Well-traveled Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis took in the full Singapore experience during his visit for the NBA Rising Stars Invitational.
SINGAPORE – Whenever you visit a country, your first instinct is to try out the local cuisine. And that’s exactly what Sacramento Kings star forward Domantas Sabonis did during his brief four-day stay in this bustling city-state that is known for its culinary delights.
Sabonis was in Singapore to grace the NBA Rising Stars Invitational, a pocket tournament featuring the best high school basketball teams from across the Asia-Pacific, including the Philippines’ NUNS Bullpups. But he also took in the sights and tried out the local dishes. In the end, Singapore impressed him.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s beautiful, it’s clean, not too crowded. You can get to where you want. It’s comfortable, I would say.”
Singaporeans, he added, made him feel very welcome.
“Just getting to know the culture of the people,” he said when asked about the most exciting aspect of his trip. “They’ve been very welcoming. We’ve been trying all the food, seeing all the spots, and everyone’s been super nice and big fans.”
Then there’s the food. Sabonis said didn’t hold back on sampling as many dishes as he could.
“Yes, we tried everything. The last one we have left is durian. Is that what it’s called? That’s the last one, but they told us to have it on the last day. So we’re going to do that back.
“We just had chili crab, spicy crab as well. We had Laksa (a spicy noodle dish). We had everything. We tried everything.”
Sabonis, it turns out, is a budding barista himself.
“I’m a pretty good barista,” he revealed. “People don’t know that. It depends. Frittatas, cappuccinos, drips. There’s all types of different ones.”
Growing up as the son of legendary Lithuanian center Arvydas Sabonis, Domantas was exposed to the basketball culture of different countries early on, including Spain, Lithuania and the United States.
“Very different from each country,” he said of the playing styles. “Each culture has their own type of style. And at the end of the day, it’s just basketball. It might take you a couple days to get used to what’s going on, but I love it. I play for the (Lithuanian) national team every summer. We’re all over the world playing basketball, and the best part is seeing all the fans.”
He described having someone like Arvydas, an almost mythical figure in Lithuania basketball, as a father as “awesome.”
“He’s been through everything, and anything I went through throughout my career, I could ask him and have a soundboard,” he said. “If I was scared or didn’t know what decision to make, I always had someone who’s been through it and could help me through it.”
The NBA Rising Stars Invitational, Sabonis said, is a good springboard for young Asian talent trying to make it to the NBA.
“We’re here today, and we have a final with the best teams out of Asia, and these kids have the chance to play with NBA-like facilities and environment, and I think it’s great for basketball.”
Speaking of Asian talent, Sabonis said the fact that young Chinese center Yang Hansen recently got drafted in the first round by the Portland Trail Blazers means that there’s room for Asians in the NBA.
“I think for sure. We just saw Hansen. He got drafted by the Trailblazers. There’s more Asian players performing higher in World Cups, Asian Cups, Olympics every year. So, it’s definitely cool to see that brand of basketball grow.”
Hansen, Sabonis feels, has a chance to have a good, productive NBA career based on his skill sets.
“I mean, he’s in a great organization,” Sabonis said, referring to the team that his father played for, the Trail Blazers. I know they’re going to take care of him, and he seems like a very smart basketball player. And the way he moves, his footwork, you know, he’s very mobile for his size. I only wish him great things.”
And does Domantas Sabonis have any advice for these young Asian players he observed in Singapore?
“For young athletes, just taking the game to the next level. You see athletes are taking skill way beyond what it was back then, doing things that we haven’t seen. I’m always excited to see what these new kids can do. I was watching the games yesterday, and these kids are doing stuff that we didn’t even dream of. So it’s really cool to see how it’s evolving.”
Banner Images from NBA Rising Stars Invitational