In October, a new Netflix series starring Domantas Sabonis will debut. Two important things to…….

In October, a new Netflix series starring Domantas Sabonis will debut. Two important things to…….

The 10-part sports series “Starting 5” on Netflix, which follows the lives of five NBA players, including former Gonzaga men’s basketball star Domantas Sabonis, is scheduled to debut on October 9.

The NBA season of 2023–24 will be seen behind the scenes from the viewpoints of LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, and Sabonis.

The NBA season of 2023–24 will be seen behind the scenes from the viewpoints of LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, and Sabonis.

The players’ “battles on and off the court as they chase greatness, push through injuries, and balance the demands of family and legacy” are captured in the series, according to the official synopsis.

Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, and James’ Uninterrupted produced the series. Additionally, Higher Ground contributed to the creation of an Olympic men’s basketball Netflix series that will debut in 2025.

Sabonis is the son of Arvydas Sabonis, a center with the Portland Trail Blazers who went on to become a Hall of Famer in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame after years of dominating in Spain. Domantas, a Portland native, was the youngest player on Unicaja Malaga (Spain) at the age of 18, but he declined to sign a contract because he wanted to play college hoops. Gonzaga entered and made their recruiting pitch; the rest is history.

With 23 double-doubles, which was the fifth-most in the nation in 2015–16, with an average of 17.6 points and 11.8 rebounds, the 6-foot-11 Lithuanian emerged as an NBA-caliber player in his sophomore year. The Orlando Magic selected Sabonis with the 11th overall choice in the 2016 NBA Draft after he led Gonzaga to the Sweet 16. The Magic then traded Sabonis’ draft selection rights to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In the 2017 offseason, Sabonis was a part of the historic transaction that sent Paul George, a forward for the Indiana Pacers, to Oklahoma City in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Sabonis, who averaged 5.9 points as a rookie. During his four full seasons in Indiana, Sabonis improved to an All-Star level of play. In the 2020–21 season, he scored a career-high 20.3 points per game.

At the 2022 trade deadline, Sabonis was a part of yet another big deal when the Pacers sent him to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, the upcoming superstar guard.

Mike Brown’s fluid offense made Sabonis’ excellent playmaking possible. In his first full season with the team, 2022–23, Sabonis placed eighth in MVP voting and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. With De’Aaron Fox, he helped the Kings make it to the postseason for the first time in 16 years.

Despite finishing eighth in the Western Conference in 2023–24, Sacramento was unable to make it to the playoffs twice in a row, but Sabonis continued to produce remarkable performances and was named All-NBA.