In honor of Arvydas Sabonis, who is being inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame, here are some highlights on "The Big Man" before he came to the NBA as a chronically injured, 30-something drunk. Check out a 20 year old Sabonis just playing with David Robinson, who was 21 at the time. He also busts out a pretty sweet "Robot" at half court while talking to the ref. Arvydas Sabonis-Before Injuries 1986 - YouTube Here a 20 year old Sabonis casually breaks the backboard on a dunk and walks over to his bench. Sabonis breaks the backboard in 1984 (20 years old) - YouTube
I think you are supposed to label this as an "Appreciation Thread" and misspell a word in the title (preferably his name).
Wow...nothing like the lumbering pass-first codger that showed up in the NBA. Back in the day he was nothing to throw a towel at.
It's too bad he didn't come into the league earlier. I've talked to people who saw him play in the mid-late 80s, and they swear that he would have destroyed any center in that era, with the possible exception of Hakeem. Had he come up in the 90s-00s, with the weight training today's athletes do, he would have been bigger and stronger than Shaq.
