Domantas Sabonis is entering his ninth year in the NBA and third with the Sacramento Kings, as the three-time All-Star big man has become a foundational piece of what the Kings hope is a contending core. After snapping the league’s longest playoff drought in his first year in Sacramento, Sabonis and the Kings fell short of making the postseason in back-to-back years after finishing ninth in the West and being unable to make it through the Play-In.
To provide some support for the upcoming season, the Kings added DeMar DeRozan as their big free agent signing, hoping he can be the wing scorer the Kings have needed between Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox. Adding another high-level scorer to the roster is something Sabonis is extremely excited about, and prior to training camp opening in Sacramento, the big man was down in L.A. working out with DeRozan to get some early reps so they can hit the ground running. While in L.A., Sabonis also went to the premiere for Netflix’s new NBA series, “Starting 5”, as he is featured alongside LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, and Jimmy Butler, all of whom were followed by cameras throughout the 2023-24 season.
Ahead of the Oct. 9 release, we got to sit down with Sabonis and talk about seeing his personal life on screen, his thoughts on last season with the Kings, lessons they have to learn to get back in the playoffs this year, his workouts with DeRozan, and more.
To start, you got to go to the premiere. You’re used to seeing your professional life play out on TV playing in the NBA. But what was it like seeing your personal life on screen, and having that kind of show up at your house with your family and seeing that part of your life now?
Yeah, I don’t know. Watching it live with everyone in theater, I was like, melting into my seat at first. You know, that’s something I haven’t shown to people. So it was — it’s definitely different, but definitely an honor to be part of that show, Netflix and the “Starting 5” group. So it’s really cool. I’m very excited for it, and the two episodes are really good. I really enjoyed it.
When they approached you about doing this, was it an immediate “Yes”? Were there longer conversations you had to have with your wife and everything about are we going to let these cameras in and do this thing?
Yeah, well, with my wife, it was almost like an immediate yes, because it was such a cool experience. Netflix, they did “Quarterback,” they did the tennis, the golf. So we’re like, wow, this is really cool. This is sick. But at the same time, it was like some feeling inside, like, are we sure? But once we decided quickly on the “yes,” everything moved so quickly. Next day, cameras in the house, and then it was every day for the season.
What do you hope fans can kind of learn about you off the court? Obviously, like you said, this isn’t something you’ve really let people in on in the past.
People that know me personally, they obviously know I’m a whole different person than on the court. But if you just know me from the court, I’m aggressive, I’m loud, running around, getting into it with the refs, players. So they might think, you know, I’m not the nicest guy, but with this show, hopefully that changed it around. I’m a dad, I’m a husband, all I do is care about my kids and my wife, and just put all my effort into basketball and my family. And I think you’re going to see that contrast of me on the court being me — talking, being vocal — and then off the court, being a completely different guy.
What has it been like becoming a father and playing in the league? What has changed for you in terms of routine and what you’ve learned about striking that balance between being the dad you want to be and being the player you want to be?
Definitely changed a lot, 360 for me. I was always more of a sleep in to the last second, big naps as much as I can, just on my own schedule. And now with kids, everything changes. Our naps got to sync, so I can rest at the same time. Spending a lot of time with the kids, I was always like, taking care of my body, not trying to get out as much. And I found the balance where doing stuff is actually better for me, instead of just sitting on the couch and like, watching shows or doing whatever it may be. So I found the balance that, like, going out to the park with the kids, walks, playing with them, and also learning how to now manage my time better. Making sure, okay, once the kids go to bed, then I have more time to focus, go back in the weight room, or whatever it may be, and really plan out my days, which has really helped me throughout my on court stuff.
Yeah, I was gonna ask, does that help you? Do you feel like you’ve become more focused in the work because you have kind of a finite amount of time that you can put it in?
I feel like I was always focused. It’s just I was maybe too excessive before I had kids. I was too much and thought more was better, whereas now I found that balance that works really well. Cause if you do too much, you kind of get burned out mentally early in the season. And with my kids, it’s like, I come home and no basketball. I just, I forget completely. And then when they go to bed, I’m like, Okay, now I can think a bit about basketball. And it’s refreshing. It’s helped me a lot.
Has there been anybody you’ve been able to lean on — other dads in the league, teammates you’ve had that have gone through it — that you’ve kind of been able to lean on with becoming a father?
My last year before I got traded in Indy, we had a bunch of — I mean, the whole starting five was having kids or were one year in, and my wife was pregnant. So they were telling me everything that they went through, and I was honestly there to experience it while my wife was pregnant, and we’re hanging out with thier kids, so I was kind of getting some tips.
On the court, what was last year like for you? And where have you felt, since getting to Sacramento, you’ve been able to kind of grow as a player?
Last year was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. I feel like we had a great season, it just didn’t end the way we wanted. You compare the two seasons from my first year, there’s only a couple of wins difference and you’re a third seed or a ninth seed. It was just a lot of ups and downs. We would beat the best teams in the league, and then next day lose against the lower seeds. And that kind of ended up putting us in a situation where we had to play the Play-In and that cost us the playoffs.
But I thought we were definitely better than our first year. Just, you know, things didn’t go right, the West was more competitive. And as me coming here, I just feel like more of a leader. They traded for me to basically change the franchise, be the leader, be me. And you feel that confidence as a player when you get it from the owner, the GMs, everyone in the front office, and then leading all the way down to the coaching staff. So that definitely changes your perspective. You have more — a bigger purpose — which, as a competitor, you love a challenge, and you just, you want that.
You mentioned how thin the margins are. What are the lessons that that as a team, you can take away from last year? Because, like you said, statistically, it was pretty close. You got better on defense. Offense took a minor step back, but it wasn’t a huge step back or anything. What are the lessons you learned as a team coming into this year to get back in that playoff picture?
The biggest thing we learned was just everyone has to be focused. Focus all year round. Like I said, we can’t have those loops where we lost — we probably lost like 10 games against, like, the worst teams in the league last year, and just winning two of those would have changed our record. Having DeMar, veteran presence, Hall of Fame career, is going to help us. He’s here for the right reasons. He’s here to win, and I feel like having that veteran presence is going to get us locked in. And us doing what we did last year, I feel like everyone has realized this summer that we can’t just mess around and play when we want to play. We got to go in and treat every game like it’s important, because we experienced it last year what happens at the end.
DeMar is new on the team, but he was there with you at the red carpet and he seems to already be trying to get himself in with the team. What has that been like, having him come in and already making sure that he’s a presence?
It’s been felt, you know, especially by me. I was in L.A., he came and we basically got together for a couple weeks, worked out at USC, tried starting to learn our games, made sure he made an effort to come and see me at the premiere. So you definitely feel that bond already close. We felt it first on the court, and then with these little things showing up, we start feeling it off the court. So, yeah, he’s big. Everyone’s excited for him, you know, and the facility is a good vibe right now.
What has been your biggest focal point this summer in the work that you’re putting in and the things that you’re trying to do to accomplish those goals next year?
Basically the usual. I kind of try and work on and improve everything. I love to be consistent and be there for my team and just work on the things that I’m basically put in those situations. And now with DeMar, it could be completely different, because the attention has to go away from me and Fox because you got to stop that guy. So, you know, that’s why it was important for me to get with him and learn his game. Because a lot of times it might just be me and him playing pick and roll, or handoffs, or with Fox, you know, in situations where we kind of play off each other and basically make the best reads. And with his IQ is just going to make everyone get easier shots.
What is the process in adding somebody who has that much talent and has kind of his own unique offensive game? In a way, he kind of operates sometimes in similar spots that you do — what was that feeling out process and what did you learn from him in those workouts that has you particularly excited or you didn’t necessarily know about him?
It was good, you know, I thought I was gonna step on his toes or something, be in the way. But as we played, he explained everything to me in how he sees the game. And he’s like, you just be you. You be you, I got you. I’m trying to get you guys open. I’m trying to manipulate the game. If I need a bucket, I’ll get a bucket. But it just worked out very seamlessly, I don’t know how to say it. It was a great couple weeks, just working out, and it worked good.
You’ve played in different situations, for different coaches, and been asked to do different things in your career. Do you think that helps you when a situation like this arises when you get to when something like this happens and you’re going to have some adjustments, you can fall back on things knowing you’ve done this before and been able to find success doing different things?
Definitely, that’s why I’m not scared, I’m excited. I mean, if it wasn’t for Mike Brown, I probably had a different coach my last four years, different systems. And I try to stay consistent in my game and figure it out. So going into year three with the same coach, same system, makes it easier for me. Now we got a new player, his IQ is off the charge, so I feel like it’s just gonna fit in just right.
You’ve been one of the most reliable guys in the last couple years in terms of being on the court. How much do you pride yourself in that availability, even when, I know you had the wrist thing a year ago and still finding ways to be effective and be impactful for your team and be on the court? And how much pride do you take in the work that it takes to getting to that point?
Yeah, like you said all summer, I also make sure my body’s right. Working out, maybe not, not the cutest things in the weight room, but the things that are going to keep my knees, my ankles, my body healthy throughout the season, especially how I play. I love the game. Like this part coming forward, training camp, I don’t want to do that. I want to go straight to the games. So just being on the sideline watching your teammates play, not being able to help them, that kind of burns a fire in me. So the more I can be healthy and ready to perform. Also have a high a big responsibility for the franchise. They trusted me to come over and be who I am and change it. So I can’t be out there missing games and stuff, I got to be there for my teammates.
