During his time, Arvydas Sabonis was renowned as one of the best players on the planet. To this day, he is still acknowledged as one of the greatest passing big men of all time.
As fate would have it, his son, Domantas, has followed in his father's footsteps, not only making it to the NBA but also establishing himself as one of the best passing bigs in the league (an impressive feat considering how skilled today's centers are).
However, for Domantas, merely playing in the NBA and mirroring his father's play style wasn't enough. To truly honor his dad's basketball legacy, he needed to wear the same number on his back.
Throughout his career, both overseas and in the NBA, Arvydas donned the number 11 on his uniform. During his four-plus years with the Indiana Pacers, the younger Sabonis was able to sport this number. However, since the Sacramento Kings had the number 11 retired, Sabonis had to settle for the next best thing: the number 10.
Arvydas Sabonis original available👊😎 pic.twitter.com/hv4C0LPzIn
— Adam Ballinger Art (@adam_ballinger) June 11, 2024
The number belongs to Hall of Famer Bob Davies, who played seven seasons in the NBA and was a four-time All-Star and part of the 1950-51 Rochester Royals team that won the NBA title.
On Friday, it was announced that the children of Davies have granted Domantas their blessing to wear the number 11 and honor his father while also attempting to push the Kings to their first playoff series victory since 2004.
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.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) June 14, 2024
It's safe to say that this is a huge deal for the Sabonis family. Not only is the number 11 the number that Arvydas became a legend while wearing, but it is also the name of Domantas' daughter (Eleven). Coincidentally enough, she was born on July 11. She'll be celebrating her second birthday this year.
The No. 11 means so much to Domantas Sabonis that he and his wife even named their daughter Eleven. She was born last year - on July 11.
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) June 14, 2024
The number is retired by the Kings to honor the late Bob Davies, but his family gave their blessing to allow Domas to wear 11. https://t.co/8zxY33Mruw
"I've wanted this for a long time," Sabonis told Sean Cunningham of FOX40 Sports in an interview. "I grew up playing basketball because of him. I fell in love with the game because of him. That number has been in our family for a long time. All of my siblings have worn that number."
Domantas is getting ready to kick off his third full season with the Kings and ninth overall in the NBA. So far, Domantas has three All-Star appearances and two All-NBA selections to his name.