An inspiration for late bloomers and hard workers
Inspiration is a funny thing sometimes. It can come from unlikely places. A picture, a movie, maybe even an outfit someone is wearing. I am always looking for sources of inspiration. One of those unlikely sources for me is Arvydas Sabonis.
Hey Matt..Why does a 7’3 Lithuanian former professional basketball player inspire you?
I’m a late bloomer and I need to work harder than most to achieve or understand things. For most of my life it was something that embarrassed me and hurt my self esteem. But recently it has become a source of pride. This is who I am. I know all too well how it feels to feel lost in the world and how hard it is to tell yourself to keep going and to stay the course even when you think you’re further away from a goal than you actually are. It becomes a struggle to find the motivation.
It wasn’t until the other night while I was watching the new Netflix series Starting 5 that this unlikely source of inspiration came to be.
Starting 5 is a docuseries that follows the lives of five NBA players throughout the course of a NBA season. Lots of stretching and massages. Among the five players is Domantas Sabonis, an emerging star in the league and son of Arvydas. Hearing the name Sabonis sparked something in my brain. Sabonis..oh yea his dad was kind of a legend in the sport wasn’t he? Let me look him up. So naturally I went down a bit of Arvydas Sabonis rabbit hole. This is the moment where I became inspired and maybe you will too.
I love basketball but I consider myself a casual fan. I only really care about my team the Sixers and how they do. I don’t have League Pass so any future chance at employment at The Ringer is in jeopardy for me. I’m getting close to the point where I might make a Chris Croker style “leave Britney alone” type video in my bedroom for Joel Embiid.
Arvydas Sabonis was not a rookie in the NBA until he was 31 (with a body of a 65 year old). No he wasn’t drafted out of college at 31 he had a storied European career Br before entering the NBA. But his path to the league had its roadblocks. Sabonis was drafted 77th overall in the 1985 NBA Draft. A notable and controversial draft that featured two of the best big men of all time, Patrick Ewing and Karl Malone. To Sabonis, Ewing was not a threat. As told by Kevin Garnett during an interview in Starting 5 when talked about playing with Sabonis at the 1996 Rookie Game in San Antonio.
“I played with his father, and we played at this thing called the Rookie Game in San Antonio, and it was the first player I ever seen in the locker room have his wife in the locker room, smoking a cigarette in his drawers, talking shit.”
“David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, I better than all of them guys,”
Due to a league rule Sabonis was under 21 and the NBA did not allow foreign players under the age of 21 to play at the time. Next year.. 1986.. Arvydas was drafted again this time 24th overall by the Portland TrailBlazers. Yet again he was met with another obstacle. The Cold War was going on and Soviet authorities would not allow Sabonis to play in America.
Around this time Sabonis suffered an achilles tear which is an absolutely devastating injury to receive as an athlete. Adding to the list of injuries that he suffered during his career. Like I mentioned before his body was basically in its 70s by the time he made it to the NBA.
Imagine suffering an injury like that in the 1980s in Russia. All I can picture is a bunch of sort of chubby balding Russian trainers chain smoking in a locker room telling him to “just ice it”.
That actually isn’t that far from the truth. During the 1988 Olympics Sabonis was part of the gold medal winning USSR Men’s basketball team, but was treated as an outcast and did not receive much attention from his teammates and coaches because he was from Lithuania and at that time Lithuania was not considered to truly be part of the USSR. But Arvydas continued to fly under the radar and put together an illustrious European career. Winning multiple championships and MVPs.
Maybe Sabonis wasn’t such a late bloomer. He was obviously touched by the hoop gods and those abilities did not get overlooked by his peers. Garnering this quote from the late great Bill Walton:
“ He had the skills of Larry Bird and Pete Maravich. He has the athleticism of Kareem (Abdul Jabaar) and could shoot the 3 point shot. He could pass, run the floor, dribble. We should have carried out a plan in the early 1980s to kidnap him and bring him back right then.”
But Arvydas Sabonis is an inspiration for those who grind and put in the work everyday even when you feel like you’re going nowhere. He is someone who wasn’t supposed to be a part of something but still made his way in despite the obstacles, or his age or his health. He said I’m going to do something great and kept on his journey. He had a NBA career that lasted 7 years and is in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
If you’re inspired by hard work and keeping on your path maybe this post will inspire you or at the very least you can watch some Arvydas Sabonis highlights. Check out some of his sweet behind the back passes in the low post. Chef’s Kiss.
I guess what I’m trying to say is just keep working hard and you can reach any goal you set your mind to and always try to find your inspiration no matter who or what it is.
Thanks for Reading.
thetownmile.com 