Sacramento Kings All-NBA forward stars in a new Netflix docuseries with LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler.
Domantas Sabonis has never been one to command the spotlight or headlines during his eight-year NBA career, though that’s about to change for the former Gonzaga men’s basketball standout as he stars in a new 10-part docuseries titled “Starting 5” on Netflix this October.
Basketball fans got a first look inside the lives of LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler and Sabonis after Netflix released a 2-minute trailer for the series — set to premiere Oct. 9 — on Tuesday. The series, which James’ Uninterrupted helped produce, captures the players’ “battles on and off the court as they chase greatness, push through injuries, and balance the demands of family and legacy” during the 2023-24 season, per an official synopsis.
Family was a major focal point in the first trailer, as all the players were seen with their children, spouses or other family members numerous times throughout the clip. The James family is expected to have some serious screen time based on their appearances in the trailer; Edwards is a new father as of March. Tatum’s son, Jayson “Deuce” Tatum Jr., is no stranger to the spotlight and will likely be seen with his father throughout the series.
Sabonis, who had a moment with his youngest daughter Eleven early on in the trailer, essentially summarized what fans can expect to see from some of their favorite players with one short quote:
“No one’s ever seen me in an intimate space like this,” Sabonis said.
Sabonis is the son of Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Fame center Arvydas Sabonis, who thrived with the Portland Trail Blazers in the late 1990s after years of dominating overseas in Spain. Domantas, born in Portland, was the youngest member of Unicaja Malaga (Spain) at 18 years old but refused to sign a contract due to his desire to play college basketball. Gonzaga came in with the recruiting pitch, and the rest is history.
The 6-foot-11 Lithuanian became an NBA-level talent as a sophomore in college, as he averaged 17.6 points and 11.8 rebounds and had 23 double-doubles, which was the fifth-most in the country in 2015-16. After leading Gonzaga to the Sweet 16, Sabonis was the 11th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, who immediately traded his draft rights to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sabonis was part of the blockbuster trade during the 2017 offseason that sent Indiana Pacers forward Paul George to OKC in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Sabonis, the latter of whom averaged 5.9 points as a rookie. In Indiana, Sabonis elevated his game to All-Star status over four full seasons and had a career-best 20.3 points per game in the 2020-21 campaign.
Sabonis was involved in another massive deal, this time at the 2022 trade deadline, as the Pacers moved him to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for rising superstar guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Kings coach Mike Brown’s free-flowing offense unlocked the superb playmaking aspect of Sabonis’ game in no time. Alongside De’Aaron Fox, Sabonis helped the Kings reach the postseason for the first time in 16 years during his first full season with the team in 2022-23, as he took home All-NBA Third Team honors and finished seventh in MVP votes.
Sacramento couldn’t make it back-to-back playoff appearances with a ninth-place finish in the Western Conference standings in 2023-24, though Sabonis still put up historic numbers and was All-NBA once again.
Sabonis announced earlier this offseason that he’ll be changing his number from No. 10 to No. 11 this upcoming season as a nod to his father’s basketball legacy and his own ties to the number. His daughter Eleven was born on July 11; he wore No. 11 during his two seasons at Gonzaga, where he was an All-American forward before being selected, coincidentally, 11th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft.
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