Arvydas Sabonis Breaking News: Former NBA Great Stable After Heart Attack
Former Portland Trail Blazers center and Basketball Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis is in stable condition after suffering a heart attack.
Doctors in Sabonis' hometown of Kaunas, Lithuania, said Wednesday that the former NBA player is in intensive care, but the heart attack is not life-threatening, according to the Associated Press (h/t Seattle Post-Intelligencer).
The 7'3" center is probably best known for his seven NBA seasons with the Blazers from 1995-2001 and again from 2002-2003. The Blazers drafted Sabonis with the 24th overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft, but he continued to play in Europe before finally coming overseas in 1995.
He averaged 12 points and 7.3 rebounds per game during his NBA career and made the playoffs in each of his seven seasons with the Blazers. Sabonis also led the Soviet Union to a gold medal in the 1988 Summer Olympics, defeating a United States team comprised of college players in the semifinals.
Despite his immense size, Sabonis was an all-around player capable of scoring and rebounding in the paint and shooting mid-range and three-point jumpers. He was also an incredibly adept passer from the center position.
Had Sabonis began playing in the NBA from the onset of his career rather than waiting until he was 31, it is quite possible that he would be considered one of the greatest NBA centers of all time. Even so, he is still considered one of the basketball world's greatest big men, a notion which is bolstered by his eight European Player of the Year Awards.
Continue to check out Bleacher Report for status updates on Sabonis as they become available.
