always remember hearing basketball aficionados and people in the game talk of how great Sabonis was. Luckily, with the internet, I get to see what they were talking about.
Wow! Sabonis definitely had one of the most complete offensive games ever: Incredible post moves, unreal court vision and passing, deadly shot, AND he could still face up and take it to the hole.
8 years later we have Arvydas’ closest match to date. Alperen Sengun
David Robinson still sleeps with the lights on.
I wish we could have seen the Lithuanian Legend in the NBA while he was still young and healthy. He was pretty darn good as an older player working on badly reconstructed knees but when he was young he was SOOO good. He should have been up there with Kareem, Wilt, Russell, Shaq. He really was that good.
He's not my Vydas. He's not your Vydas. He's Arvydas!!
Good One
+Eric Clark You mean - Our Vydas
There's a Persian singer from the 80s named "Our-tush". So ...
gotem
Every time i watch or hear Sabonis name , the memories come up and my hair stands
Things would have been very, very different if Portland had him in the late 80's and early 90's. Based on his performance in the '88 Olympics with the Soviet team I would say even after his injury he was still better than Duckworth. Instead we ended up blowing 2 championship series and 1 conference finals series. Shame.
a million thumbs up!
Bad Boys Pistons would never happened
So unlucky already suffering an Aqhiles injury with 23 years old, shame It wasnt other era, right now could easily go with 18 old to NBA, with best doctors a sportsman can have, not like he had...
Duckworth? Two years ago in 86 he was physically dominating against David Robinson... The biggest what if in basketball history.
mike fratello and atlanta drafted arvydas in 1985 but because the rule that players could't leave the eastern block countries until 25 he was forced to re enter the draft in 1986
If this guy made it to the NBA in his early career he could be one of the all time greats.
Saw him as an "old man" with Portland. He was making Pistol Pete passes casually as he would wipe his nose. He could do everything very very well.
@hautelick
Good question. Like others have said he was blocked by the Soviet Union but he could have jumped in the 89-90 season. He was only 25 years old at the time and it's safe to assume he would have been an elite NBA center.
I have been watching everything basketball since 82' and I remember watch all the international tourneys and from 1986 until the 88 Olympics Sabonis was the best player abroad. In his prime he was as tall and as freakishly strong as Mark Eaton and nearly as athletic as David Robinson who to this day is probably the fastest 7FTer I've seen add in the fact that he could shoot from anywhere and pass as well as any big and he was a match up nightmare. I would say he was a bigger and more athletic Jokic or a more physical and skilled Porzingis. An amazing talent!
Think Giannis has taken that fastest 7 footer title from David , Giannis is very fast for his height
@@moneyman4740 Different kinds of players. Giannis is more athletic than prime Sabonis (who was no slouch), but Sabonis was 4” taller, had a better natural handle, was a better shooter & had better passing instincts.
@@grahamstrouse1165 obviously lmao , read my comment again , i was talking abt Giannis being the fastest 7 ft ever compared to the admiral , Robinson was 7’1 and Giannis is 6’11 but its basically 7 ft , and they have similar frames , admiral a lil more buff
He straight punked the admiral in this game too, and Robinson is one of the best to ever do it (he was ncaa here but sabas was young too).
I’m 50 yrs old, I remember. If you don’t know how good he was back then, you better ask somebody.
Sabonis' reaction is funny in 0:46
He would have been the first European superstar in the NBA had he come over here in his early 20’s.
and now he's in the Hall of Fame, good shit
There were at least a few years where Sabonis was the UNDISPUTED best basketball player on the planet. I would say from about 1983 to 1986, he was better than Jordan, Olajuwon, Old Kareem, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, etc.
I don't know about that; he's awesome but even if it's unfair that he didn't compete against the best in his prime; he still didn't...the nba is the most stacked league in the world..he would be great, and a champion in the NBA but He isn't better than Kareem,Magic,Bird, Olajuwon or Magic. He is one of the greatest.
He probably was greater than all the aforementioned players - He would be more valuable to a team than Jordan!! Jordan was great, of course, but he is NOT the best player of all time - although he is among the greatest!!
LOL hell no he wasn't better than Prime Larry Bird stop smoking whaever the hell you smoking son...
stats for this game at the 1986 FIBA World Championship:
Robinson -> 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks
Sabonis -> 16 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks
1988 seoul Olympics:
Robinson -> 23 points, 12 rebounds
Sabonis -> 13 points, 13 rebounds
Sabonis was a beast and could have been one of the greatest centers ever, but I don't think he would ever sniff the level of the top 5 centers ever (the center position has a pretty easily notable top 5 that are above the rest) in Shaq, Hakeen, Kareen, Wilt and Russell
Old post injury David Robinson with a limited vertical blocked many many PRIME Shaq shots and dunks. A younger Robinson with his FULL VERTICAL couldn't block pre Injury Sabonis's shot or dunk if Robinson's life depended on it.
That's just a little hint of how great Sabonis was.
Sal Amander sabonis was blocked 3 times by Robinson this game lmao
thanks for the video. I always love the "what the %%%% look on david robinsons face after the masive one hand follow up dunk. Shaq should look at what a tallented center looks like.
These kids today have NO IDEA how GREAT this guy was B4 all of those nasty leg injuries KILLED his mobility and changed his playing style.
He had shooting range like a small forward, could pass like a 2-guard and he was incredibly agile and physical as hell.
EVERY TEAM in the late 80s clamored for the right to sign him.
He was the MAIN REASON the U.S. decided to go with the pros because he TERRORIZED our team, as well as the rest of the intnt'l competition.
He was a f*ckin' beast!
Dat_BA06_Guy
You’d have to be fifty and Lithuanian to know how good this man was in his prime.
@@edscottable
I'm not 50 or Lithuanian.
But I did grow up in the 80s and remember seeing him in action during olympic/internat'l play.
And I remember him being an absolute BEAST!
arvydas sabonis and ming yao were totally over used by their socialist/communist governments
I just wish he never wore that nasty red uniform
Yeah he truly is the reason USA had to turn pro. He was a NBA all star level player easily then and he was dominant against Robinson and USA in 1988
there's an article in slam where Bill Walton talks about Sabonis being one of the best players he'd ever seen and they were going to help him defect to the west but something got lost in translation and it never materialised, but that's pretty high praise! One of the best passers from the post period, even by NBA standards!!! miss his crafty game, regardless of how slow he was, his outlet passing could almost get him an assist a game it was that good.
Dražen Petrović and Aryvdas Sabonis the best basketball players who ever came from Europe
you forgot also Galis
Thanasis cheellada Technically, Nikos Galis is American being born and raised in New Jersey.
Dirk Nowitzki - someone?
NBA Champion, MVP, Finals-MVP, trademark flamingo-shot inventor, All-Star 3-Point Champion, ..........
Miko Mido
technically Drazen was croatian and not jugoslavian and sabonis was lithuanian and not soviet my friend please be serious
Yes, I know that, so? Nikos Georgalis is still a product of American basketball ;)
Always wonderful to see him play
In many cases in this video we see Sabonis AFTER his two Achilles tendon injuries. His first injury was in spring 1985 and second time he hand Achilles injury in 1988. In this video we see him play in 1988 Summer Olimpics, which is already after two injuries. And in that event he was playing not fully healed. Yet he came to NBA with chronic knee, ankle and groin issues that substantially limited his mobility and explosiveness.
This video is from the 1986 world basketball championship which was held in Spain!!!
No, Sabas broke his achiles tendon of the same leg two times in a row in 1987, first time in early spring (Martch), and other time during the rehabilitation after 3-4 months after first operation
Sabas recently suffered a heart attack, we wish him all good health! One of the greatest basketball players of our time!
you can say whatever you want, sabonis is the greatest center of all time, he came to the nba pretty mature for a basketball player, and he had tons of injurys, imagine him without injuries and young at the nba, he could clearly fight shaq, hakeem.. he was a monster, and still is
svaka cast. greets from Serbia. much appreciated in our country.
Man he was amazing! So big and strong, with great vision and skills. I just love when a big man can shoot and pass, when they use brain not only muscules. Respect to Sabas and Kukoc who also fits into this story.
I love Jokic, but all those who compare him to Sabonis clearly didn't watch him play before injuries. He was so physically imposing... apart from all his skills
well, this aged terribly😂
I wish the Blazers would’ve had him earlier than what they did what a player now starting for the Blazers arvidas sabonis I loved the way the announcer did that
Loved Sabonis' game. He and Bill Walton (IMO) were the best passing centers in the history of the game. Unfortunately (also like Walton) we did not get to see Sabonis at his best due to injury.
It’s like if you gave Jokic triple the athleticism and made him an elite rim protector. Crazy
And 3 inches taller aswell
Arvydas Sabonis was a fuc*ing hooper! Even when he got into the NBA at 31, he still had a decent NBA career
Θυμάμαι πολύ καλά αυτόν τον αγώνα, σε περιγραφή του Συρίγου (που ακούγεται για πολύ λίγο στο τέλος). Εκεί τον είδα για πρώτη φορά, και μου έκανε αμέσως μεγάλη εντύπωση. Ο Αρβύντας είχε εξαφανίσει τον ναύαρχο-Robinson. Ευχαριστώ πολύ τον uploader.
Sabonis at his prime,remember my friends his nickname at the start of his carrer in 80's''nature's miracle''.If he was healthy we wouldn't talk about Jordan,JUST REMEMBER HIS PRIME
sabas cant come to nba course that was ussr
Best European player in history, in my opinion.
This is a hell of a video.
Doesn’t get enough mention. He was a great player.
One of the best passing centres in history.
Best center to ever play the game IMO.
GOAT Center from Europe! Greetings from Serbia.
Not anymore
Habría sido maravilloso ver a Sabonis en la NBA con esos años... Llegó ya con una edad avanzada y subido de peso. Así y todo dejó destellos de su gran calidad.
I went through the whole video and never noticed until I read your comment hahaha good observation, he got moves
i repeat my comment from 5 years ago: 0:48 its ROBOT DANCE!
Dude was a beast! How come I just know heard of him?
he spent most of his career in international ball, i think he only played 7 years in the nba and he was already in his thirties
He may very well have been the greatest basketballer to ever lace em up in his prime!!!
His son continues to improve his all around game. Almost had a triple double tonight 19-9-9. Went 12/12 FGs earlier this season. His bloodline is strong!!
The NBA back in the 80s had Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Outside we had Arvydas Sabonis, Drazen Petrovic and Oscar Schmidt.
The NBA was, for one reason or another, never able to see any of them fully be it because of injuries, death or something else. They only had glimpses and pieces of what those three could do.
It wasn't until the early 2000s that NBA teams actually started to realize with guys like Nowitzki and Ginobili that outside of the USA there was some real talent. Had Sabonis in his prime, Drazen not died, and Oscar had the possibility to still play for Brazil while in the NBA (not able to play for Brazil because of international rules was the reason he never signed for the NBA after being drafted), the story would be much different regarding international players in the USA.
Galis too
Thanks Sabonis ¡¡¡¡you was the best
outstanding video quality good job
actually this is after his first big injury, which was an achilles tendon at the age of 20!!
no, this is sabas before 2 ruptured Achilles tendons.
Sabas was just born too soon , what a great centre.
same with Marciulionis
He looked like a 7'3" Patrick Swayze back then
Hahahaha very accurate.
he looked like a warrior from the Steppe!
The voice at the end of the video belongs to the late Greek journalist and sportscaster Philip Sirigos. He says: ''the crowd is shouting: Sabonis, Sabonis''. This clip is from the end of the memorable FIBA World Cup semifinal in 1986 when USSR managed to beat Yugoslavia in overtime, after covering a 9-point deficit in the last minute of the original game. The lively crowd in Madrid on that day was heavily anti-Yugoslavian (anti-Drazen Petrovic), cheering at the Soviet team`s sensational win.
A prime Sabonis could have been an MVP in today's NBA.
He was a monster.
This is someone who could've played in any era
If Sabonis join NBA before 1987 we had the good luck to watch him plays in NBA probably healthy...!
The year 1986-1987 was the worst for his carrier for him with bad injuries that became him a different player than we knew.
After that year he played with more his brain than his physical abilities.
Playing in Portland after the 1988 Olympics gives Portland NBA championships in 1990-92
HOLY CRAP ARVYDAS WAS ATHLETIC??????????????????????????//
Yeah, Arvydas was athletic. He wasn't athletic in the NBA because his knees were so bad that it was surprising he could still play.
+GroundHOG20101 he made his debut in nba at 32. Was almost retired
CJ Mooney
Yep, but he probably would have been still somewhat athletic had the injury problems not robbed it from him before he got to the states. The story goes that when he was evaluated medically before joining the blazers, they thought his x-rays could qualify him for a handicapped parking space.
The thing was he could have been the next stepping stone for the center position, and that he could have been so dominant that they needed to change the rules, because he could pass amazingly, could shoot from the outside or inside, good-great defender and rebounder, ect.
@@TheDoviliuke PER
1995-96 NBA 24,7 (8)
1996-97 NBA 21,8 (10)
1997-98 NBA 20,9 (14)
1998-99 NBA 20,4
1999-00 NBA 20,3 (18)
@@chrismooney9275 almost retired? he played for another 8 years. retired at the age of 40. not bad for a guy who had both achiles ruptured at the age of 22 in mid 80's soviet union.
Screw Jordan or LeBron. Sabonis was the best player ever. What a skill set. & this vid doesn't even show his passing ability.
R u high bro?
he is
People hype him up and say stupid things because of Sabonis's race, more than anything else. But no dude...he is not nowhere NEAR Jordan...or Lebron.
Wis Dom he had an all around game that was very rare for people of his size. He’d fit perfect in today’s era honestly
1) He was probably the most talented player ever. Perfect center (7-2 feet high, strengh, athletism - before injuries, shooting, huge basketball IQ, toughness, perfect center skills) with additional PG passing skills and with 3 point range.
2) The most talented player does not mean the best one. Without his devastating injuries Sabonis would have been even better than Jordan, but in real world he had these injuries and he spent hist best years at hospitals.
He was realy great player, he was one of the best players born in Europe but also he was wasted talent. He realized maybe 50% of his potential, maybe even less.
A dude with 7'3 that can move like that is a freak of nature!
only footage i have ever seen where it doesnt look like his knees hurt
... and after his NBA career we went back to Europe and was Euroleague MVP at age 40 or something. Such an incredible talent.
Wait a second, a phenomenally talented center with a relatively unorthodox skill set who was robbed of his mobility and almost had his career derailed by injuries, but came back and wound up having a respectable career, though he left many Blazers fans (among others) wondering what could have been...
I think Arvydas Sabonis WAS Bill Walton 2.0.
Sabonis was a thousand times better than Walton.
@@alexfarias5156 Walton was pretty damn good…but yeah, Sabonis was better. :-)
Grande Sabonis!! Mi jugador favorito de pequeño!
He plays like Laimbeer would’ve played, if Laimbeer had talent.
This comment is so good.
Ok, but Laimbeer is one of only about 19-20 players who scored 10K points and grabbed 10K rebounds, played 685 consecutive games, shot almost 50% from the field and 81% at the free throw in his career, two NBA championships, 4x NBA All-Star, led NBA in rebounds in 1986, 3 WNBA championships as a coach, 2x WNBA Coach of the Year. If that's no talent, what is?
I’d say more like Bill Walton with shooting and offensive skills
I despise Lame Beer, but even I'll concede that he had legitimate skills. If he had focused more on improving his game instead of being an on-court troll, the Pistons might have gotten even more rings, and he'd be in the Hall of Fame.
@@cmc5394oparva A whole lot of great players don't have two rings or even one: Barkley, Malone, Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing etc.
We'll never know how good this guy was, which is sad, but the potential was immense. There wasn't a thing he couldn't do on the court. 7'3 with 3 point range, amazing pasing ability, could run the break, a physical specemin, and apparently he could do the robot too!!
His son is a beast this year too, looking like he will make another all star game
Damn..... look at David Robinson's arms flailing like a rag doll when Sabonis dunked over him. That was vicious!
Man-child. A 7'3 prime time Dwight Howard that can shoot 3's and pass like a PG
He's CHANGED NBA ! Exactly this Big Guy from my Country. His and Hakeem's influence has changed the role of the centers in todays' NBA !
When Kareem and Wilt went head to head Wilt was at the end of his Career. So head to head comparisons are not fair. They both were Great Great Centers. Mutual respect to both of them. Wilt is the most Dominant to ever play the game. That is not debatable. Jabbar played on better teams over all. The Lakers teams with Jabbar were top 2 most of his Career. Like Chamberlin's career if not for the Celtics he would have lots more titles.
I believe that if Sabonis has joined the Blazers shortly after he was drafted by them in 86, Portland would have 3 peated in 90, 91, and 92
Mr. Ryan i agree
Commies worn him into injuries. Unlike majority of seven feet tall towermen , he was healthy and anatomically correct
he fell down the stairs and torn his achilles. Soviet doctors did a bad job with his achilles surgery though, but there wasn't much sport medicine knowledge back in the day on how to operate those well.
At the end Greek TV commentator says ''People are shouting Sabonis Sabonis'.
Yeah they were shouting “Saba, Saba, Saba”. Guy was a beast.
Man, if this guy had gotten to come over when they drafted him, those 90's Blazer teams would've won at least 2 Championships.
sabonis could dominate nba.
Did I just see a 7’3 ft player in 1986 pull a deep 3 like nothing wow man was way before his time
Dude, I'm American and I can tell you this guy would've been a top 25 player all time in the NBA. He was huge, athletic, strong, smart, team oriented....could shoot, block shots, pass brilliantly. Maybe my only knock on him was that he was so soft spoken and maybe could've been even better with a more aggressive mind set. He was like a Joe Dumars at the center position. Sabonis is a legend. His son isn't bad either.
I can only imagine a matchup of Shaq and Sabonis both in their primes.
My friend the song is called Redemption from Bill Conti and it is really a Rocky remix.
What's crazy is that he could have helped the Blazers beat the Bad Boy Pistons in 1989 alongside with Drexler and Petrovic.
Correction *1990
This myth about Wilt being "in love with padding stats" bullshit needs to stop. He did whatever his coach asked him to do in order to win, whether it be scoring or dishing it to the wing men. Kareem never had the athletic mobility and maneuverability Wilt had, that's a lie. And Wilt blocked Kareem's sky hook on occasion.
What's that gotta do with this video?
Wilt was a regular season player. I'd take at least 5 centers over him in the playoffs
Man, he was scary. Destroying David Robinson multiple times. THat's not easy to do. What a beast. I agree with some of the posters here that he may have been the best player in the world at some point in the 80s.
@zeljkoSLO The response to your question is very simple: those were FIBA world championships played in Spain in 1986!
And at that period they already knew that Barcelona was chosen to host the 1992 Olimpics games.
Like you already know since 2 october 2009 (7 years in advance) that Rio de Janeiro will host 2016 Olimpic games!!
So I think spanish were proud to advertise it 6 years before!!!!
ciao
need
lary bird + kareem + magic johnson passing ability that was sabonis
bro he's barely a Dirk! Olajuwon would've taken this guy out to the 3 point line crossed him over and take it to the hoop for a dunk or lay up. after he's tired of driving the ball, he'd just stop and pop jump shots from anywhere he wanted. at one point in his career Olajuwon averaged 43% from 3 point line also. he's great but no comparison to Olajuwon.
@117998642009734549270 i never compared him to olajuwon :) imo olajuwon is most complete player ever. maybe alongside lebron. however there was movie about sabonis ,and olajuwon talked about him, he said that sabonis was one of best players he ever saw. also you know that sabonis had both legs acl and mcl injuries in his prime years 1988, right after he overdominated robinson in olympics? :) he would have been best if not those injuries, but still was very dominant player, at age 40 was mvp of euroleague ;)
when you talk about sabas you talk about wilt and kareem level, in this video he was 22 years old, only thing dirk had in common with sabas was shooting range, he was shaq with and dirk in the same player
nah he wasnt like shaq, when he was young he has similarities with dirk of range and quick fadeaways, kareem skyhook and post moves, lary bird vision and iq, magical passing of magic johnson, maybe some hakeem and david robinson features, he was just another generation of basketball evolution, sadly just before he hits his prime he got acl and mcl injuries and later became way heavier slower, but still had godlike basketball iq
Who you're describing is Wilt Chamberlain