Euroleague.net interview: Arvydas Sabonis of Zalgiris

This Thursday, on the eve of his 39th birthday, the player who has stood tallest 
over three decades of European basketball, Zalgiris center Arvydas Sabonis, 
makes a long-awaited return to Moscow to play against CSKA in a game that has 
the capital of Russia buzzing. Wherever he goes, "Sabas" has that effect on 
people. In Lithuania, where basketball is practically a religion, Sabonis is a 
major deity. His status is such that one national TV station has asked Sabonis 
to deliver his own New Year address to the nation. Perhaps to the surprise of 
some, Sabonis is ending 2003 as the MVP ratings leader of the Euroleague for the 
team he grew up with and now owns, Zalgiris Kaunas. In this Euroleague.net 
interview, the man whom many consider Europe's greatest player ever explains 
what brought him home to Europe and Lithuania. "In general, the years are 
passing by so quickly and my career is already close to the end," Sabonis told 
Euroleague.net. "I had promised Zalgiris I would play one season with them 
again, so it was time to keep my word...I have missed it for so long, and now I 
feel like I used to a long time ago: it's really superb." 

You seemed to surprise a lot of people with your rejection of a multi-million-
dollar NBA contract to return to Zalgiris. Was it still a difficult decision? 

"Not so much. I had just become fed up with the life I was living there lately. 
I mean, me in Portland, my family in Torremolinos. Also, I had been missing from 
European basketball for quite a long time, so I was curious to test myself 
against the Euroleague, the best of continental basketball, as a benchmark. In 
general, the years are passing by so quickly and my career is already close to 
the end. I had promised Zalgiris I would play one season with them again, so it 
was time to keep my word. And I did not want to do it some time later in a 
formal way, just sitting on the bench and watching others play or by engaging 
myself in some crazy show on the court. So, I had to return now, when I still 
can give myself to the game one hundred percent. As for what concerns those 
millions, one cannot have all the money in the world. It would never be enough 
if one starts thinking just in terms of money." 

But you are rather far away from your family even now... 

"There is no other way. We'll have to be patient for another year. I have it in 
my book, so I have to keep my word. Had I opted for remaining in the NBA, I 
would have had to postpone everything by one or two years. Who knows what might 
happen in the meantime." 

And now that you are back - now that you are not only a player, but also the 
major shareholder, the owner - how is everything going? 

"I do not have one single answer. There aren't any problems on the court, any 
disappointment. Everything's great. I play with all my heart and for my soul. 
Playing on Zalgiris for me is a 'trip'. I really enjoy it tremendously. I have 
missed it for so long, and now I feel like I used to a long time ago: it's 
really superb. I live the game with participation, I can get nervous or even 
have outbursts of anger - just like I used to be in the good old times. So, 
that's fine, I am happy about that part... As for my off-court activities, I am 
much less happy. Maybe it's my personal problem, but actually I cannot tackle 
well two jobs at the same time. The sporting life is very time- and effort-
consuming: practices, games, transfers, all that stuff... Actually, I don't have 
enough time left to dedicate to Zalgiris as the owner, and I feel chagrined by 
that, as I expected everything would be different. As a matter of fact, I 
expected to have an easier life in this new capacity, fewer problems to be 
solved and easier the ways to solve them..." 

Your every move in Europe is watched by all of Lithuania and many fans in other 
countries. That wasn't quite the same in Portland. How does the fan reaction you 
receive here make you feel? 

"I am accustomed to all the hullabaloo created by media and fans, so I do not 
pay it too much attention. So, the present one has no special effect on me, 
except in instances when the pressure gets beyond the limits of decency. On the 
other hand, my decision to anticipate a return to Zalgiris was prompted by my 
desire to not disappoint the fans, who expected something of me or continued to 
think that I still was terrific. I am not so terrific, but I still do not want 
to collapse, but rather keep myself on my modest level for a while. So, the 
fans' acceptance is also a motivating factor for me." 

Zalgiris is in what people call the toughest Euroleague group. How do you rate 
the level of competition so far? 

"A tough group, no doubt. Even though, frankly, I do not know the teams very 
well. Obviously, the team names are the same they used to be before my departure 
for the NBA, but I do not know most of their present players. The teams we have 
played so far were really good, and I am happy that we have been doing rather 
well in this company. Firstly, we are not outsiders in this very strong group, 
and we are fighting along just like others. Secondly, the games we lost were 
decided during the last couple of minutes and just by a few points. What's more, 
I would say that we lost those games more than that our opponents won them. 
Therefore I think that we have good chances to emerge even in this group." 

You are the current MVP leader. Did you expect to have such an impact right 
away? 

"Oh, absolutely not. I did not know that they ran such rankings in the 
Euroleague." 
 
As someone who has played a major role in both the past and present of European 
basketball, what is your view of the game's future here? 

"One thing that is really striking is the very intense player migration I have 
found over here, in Europe. The best Europeans are going to play in the NBA, 
also there are quite less limitations for migration amongst the European 
countries. All this is undoubtedly contributing to basketball's progress here. 
To my mind, the NBA experience is extremely important, since the players who 
have an opportunity to practice and play over there become mature much quicker 
than in Europe. This is very important for the national teams. I hear sometimes 
an opinion that, with the well-organized Euroleague and a possible landing of 
the NBA here in the future, the national teams might lose their importance. I do 
not think so. To my mind, the national teams will be important even in a 
'unified' Europe as a vehicle of national identity and pride. The national team 
is very ephemeral in its existence; just once a year and just for a very brief 
period. And as long as this period does not overlap with the top-notch club 
competition, I do not see any danger for the national teams' competitions. In 
general, I expect European basketball to preserve its traditional values and 
priorities, and to further close the gap with the NBA." 

You also have a unique perspective from having spent years in the NBA. What 
impressed you most about that experience? 

"The organization, I would say. Everything is extremely well tuned over there, 
both at the club and overall level. This is the aspect that we lag behind here 
in Europe with respect to them. In the NBA, a player is under a protective 
cover. Nothing bothers him. He has only to think how to prepare himself for the 
game, how to win it. All the rest is the business of other people. They handle 
it for you so that you do not even notice it." 

Basketball-wise, which game do you prefer, the NBA or Europe, and why? 

"I like some things in Europe, some other things in the NBA. Their game is more 
intense, more athletic, based more on physical confrontation. That is not what I 
love in basketball. Also, practices are very intense over there; they are even 
tougher than the game itself. It is different here, in Europe; less intensity, 
less aggressiveness. On the other hand, we practice twice a day here... Another 
aspect is that NBA teams are much deeper than European teams, so one does not 
have to play 48 minutes a game. Also, an NBA team may lose five games in a row 
and that's no tragedy, whereas in Europe one loss may even ruin your entire 
season. There are fewer games but every single one is important here. Hence 
there are bigger requirements, bigger responsibility and nervous tension. I like 
the mental tension: that's what the big sports are for: but I do not like 
excessive physical loads. Those are no good for anyone, me especially... As for 
the characteristics of the game itself, it depends on a given team you play 
with, but generally hoops is getting increasingly similar on both sides of the 
Atlantic." 

If you were a young player again, would it be difficult to decide between Europe 
and the NBA as things stand today, financial differences excluded? 

"I would opt for playing in the NBA. And the main reason why is what I have just 
exposed: in Europe you must win almost every game you play, irrespective of the 
competition type - domestic league, Euroleague or national teams competition. 
Hence, a player is under permanent pressure from the club, and this is wearing. 
I know it well from my own experience. The NBA is much more tolerant and 
protective. Nobody will force you to play even if you have just a minor injury. 
They will just wait patiently until you recover completely. Such a sparing 
approach enables the player to preserve his health and prolongs his time at the 
top-notch level, even though at first glance it might seem that in the NBA it 
should be just opposite, with so many games played and so much traveling. This 
circumstance has always been important for me." 

As a Euroleague team owner, what are your hopes for this competition in the next 
few years? 

"I have always been an advocate of the idea, so I have saluted the birth of the 
Euroleague from its very first day of life. It was a revolutionary move that 
shifted the responsibility for the decisions concerning the teams from some 
rather bureaucratic bodies to the clubs themselves. Today the Euroleague 
undoubtedly incorporates the best of European club basketball, and they seem to 
be very open to and keen about innovations over there in Barcelona. Still, in my 
capacity as team owner, I would welcome a few more positive changes. It would be 
great if the Euroleague would be able provide sounder guaranties for team 
funding in general and would help more the teams from smaller countries in 
particular. Small countries, and Lithuania is one, have limited economical 
potential and limited TV audience as compared with the big ones, so the economic 
criteria adopted by the Euroleague should account for a given country's overall 
potential. The small countries have quality basketball and that's why their 
teams are in the Euroleague. Therefore, they should be given a helping hand also 
for the benefit of European basketball as a whole. I do not intend by this that 
it is easy for any club from the big countries: still, they have somewhat 
different goals than we have and they are supported by much more powerful 
economical and political backing. I would also be happy if all the teams would 
be respected to equal extent. I know from my personal experience that, in 
everyday life that a small usually respects a big, but the opposite is not 
always true. But I would like it to be different in the Euroleague: a Krka or 
Zalgiris opinion should be given the same consideration as Barcelona's or 
Maccabi's." 

There is only one Sabonis at the moment, but during halftime of the Unicaja-
Zalgiris game recently in Malaga, the crowd was following with great interest a 
match between two local youth teams in which one of your sons was taking part. 
Will we have to face a problem in a few years from now that it will be no more 
sufficient to say just Sabonis. Will we have to use first names as well? 

"All three of my sons - Zygimantas (12), Tautvydas (11), and Domantas (7) - are 
involved in basketball. I have not seen them practicing or playing for the last 
year or more - and that's a long time at their age - so I am not very familiar 
with the progress they might have made in the meantime. At the time when I was 
following them more closely, I was impressed most positively by Tautvydas. He 
was showing good skills from the very beginning, and he's got a good 
understanding of game. He is working for the team, first of all, and that's what 
I like in him. The eldest, Zygimantas, is good too, but he is more selfish and 
likes to show off. Domantas is too young to speak about him as a player. Whether 
or not they become good players will depend just on their will. At this moment, 
they have quite good knowledge of the game, and other prerequisites. All of them 
have big feet, so they should be growing up tall. The rest is complemented by a 
serious attitude and work. So far they have been showing enough will to go
ahead, but time will tell." 

Suppose you are having fun playing with Zalgiris throughout this season, at the 
end of it you feel fit physically, the team is doing well, and so on... Is there 
any chance that you will continue with Zalgiris for another season? 

"Everything is possible: I do not exclude such an option. But first let me live 
through this season, and then we will see. Also, I am not fully autonomous in my 
decisions: my kids have to approve them, too."  
  
Arunas Pakula, Kaunas