After leading the NBA in triple-doubles for the first time, rebounds in back-to-back seasons, and earning his second straight All-NBA selection, Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis is taking on a new role.
Sabonis spoke with HoopsHype to discuss his role in the Netflix docuseries Starting 5, as he stars alongside LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, and Jayson Tatum. Plus, why he thinks the addition of DeMar DeRozan will elevate the Kings to new heights, where the trio with DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox, and himself ranks, the possibility of retiring as a King, and much more.
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Domantas Sabonis: It was so quick. It was at the end of summer. It was only a couple of guys, and I got it from my agent. Once I said yes and signed the next day, there were cameras around 24/7 following me. I’d wake up, and there was a camera in my face. I’m trying to go to the bathroom, and they’re following me.
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DS: I’m definitely more of a private guy with a family and everything, but Netflix has been huge having an opportunity like that and seeing the list of players that was starting to gain on Starting 5. It’s an honor being on that list and being able to shed light on Sacramento and the Kings with everything we’ve done since the trade to kind of change an organization around and let people know a bit more about me.
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DS: People who don’t know me on the court, I’m a typical bruiser. It’s very intense out there getting into it with players and refs. I’m a nice, normal guy who wants to hang out with his family and wife. You get a behind-the-scenes look at that with me and every single player and not just what you see on social media. I think it’s going to be really interesting.
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DS: I don’t know how the other players did it, but I have two kids at home, and you can’t really change. You’re in dad mode. Whatever happens, happens. You can’t tell your kids, who are one and two years old, that the cameras are on (laughs). It doesn’t really work that way. Whatever the viewers see will be all-natural and real.
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DS: I think it’s huge. We haven’t had a veteran who has a Hall of Fame career like him and his IQ. I spent a couple of weeks with him in Los Angeles working out, and I learned so much from that little time with him. The best thing – apart from what everyone knows he brings – off the court and inside the locker room, he’s going to bring a different mentality to the group. He’s here not to mess around. He’s here for the right reason. He wants to win. For us, I feel like last year, our biggest issue was locking in for all the games where you can tell the good teams against the lower seeded teams. It ended up putting us in a tough position. I feel like he’s going to bring that veteran presence that we need.
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DS: Everyone knows what Fox can do. He’s been the Clutch Player of the Year. Whenever we need a bucket, he has it. We all know about DeMar. He’s been in the league a long time and has a lot of respect. I think it’s tough. Teams are going to have to put the best defender on one of those two guys, and then the other one will be loose. It’s going to put us in a good area. For all those rankings, let’s see how the season plays out. We’ll be ready to come in and go after it.
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DS: The Kings have high expectations. We had them last year after our first year. Now, with DeMar, they’re going to expect us to go far. I’m excited to get rolling and start training camp. You could already feel the buzz around the facility.
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DS: I’ve loved Sacramento from the moment I got here. Everyone welcomed me with open arms. They made this trade so easy. Fox let me be me from the day I got here. I didn’t have to adjust my role. That’s been awesome. The fans, when you come in, every game is sold out. You’ll see it in the show. They’re there. If we have a back-to-back and play the same team the next game, it’s still sold out. As a player and competitor, it makes it so much more fun to be here. It’s warm here. We have palm trees. You can be in the pool. I’ve loved my time here. The Indy phase seems like such a long time ago. I know I’ve only been here for two full seasons, but it feels like a lot longer than it has.
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DS: Yeah, of course. They’ve only been nice. It’s been amazing. The fans have been awesome. As a player, you always want to build a legacy somewhere, and you can’t do it if you’re not in one place and doing great things for that team. Obviously, it depends on my performance and the team’s performance, but that definitely would really be a cool thing.
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DS: We didn’t actually talk about it. We’re two guys that are really focused on the team. Everyone was saying we were snubbed. If anything, that shows that people think we deserved it, and it shows disrespect from other people (laughs). It just made us come out and play harder and stronger. I already don’t need more motivation. I’m always ready to go every game.
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DS: Thank God that we kept him. He’s a big piece of how we play, and his energy and vibes off the court. He’s a great locker room guy. He keeps us always locked in and happy. That’s something you can’t replace with a lot of players in the league. He brings a swagger and is always ready to go. For us off the bench last year, he had a burst coming in and helping the second unit. To maintain that with another year of experience under his belt and a new contract it usually gives you more confidence. I’m expecting big things from him.
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DS: It’s big. I feel like all of us, the three or four of the core, have to keep taking steps. At the end of the day, it’s on how well we perform and help the team. He’s been putting in the work all summer, and he’s taken a step every year I’ve gotten here. For us, as it was before and even more now that we’ve got DeMar, it’s about winning. We know there are going to be sacrifices for everyone. We really don’t care. We want to get to the end of the season, make sure we’re in the playoffs, and then have that same mentality going forward.
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DS: To gain more confidence and trust in himself. We’re always here for him. I’m always trying to get him easy looks, get him going, and for him to come out and be him. With DeMar, hopefully, there will be more people out there trying to get him open looks. I think he’s going to have easier looks, which will be good for us.
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