Domantas Sabonis changes jersey number to 11 as a tribute to his father Arvydas Sabonis

Domantas Sabonis, the Sacramento Kings center is switching to jersey number 11 going into his fourth season with the Kings. The change is a tribute to his father Arvydas Sabonis, who wore 11 in Europe and during his 7 seasons with the Portland Trailblazers. The junior Sabonis wore number 10 his first 3 seasons after being traded from the Indiana Pacers.

Despite wanting to honor his father, widely considered one of the best European players in basketball history, Sabonis could not wear number 11 previously. The Kings retired the number in 1992 to honor Bob Davies who wore it for the Rochester Royals when the franchise was still in New York, before his Hall of Fame induction in 1970.

According to Marc J. Spears from Andscape, Davies’ children had given their blessings for the Kings Center to wear No. 11 starting next season.

“The Kings say the children of Hall of Famer Bob Davies have given their blessing for center Domantas Sabonis to wear their father’s retired No. 11 jersey. This change will go into effect next season. Sabonis’ Hall of Fame father Aryvdas wore No. 11 during his Euro and NBA career,” wrote Spears on X.

Sabonis started wearing a No. 11 jersey after joining the Pacers in 2017. He wore No. 3 during his single season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he was drafted in 2016. In his statement, Sabonis said he was looking forward to building on the legacy of the number worn by the two Hall of Famers.

“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,” said Domantas Sabonis. “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.”

Arvydas Sabonis’ Hall of Fame

Domantas Sabonis’s father Arvydas Sabonis remains one of the greatest names when it comes to European basketball. He spent his most important years playing for Real Madrid and Žalgiris, a basketball club in Lithuania.

Arvydas Sabonis played seven seasons in the NBA and averaged 12.0 points per game, shooting 50.0% from the field and 32.8% from the three-point line. He also averaged 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game for the Blazers.

Arvydas Sabonis had a stellar career in the European League. He was a six-time Euroscar Player of the Year, given to the best European player of the year. In 1991, Sabonis was named FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in the history.

Arvydas Sabonis is a two-time Mr. Europa Player of the Year, four-time Lithuanian Sportsman of the Year, and EuroBasket MVP in 1985. He won two bronze medals in the Olympics, and gold in the FIBA World Cup, and Euro Basket tournaments, all representing the Soviet Union or Lithuania.

In 2010, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame, and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame the following year.