Arvydas Sabonis Could Have Been The Goat

[@AdamKlownzinger]

I think people need to keep in mind that he was by far the best player in Europe in the 2nd best league in the world for several years. For comparison he put up better numbers than Victor Wembanyama on a superior team. And while Luka Doncic was MVP for Real Madrid, so was Arvydas Sabonis except on more points, rebounds, steals and blocks per game, with a 40% 3 pt percentage compared to Luka’s which was in the low 30s.

[@Yungteasipppppa]

Yeah but also he was in his prime while victor and Luka were still teenagers

[@moneymoves263]

you’re comparing a grown ass man to two teenagers.

[@Jetlis]

Victor hasn't even played an NBA game yet and luka is nearly a feet shorter

[@fraerot]

he wasn't the best european player. Drazen Petrovic was the best.

[@meekmeads]

He was a superior Jokic in his prime. Even if he was eligible, by NBA rules, back then, Soviet Union wouldn't allow him to come over in the NBA!

[@uberneanderthal]

when Sabonis came to the NBA, he was the smoothest big man I'd ever seen. Slow-motion Houdini. I didn't realize until later that I was only witnessing him at 10% of his power. He'd definitely be in the GOAT conversation if he came a decade earlier

[@guuze57]

The through the wire podcast recently talked about The Sabonis' vs the Thompson's. (Arvydas and Domantis vs Klay and his dad) and I was witnessing an insane amount of Arvydas slander coming from Through the Wire. Im supprised cause Kenny is supposed to be an Nba intellectual but this dude said klay was better than Arvydas and the Thompsons swept the floor with em. Im glad we have our certified Goober to keep the Arvydas slander to a minimum

[@3vans186]

I think they meant NBA only.

[@guuze57]

@@3vans186 I dont remember them specifying NBA only but if they did than its still a pretty close argument which i think the Sabonis' would still win. Arvydas and Domantis are pretty good defenders and both are 5 tool players as well as being able to stretch the floor decently.

[@guuze57]

​@@3vans186I rewatched the video and they did actually say Nba father and son duos like you had suggested but I think it wasn't an exclusion of the other leagues it was just stating which sport they were talking about. Also I mistakenly said it was Through the Wire but Kenny was just on another nba talk channel and I switched it up in my mind on accident. I still believe that Arvydas is criminally underrated and he is one of my favorite pre modern era players

[@moneymoves263]

klay is better tho? at least career wise and it’s not relatively close

[@thebighoney9034]

@@moneymoves263 having a better career doesn't mean he'll sweep the floor with em. Robert Horry had more rings than MJ, Bron, and Magic. Do you think that he can sweep the floor with em?

[@joriskat4356]

Thanks for covering our Lithuanian basketball Jesus. If I'm not wrong he had his ACL tore 3 times before coming to the NBA. Even though I'm too young to remember him playing, from the stories I've heard and the little footage of his play during the 80's, he is the biggest what ifs in basketball history. Man was athletic as hell, was mobile and could shoot the 3 as a 5 before it was cool. Much love from Lithuania goobers! 💛💚♥

[@lukedaigle3396]

before it was cool💀💀💀 they need it to be good now

great comment! love the lithuanian love

[@TyBrezzy11]

@@lukedaigle3396 wrong

[@dl3988]

I think he tore his Achilles too, about a year before the 88 Olympics. He still played well against the Olympians and 92 Dream Team.

[@PepeVoltaireBartolemeMontesqui]

Labas joriskat

[@RaferAlstonAkaLAZIO]

And after his NBA career, Sabonis came back to play his last pro season for his hometown team - Zalgiris. And became the oldest Euroleague MVP ever at age of 39 (meanwhile youngest is Luka). Just one of the kind player, was ahead of the time. His son Domantas Sabonis is already 3x NBA all star... Just imagine him being 4 inches taller, with proportionally longer wingspan, with better shooting ability, better defense... That would be something like Arvydas in todays game.

[@rimrejects]

Seeing his skill then seeing him next to shaq, tells me he definitely would’ve been a force.

[@joshuachang5210]

Aaand after he retired from the NBA he went back to Euroleague and got another MVP and a championship won. That’s just how good he is.

[@moxeboy]

Thats how easy the euro league is compared to the nba. Bros an average player in the nba but goes back to europe and is immediately a god

[@nuski1236]

​@@moxeboymaking a statement about Euroleague level and support it with a player who was playing decades ago 💀

[@joshuachang5210]

@@moxeboy Arvydas is only average NBA player if you use counting stats, his advanced metrics view him as top 30 player for multiple years

[@moxeboy]

@@nuski1236 i meant to include at that time in my comment. the euroleague currently is actually relative to the NBA. The NBA is still a few steps ahead but its not as bad as it used to be, when arvydas played

[@sosmooth13]

We quite possibly got robbed of an all-time great. And not in the usual result of an injury type of way.

[@orionizaqt]

Sabonis is the first basketball player I ever looked up to as a little little kid. My dad is a huge Blazers fan and I remember Sabonis being my very favorite player back then

[@dl3988]

Will never forget the first time I saw Sabonis, dunking and dominating Robinson and other future NBA stars...all while rocking a mullet and porn mustache. Absolute legend!

[@MatasLukosiunas]

Dude as a Lithiuanian I've been telling other people this for years respect to giving Sabonis his due him love from Lt.

[@yyynbbggsage7398]

Roided up freak had a heart attack in his 40s.

[@oscarvandiver6434]

I love the analysis of these players no one else seems to talk about. Keep it up man

[@nbagoober13]

Thanks!

[@mbengaful]

Sabonis what if has been discussed to death. If you want some more "obscure" euro what ifs (from an american perspective) i'd take a look at Dalipagic or Myshkin.

[@michaelbarnes2126]

The guy really was a monster. A beast before his time. If he was really smart and wanted to maximize his earnings he should have declined some of those international team invitations. Still made 2 Conference Finals appearances and was an All Star once in his twilight years. That shows you the type of talent he was generational almost

[@dkdebest]

Jokic better

[@michaelbarnes2126]

@@dkdebest yeah right lol

[@Low_Marine]

​@@dkdebestyeah he is like jokic is the closest comp to him but i hear he was extremely athletic for his size

[@woo_shynen8805]

@@michaelbarnes2126ts true but arvydas couldve been like jokic, but a better defender. He Couldve been a 24ppg 11 rb 7ast 3 blks kind of guy in the nba, if the soviet didnt keep him from the nba.

[@alexanderruppert1705]

​@@dkdebestlol

[@tiagojusto6338]

If Bird and Shaq had a son, it would be Arvydas

[@UnitedByMusic2]

🏳️‍🌈 😏

[@VaughnMcGregor]

This dude was Jokic before Jokic. I remember how skilled this big dude was when I was a teenager.

[@manumalia]

Sorry but Jokic will never be as good as prime Sabonis.

[@VaughnMcGregor]

@@manumalia ok

[@jonest6502]

One of my favorite players of all time, to be honest I didn't even know he was such a great player in his prime. Thank you goober for explaining why Arvydas could have been the goat

[@Illumentra]

He was like Jokic is now, except taller and more athletic abilities.

[@jamesmoriarty3593]

Arvydas had even better vision. He had all the court in his brain.

[@AlexAnder-ky2ce]

@jamesmoriarty3593 I'm a big Sabas fan but he certainly did not have better court vision than Jokic. Jokic is definitely better, but adjusting for basketball inflation it still shows how one of a kind Arvydas was to be considered a competitor to Jokic while playing in the 80-90s.

[@AsianJidionkk]

This guy is nikola jokic before nikola jokic. I hope his son Domontas Sabonis doesn’t disappoint him and wins a ring

[@Big-gyy]

As a fan of the trailblazers this man is a legend and you are to nba goober for covering him

[@konstadinosgeorgiopoulos2591]

since you're talking about european players in the 80s, I'd love a video on Nick Galis someday... great vid as always

[@dalegriffin6768]

Sobonis was very athletic when he was in his prime,his injuries messed him up,but he was still really good

[@riccardodipaolo9336]

My man goober coming in hot with the CLASSIEST goat, keep up the great work dude

[@monky8018]

GOOBER has blessed us with a video

[@WolfyKun275]

I love your videos covering underrated/unkown players I am still waiting for that Brandon Jennings video tho

[@emmanuelmondesir]

Sabonis is pretty much the FIBA GOAT.

[@wgrwolfie1951]

I love you nba goober your content is always amazing

[@washcloud]

Hugely underrated tribute video... Nice work there man for a basketball legend though. ❤

[@casualbanter6939]

Nice to see a Blazers legend on here. You should do a Bill Walton one

[@johnluther9581]

thanks for taking your time to make amazing videos mr goober i am huge fan of your videos they always make my day

[@nbagoober13]

Glad you like them!

[@CharlesStewartLee]

Great Vid . Big Man Goats.......I was left wondering what an Arvydas Sabonis match-up with Wilt Chamberlain would have been like

[@JoeyGageyt]

you have pure basketball knowledge, love to see it

[@michelcharro8630]

Also, when he went to the USA before he had broken his meniscus and when he came to the USA, you could say he was playing on one leg. Watching Sabonis before was like watching Jokic maybe now.

[@jeremyunderground41]

So True Victor Wenbanyama of Spurs is now a Successor of Arvydas Sabonis. Both are over 7 Footers who can shoot 3s and can move fast. The difference is Arvydas is more of a passer while Wemby is more of a Dribbler.

[@zoranbrkovic6822]

In Europe he and Petrovic are the goats..If..No Touch Rules and No rugby

[@ph4ssu]

loving the recent vids goobster

[@nbagoober13]

Preeesh

[@nerijusstasiulis5484]

I thought you were going to mention this... You should've. In that game 7 against the Lakers, Sabas was a key presence on the court in terms helping to playmake and defence. Shaq had made like 1 or 2 fieldgoals. And hence the Blazers were up by about 16 to start the 4th quater. This game is among the most mentioned in the rigged conversation. The refs gave two ludicrous fouls on Sabonis to foul him out and Shaq finally had the freedom. And also the ball wasn't moving the right way without Sabonis. Rebounding fell flat. The refs fouling out Sabonis was key for the Lakers "comeback". Without his presence on the court and under the rim the Blazers became avarage.

[@mylastaltsrrsly5967]

If the refs weren't paid off pippen would have 7 rings lol maybe a finals mvp

[@DariusX]

love your videos. funny and educational.

[@LKYF]

Please do a video on Drazen Petrovic next!

[@nbagoober13]

Soon

[@jammies701]

Nice vid mate

[@unspeakablyawesomebros3392]

Goob be goobin, also when r we getting a Jason Kidd episode?

[@nbagoober13]

Def soon

[@MrPixelMonster]

Love this deep cut. Never heard of him and as a "European" that only knows abt the NBA its sick to see "european" stories

[@reidb6327]

Great video

[@leobrockstedt7163]

Comrade Arvydas really fumbled the bag

[@nbagoober13]

Lol

[@the_bath3235]

Really just fumbled the bag due to the soviets one of the biggest travesties ever could've had a lithuanian as the undeniable goat smh #lietuvanumerouno

[@gkunkle9]

The Blazers may have the best set of “what if” players: Sabonis, Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, Bill Walton, Sam Bowie.

[@GranDaddyIceBox]

Even his Opal in myteam is goated

[@mariomm9080]

He also became Euroleague MVP at 40❤

[@ur_wrong1209]

Every ignorant NBA ‘fan’ on twitter should be forced to watch this lmao.

[@FAZET-hp4ds]

Babe wake up new goob vid just dropped

[@justaguywithabadyoutubenam512]

bro i love your videos, can u do kevin love?

[@justaguywithabadyoutubenam512]

pause

[@bigdave9188]

Lithuanian legend

[@votix10]

He was a jokic before jokic

[@VictorHugo-ol9ym]

OSCAR SHIMIT please make a video about THE BEST scorer in history, most points in a carrear

[@tatayaya]

That Grateful Dead shirt dope!

[@manumalia]

There is no question in my mind that a healthy career would have Sabonis in the top 5 players of all time.

[@GuidomarioGiovannetti]

He was Jokic 40 years before jokic. Maybe not the goat, but surely top 5 centers in the history of the game.

[@monky8018]

That video has changed my life

[@nbagoober13]

I’m glad

[@dariusantanavicius2652]

2:47 ...and where is the title of Champion in 1988's Olimpic games ??! ..realy insane ))))

[@BiggWerv]

He will never get the credit he deserves. I do think he could have been a top 10 player and a top 5 center all time despite the injuries. He’ll never get the credit he deserves.

[@togu_mak245]

Now do oscar schmidt another foreign legend

[@miguelsolanoarriola771]

The BEST center Of the world

[@AlmiNia]

its goobin time

[@nbagoober13]

You know it

[@Tesse29]

Would be really interesting if you could make a video about Oscar Schmidt. Kobe was a huge fan of him.

[@EnginesnAudio]

In his rookie year he was older than andrew bynum was when he retired.

[@frankshannon3235]

Sabonis created the Dream Team.

[@rafouslmao]

do a vid on oscar schmidt

[@AsbestosFilter]

i sabonis enters the league in the 80s, he might win at least 1 can you imagine him with clyde drexler

[@jays3652]

Arvydas is a legendary and great player, but his legacy has been vastly overstated imho. While playing in Europe, he certainly was a dominant force but his stats abroad never really compared to ATG NBA legends (such as Kareem, MJ, LeBron, etc). He was an efficient scorer on good (not great) volume who was a serviceable passer at the 5 and a great defender (especially in terms of rim protection). He was also a 2x MVP in Spain which is impressive, however, for him to truly be in that upper echelon, he honestly ought to have even more. Considering that the Spanish and Lithuanian leagues are not nearly on the caliber of the NBA (especially at that time period), I think the claim that he is truly a GOAT level talent is untrue. He was a good player in the NBA, especially considering his declining health, and contributed to winning basketball without a doubt. However, his return to the Euroleague in 04 demonstrates my overall point in terms of this narrative. Upon his return, Aryvdas won the Euroleague MVP which is certainly impressive at that age, however he was no more than a bench/rotation piece in the NBA at this point, illustrating a clear gap in talent between the NBA and the world...

[@edwardking9359]

Remember that NBA basketball is "heliocentric," meaning that it revolves around the star players. European basketball by contrast is much more team focused, since it never had illegal defense and offense had to be much more advanced to beat good defensive schemes. That's why Sabonis' individual numbers look worse; the volume of shots is much lower compared to similar players in the NBA at the time.

[@edwardking9359]

Also remember that Euroleague games are 40 minutes long rather than 48, explaining the lower numbers.

[@jays3652]

@@edwardking9359 I agree with you in that sense. Yes, NBA basketball has always been more heliocentric, however, his efficiency and volume relative to his own league still is not comparable to ATG NBA legends (when compared to other stars). This is certainly a factor towards Arvydas' greatness, but I don't think it is strong enough to support a GOAT case. In regards to minutes played, I'm referring to his stats with mpg adjusted as he nonetheless played 32+ minutes for many seasons.

[@Kicionas]

Gap? Why usa with Duncan, Marbury, iverson lost Lithuania in 2004 without Sabonis in olimpics where playing only euroleague players. Bro you dont know nothing about European basketball

[@jays3652]

@@Kicionas Fun fact, that same team also lost to puerto rico. It's hard to evaluate talent in a one elimination series, but it's safe to say that that team was NOT great. In fact, the 2004 US team was so bad that the US actually made a point to make a team with their best players (the 2008 redeem team). A team that had genuine motivation to win and went on to absolutely dominate the world. You did nothing to refute my earlier point, the MVP of the euroleague is literally a benchwarmer in the NBA. THERE ARE LEVELS TO THIS

[@Noname-ni1dy]

By the time he gat to the NBA he wasn’t 20 percent of his peak. His body was shot.

[@chuckschilling9113]

Imagine what he would have done if young and healthy!

[@dracen10]

Could be...so pity...Sabas my number One,ever🏀🏀🏀

[@Xicor111]

whats sad is that he didnt actually hava a "prime". He tore his achilles at 21 for the 1st time. 21 is the age that newbies get into NBA these days. What it means is that he played handicapped since 21, he didnt have the luxury to maximize his physicality. Sure you could say it forced him to learn other things like passing and shooting.

[@ricardas16]

his skillset was like guards. he learned it at early age. what he lost was his athleticism and mobility though. shooting and passing he already had.

[@christnsemi8677]

Could u do a video about brandon roy ?

[@robranko5931]

He was da goat of giants

[@20hb8]

I love nbagoober13

[@cbreezy]

My Hawks getting screwed for the 20th time.

[@jcp.2063]

do a Drazen Petrovic video por favor

[@Himmyjewett]

Let's hope his son can fill his shoes

[@woketv781]

That IF is a Huge IF. Even if Arvydas came in the league younger, he most likely would've been injury prone like Ralph Sampson.

[@michaelbarnes2126]

Look what he did even after all the injuries he went thru. If he was able to play thru them for his country he could have done it for his organization. However they would have helped him deal with his injuries

[@Forwhut]

I’d dunk on Arvydas Sabonis

[@Gianluca-xn7ri]

How much i'll pay to return in 1986-88 and put an NBA team with Drazen, Marciulonis, Shrempf, Kukoc, Radja, Arvydas and to see them compete for the title..

[@ziginaigra]

biggest what if

[@myrusEW]

Me, a lebrón fan and drose fan: homie u trippin

[@cp5417]

So petro, sabonis, mj, and drex. Imagine that team.

[@ricardas16]

drazen was in portland so it was possible him, clide and sabas on the same team. although blazers didn't know or didnt' want to use drazen at the time. he had to move to new jersey to show what he could do

[@Gabriel-rb8tw]

Bro search for Oscar Schimdt, not sure if would make a good video but this guy was a walking bucket. Brazilian legend, scored 46k points in his career

[@MortanAMrk]

Arvydas sacrificed his nba career for being the greatest european to ever play, and like you dont have to play in the nba to be the greatest of all time, personally believe he is a top 20 player ever which is good

[@edwardking9359]

he didn't "sacrifice his nba career". It's just that his home country was part of the USSR at the time of his draft in 1985. By the time Lithuania became independent he wasn't a draft prospect anymore but a full-on star player. He didn't join the nba until he was 30 and had declined in ability, meaning he was cheaper to sign.

[@Jonas-PD]

Grant Hill, DRose, Penny, BRoy. None of them are a bigger what if than Sabas.

[@willstoudemire-pulliam9084]

Why COULD he have been? If the tape tells the tale, he's in the conversation. Ever if his stat aren't nba stats.

[@ryanscaggs1674]

Just sounds like Jokić before Jokić

[@charlieclemons5037]

Arvytas or Damontis?

[@ricardas16]

domas is good, but not as good as his father was. bigger more athletic and better shooter

[@AdLast]

Pirates call him ArrrrVidas

[@DavidSports]

GOOOBER

[@frozen1762]

There are a lot of talks like this about him and I agree that he is one of the best if not the best talent ever, but there is a big but lol It's a very attractive "what if" idea but in reality, even if you say USSR gave him permission to go to NBA in mid 80s I doubt he would fulfill his potential. And reasons are mostly not basketball related. NBA in the 80s and Euro basketball in the 80s were so much different then today. Conditioning for players in Europe at the time was a joke, there was almost no weights involved, they could not compete even with NCAA players most of the time from a physical standpoint. Second thing is there was this prejudice in NBA that no player could even be on a bench if he did not go through NCAA system. And it was partially true. Most of top talents I think even in the 60s could be stars if they were allowed to play but there would be a big transition period involved. Even for physical freaks like Arvydas. And thirdly I think he was just too injury prone,and it has nothing to do with overplay. He was also hot tempered and would get a lot of Ts. I think he would eventually be a star, but not the greatest ever, more like one of the best bigs of that era, competing with Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson and later Shaque on the same level.

[@nerijusstasiulis5484]

Another thing, my man. In his 31 year old "handicapped" rookie regular season, he avaeraged 15 or so. But in the playoffs he averaged about 25 and was a leader both on and off the court. Now imagine him healthy in his prime

[@noahrehs5751]

Sup dude.

[@garysalazar5279]

Sabas woulve been the 1st Jokic!

[@OnlyGoodSHHH]

SABAS #1

[@cbreezy]

How tf do you get into the hall of fame when it’s one of your only two achievements???

[@ikedatike2533]

Check his overseas accomplishments though. Those are absolutely insane and through the roof!

[@cbreezy]

@@ikedatike2533 Has to be included, for sure will.

[@wellperegrine0214]

Paddy Mills or Andrew Gaze

[@barbaraangele8615]

Sabonis is the GOAT. Wemby is not even close on any level.

[@dariusfadavi7188]

Those shirts tho

[@pedrofonoff3836]

do a video about Oscar Schmidt, greatest braziliam ever and still holds the record for most points scored in an entire carreer. Didnt olay in the NBA because he wouldn't be eligible to represent Brazil in olympic games. Thats a legend right there. And he was drafted in 1984 but choosed not to go for the same reasons. There are videos of Kobe freaking Bryant prasing this man...

[@DK-uj1er]

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