Like father, like son: Sabonis earning his place in the sun for Lithuania

VILNIUS (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Domantas Sabonis grew up with his father idolized by the whole of Lithuania and much of the world; now he is starting to earn a place in the sun for himself.

The 22-year-old big man is not much of a talker, but his actions often speak louder than words. That was also the case in Gdansk and Budapest in the latest FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers window, with Sabonis guiding Lithuania to back-to-backs wins on the road against Poland and Hungary.

His father, Arvydas - one of the most celebrated European players of all time - watched from the stands as his youngest son netted a team-high 17 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in a 79-61 win against Poland before putting up 12 points and 8 boards against Hungary a few days later.

"We knew that it was going to be a tough game. But we did what we set out to do, which was to play a Lithuanian brand of basketball," Domantas spoke after the victorious back-to-back on the road. "We knew that if we played quality Lithuanian basketball, we would win. We just needed to play the entire 40 minutes, which we did."

Coming back to help the national team in the Qualifiers was particularly important, as circumstances beyond his control forced him to miss FIBA EuroBasket 2017. It was the first time he could not suit up for Lithuania and it made him even more determined to be there for his country this summer.

"MY FATHER PLAYED AND WON A LOT WITH LITHUANIA. AND I ALSO WANT TO BRING THAT TO LITHUANIAN BASKETBALL."

DOMANTAS SABONIS

"For me, it's always an honor to play for the national team. To fight for your country and play against the best players in Europe and around the world, it's really interesting," he shared with Lithuanian media outlet 24sek.lt.

And of course, representing Lithuania is as much about continuing the family legacy on the national team as anything else for Domantas.

"My father played and won a lot with Lithuania. And I also want to bring that to Lithuanian basketball," said Lithuania's top scorer in the June-July window.

There is a long way to go before Domantas can have a list of accomplishments comparable to that of his father, but a second-place finish at EuroBasket 2015 provided a solid starting point and next year's World Cup in China could be next on the list.

Although Lithuania's job in the Qualifiers is not done, the latest results put them two steps closer to China 2019, which could be the next big stage where the Sabonis family name rings loud and clear.

Lithuania can only be happy that the apple did not fall from the tree.

FIBA