In 2003–04 Arvydas ended his basketball career and Domantas and his family moved to Malaga, Spain. Nevertheless, he was only sixteen years old, he did not enter into a professional contract with Unicaja which included a payment to maintain his NCAA eligibility.
To play in the NCAA, Sabonis declined a three-year, $630,000 contract with Unicaja. He committed to Gonzaga University’s NCAA Division I team prior to the 2014-15 season.
He helped the Gonzaga Bulldogs in their 91-75 win over the BYU Cougars on March 10 to help them win the WCC Tournament title for the third straight time. The Orlando Magic selected Sabonis with the 11th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.
On draft night, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Serge Ibaka along with Ersan Lyasova and Victor Oladipo.
In a 103-97 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on October 26 as the team’s starting forward, he made his Thunder debut. In 16 minutes, he scored five points and grabbed four rebounds.
As the Thunder were the sixth seed in the 2016-17 NBA Playoffs, they were beaten 4-1 by the Houston Rockets in the first round, and Sabonis saw just six minutes of action. On July 6, 2017, Sabonis and Victor Oladipo were traded for Paul George by the Indiana Pacers.
Due to the unexpected trade, he was not only unable to participate in the 2017 NBA Summer League, but he was also unable to play for the Lithuanian national team in EuroBasket 2017. The Pacers and Sabonis agreed to a four-year, $77 million deal the day before the start of the 2019-20 season.
Sabonis became just the second Lithuanian to be selected as an NBA All-Star for his outstanding achievements, earning him a spot in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game averaging 18 points, 12.8 rebounds and 4 6 assists.
Sabonis also participated in the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge, where he lost to Bam Adebayo in the championship round but came close to winning the trophy.
He contributed to Team LeBron’s 157-155 triumph in his first All-Star appearance, putting him on the winning side. In 2015, Sabonis made his EuroBasket debut for Lithuania, winning a silver medal. He competed for the Lithuanian National Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The Pacers dealt Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 8, 2022 in exchange for Tristan Thompson, Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton.
