Domantas Sabonis, Lithuania eye 2024 Olympics berth

Jul 1, 2024, 10:04 AM | Updated: Jul 2, 2024, 8:08 am

DONGGUAN, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 05: #11 Domantas Sabonis of Lithuania celebrates a point during the 201...

(Photo by Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

The 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, will tip off this week as the 2024 Paris Olympics inch closer.

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis will suit up for the Lithuania men’s national team as the All-NBA big will hope to lead his country to an Olympic berth.

Twelve teams have already secured their place at Paris 2024, with another four to be determined from four qualifying tournaments that are set to take place this week.

Puerto Rico’s qualifying tournament includes six teams divided into two groups of three. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, and the winner of the final will qualify for the Paris Olympic Games.

Mexico and the Ivory Coast will join Lithuania in Group A, while Group B includes the host, Puerto Rico, Italy, and Bahrain.

Sabonis will be in action during group play against Mexico on Tuesday, July 2nd, at 5:30 PM PDT and Wednesday, July 3rd, against Ivory Coast at 2:30 PM PDT as Lithuania looks to advance to the semi-finals.

You can watch the 2024 Olympic qualifiers here.

Domantas Sabonis & Lithuania 🇱🇹 looking to make their way from Puerto Rico to #Paris2024 🔥#FIBAOQT pic.twitter.com/HxauI2ZzBU

— FIBA (@FIBA) June 30, 2024

More on Domantas Sabonis

It was a memorable 2023-24 season for Sabonis, who secured his second-straight All-NBA Third Team honor.

Over 82 games, Sabonis averaged 19.4 points, 13.7 rebounds (1st in NBA), and 8.2 assists (6th in NBA) per game on 59 percent shooting from the field. The 27-year-old led the league in double-doubles (77) and triple-doubles (26) and clinched his second-straight rebounding title.

Along with leading the league in rebounds, rebounds per game, double-doubles, and triple-doubles, Sabonis’ 673 assists (a career-high) placed him fourth in the NBA, only behind Tyrese Haliburton, Luka Doncic, and Jokic.

Sabonis also finished fourth in win shares (12.6), with only Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexader, and Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of him.

Posting 19-13-8 is a rare feat for NBA players. Sabonis’ 2023-24 season made him just the second player in league history to post those numbers or better, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1967-68) as the only other person to do so.

Since being acquired by Sacramento in 2022, Sabonis has been a force for the Kings, averaging 19.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 7.6 assists over 176 games. Sabonis has already jumped into the top ten on the Sacramento era (1985-present) rebounding leaderboard, coming in at tenth with 2,278 rebounds.