NBA
Domantas Sabonis to Wear No. 11 for the Sacramento Kings
Today the Sacramento Kings announced that the children of Hall of Fame player Bob Davies have given their blessing for Kings All-Star center Domantas Sabonis to wear their father’s retired No. 11 jersey. This change will go into effect for the 2024-2025 NBA season.
“My siblings and I are so proud of our father and everything he accomplished throughout his legendary NBA career,” said Bob Davies’ daughter Camy Davies Keck. “He was a great influence on our family as well as many young aspiring athletes. He was definitely a man of true character. Given the Sabonis family’s special connection to number 11, we thought it was fitting to share our dad’s number with Domantas and wish him much success. We are thankful to the Kings organization and fans for their continued support.”
“The number 11 holds a special place in mine and my family’s lives, having worn it throughout my career in honor of my father,” said Domantas Sabonis. “I’m incredibly thankful to the Davies family for sharing number 11 with me and I look forward to building on the legacy of all those who wore it before me.”
“Bob Davies is a franchise legend, and we deeply appreciate his family for their partnership,” said Sacramento Kings General Manager Monte McNair. “This is an exciting next chapter for Domas and his family, and we look forward to seeing number 11 out on the court next season.”
Davies, known as the “Harrisburg Houdini,” played all 10 of his NBA seasons with the Rochester Royals (1945-46; 1954-55). His two free throws in the final 40 seconds of regulation broke a 75-75 tie in the seventh and deciding game of the 1951 NBA Finals against New York, helping give the franchise its first and only NBA Championship. The four-time All-Star averaged 16.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game in his best statistical season in 1951-52. A 6-1 guard, Davies was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969.
A seven-year veteran and three-time All-Star, Domantas Sabonis has averaged 19.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game while shooting 59.9% from the floor in his tenure with Sacramento. In 82 games during the 2023-24 season, D. Sabonis averaged 19.4 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game while shooting 59.4% from the floor.
He became the second player in NBA history to accrue averages of 19.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per contest since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967-68. D. Sabonis also finished the season as the league leader in
rebounds per game, total rebounds (1120), double-doubles (77) and triple-doubles (26). He also ranked sixth in assists per game, fourth in total assists (673) and ninth in field goal percentage.
D. Sabonis posted his 26th triple-double of the season against the Dallas Mavericks on March 29, tied for the seventh-most triple-doubles in a single season in NBA history. He is one of five players in NBA history to total 25 or more triple-doubles in a single season and tied Oscar Robertson (1960-61, 1963-64) for the second-most triple-doubles in franchise history. On Jan. 29, D. Sabonis pulled in a career-high 26 rebounds to go with 20 points and five assists on 10-of-11 shooting (90.9 FG%), joining Chamberlain as the only players in league history to total at least 20 points, 25 rebounds and five assists on 90.0% shooting in a game.
Already a two-time European Player of the Year, Arvydas Sabonis was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1986. A. Sabonis arrived in Portland for the 1995-96 season and averaged 14.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. In seven seasons in the NBA, A. Sabonis averaged 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. His prolific passing and playmaking ability changed the game for centers all over the world. A. Sabonis was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
The Sabonis No. 11 jersey is available for purchase at Label K, the Kings Team Store at Golden 1 Center and online at www.kingsteamstore.com.