Sabonis, an MVP and more to Kaunas

Some are called sporting legends for how they play, others for who 
they are. In the case of Arvydas Sabonis, the Euroleague regular 
season MVP, either reason is legitimate, and together they explain 
why he is adored throughout Lithuania. In a small, basketball-mad 
country with plenty of fine players, Sabonis is king not only 
because he can drop a hook shot. Few athletes impact their sport in 
their countries in as many ways as Sabonis does basketball in 
Lithuania. Besides rejecting millions to keep a promise to play for 
and direct his original club, Zalgiris Kaunas, Sabonis this year 
marks the 10th anniversary of his own basketball academy, which 
enrolls 658 kids. And just as he makes things happen in between the 
baskets, he is making them happen in his city. Sabonis has recently 
acquired two playing facilities - one for his school, another for 
Zalgiris - at the same time that he is pushing plans for the 
construction of a modern 10,000-seat arena in Kaunas. The rest of 
Europe may see him as a superstar with a basketball in his hands, 
but Lithuanians know that he is an MVP off the court, too. 

A Davis Cup qualifying tournament early this year was probably the 
last major event at the Orange Tennis Center in Kaunas - at least 
in the sport of its name. The up-to-date indoor tennis facility, 
opened just two years ago, was recently acquired by Sabonis. 
Although the Lithuanian giant enjoys rushing to the net for a smash 
or two during pick-up tennis matches with his friends, that wasn't 
why he bought the arena. Rather, he was thinking of his basketball 
academy. Established in 1994, the Arvydas Sabonis Basketball School 
is one of 14 such schools in Lithuania and, according to official 
ratings that ranked it first for several years, probably the best 
one. 

Alumni from the Sabonis School can be found playing basketball all 
over the world. Two are teammates of Sabonis on Zalgiris, Giedrius 
Gustas and Paulius Jankunas, while teenager Rolandas Alijevas plays 
for another Euroleague team, Adecco Asvel. Among several Sabonis 
School graduates playing in Italy, Valdas Dabkus joined ULEB Cup 
challenger Varese in midseason, while a dozen more play on various 
Lithuanian League pro teams. Another 20 alumni are on teams at 
various U.S. universities. 

When the idea for the school was born a decade ago, Sabas said he 
was just thinking about his childhood years. "I do not want these 
kids to go through the same experience I went through as a young 
player: worn-out sneakers, poor equipment, unheated arenas…." 
Today, the 658 kids attending School can only guess what Sabas was 
referring to: they are dressed by manufacturers well-known in the 
basketball world and are coached by 11 of Lithuania's best youth 
coaches using advanced techniques Sabonis brought from his career 
abroad. 

Not all is roses and flowers, though. For 29 groups of kids 
covering 11 age brackets, the school has only one court of its own. 
It rents 11 others scattered across the town, which creates a lot 
of logistical problems. Kids who join the school from outside 
Kaunas need accommodation that often requires inefficient 
expenditure. To prepare the kids for future challenges on and off 
the court, Sabonis wants the curriculum augmented with such courses 
as basketball-oriented English, general culture, psychology, ethics 
and computer science. With the acquisition of the Orange Tennis 
Center, many of these problems should be solved. This summer, the 
center's four tennis courts of the arena will be adapted for 
basketball and the squash court turned into a fitness center. Other 
facilities, including a planned extension of the present building, 
will be used for six additional locker rooms, classrooms to host 
three-hour daily lessons for every age group and administrative 
offices. 

The new home for his school is just part of €2 million in 
investments Sabonis has made recently in facilities for both the 
school and Zalgiris. In addition to the tennis arena, he has also 
purchased the Kausta Arena in Kaunas, which Zalgiris rented for 
practices with its Euroleague team and as a game venue for its 
second team. Plans for the arena's reconstruction include the 
addition of a small, 20-person hotel for out-of-town students 
attending the Sabonis School, modern facilities with telescopic 
stands for practices and games, team offices, a fitness center, a 
medical center, saunas and more. 

Sabonis is less a man of word than of deed. For two decades, there 
have been discussions concerning construction for Zalgiris of a new 
modern basketball arena that would replace the famous Sporto Hale, 
built in 1939. Upon returning to Kaunas, Sabonis learned of future 
Euroleague seating-capacity requirements, rolled up his sleeves and 
pushed a proposal to construct a modern, 10,000-seat arena with a 
€25 million budget. Today, the finished project is already on his 
desk and Sabonis has made his own funds available to see it 
through. Sabonis expects to the go-ahead for construction to be 
given as soon as the final decision on the arena location is made, 
sooner rather than later, he hopes, as procrastination makes him 
nervous. 

The first question non-Lithuanian media often ask Sabonis these 
days is why he has rejected NBA millions to play for his relatively 
modest team from Kaunas, which has a population of approximately 
475,000. His answer: "Because I love Zalgiris, and I keep my 
promises." He might also add that he loves Kaunas and the sport of 
basketball. Because all this is true, and everybody in Lithuania 
knows it, even if Sabonis does not like to speak much, even less to 
boast of his accomplishments. He prefers action over talking, but 
his off-court deeds are eloquent, indeed.