Gonzaga honors Domantas Sabonis in jersey ceremony: 'It's a lot of emotions'

With his family by his side, Domantas Sabonis was honored by the Gonzaga men's basketball team in a pregame ceremony held ahead of Saturday's matchup against Santa Clara.

Sabonis' No. 11, which he wore during his two seasons in Spokane, was hung among an exclusive group of former men's basketball players who have their jerseys displayed along the upper walls of the Kennel. The Sacramento Kings All-NBA forward joins Frank Burgess (No. 44), John Stockton (No. 12), Adam Morrison (No. 3), Kelly Olynyk (No. 13) and Dan Dickau (No. 21).

"He was the ultimate Zag; one of the all-time greats," Few said of Sabonis during the pregame ceremony. "He was and still is a ferocious competitor. He was just a relentless worker on and off the practice floor. And then from an old coach's perspective, he was the greatest teammate out there."

"I have no words," Sabonis said of his experience back in the Kennel. "It's awesome. Coach Few has high standards for his players here, and I was a part of it, and for him to say that it's really cool and it really shows he appreciated all the hard work we did."

Former Gonzaga Bulldog Domantas Sabonis. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Sabonis' connection to the No. 11 goes beyond just a jersey number. His father, Arvydas Sabonis, wore that number at numerous points during his Hall-of-Fame career overseas and in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers. Domantas followed in his father's footsteps before before drafted, coincidentally, No. 11 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. Domantas and his wife Shashana's daughter — Eleven Rose Sabonis, was born on July 11, 2023.

Sabonis wore the No. 10 during his first two seasons with the Kings, as the No. 11 was retired for Hall-of-Fame player Bob Davies, who played 10 seasons with the Rochester Royals and was an NBA champion in 1951. That changed this past offseason, when the Davies family gave Sabonis their blessing to wear the number moving forward.

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).

Domantas Sabonis looks on as his jersey is honored at the McCarthey Athletic Center. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

"I remember that game: second round, freshman year. It was like a party," Sabonis said. "We finally broke through that second round."

Sabonis has frequented Gonzaga's campus during his offseasons in the summer, though Saturday was his first experience back during gameday.

"It's awesome. It feels great," Sabonis said. "Seeing all the friends and memories I've made, I've made here those two years, it's really cool. It's a lot of emotions."

Sabonis was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, though his draft rights were immediately traded 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. 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.

Domantas Sabonis signs autographs for Gonzaga fans at the McCarthey Athletic Center. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Now in his ninth NBA season, Sabonis is back atop the leaderboards in rebounds per game (14.1) and double-doubles (36). He's scoring 20.6 points per game on 60.0% from the field. Sacramento (21-20) is ninth in the Western Conference standings.

The Kings are back in action tomorrow when they take on Corey Kispert and the Washington Wizards at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.

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