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From Pau Gasol to Domantas Sabonis to Nikola Jokic and others, one of the hallmarks of European-born big men in the NBA has been their strong passing skills. This characteristic goes back to the early days of foreign influence in the NBA, when Eastern European players like Vlade Divac and Arvydas Sabonis (Domantas’ father) were still considered a novelty. As two of the best foreign big men ever, Divac and Sabonis were not only accomplished NBA players, but had successful overseas and international careers as well as part of their Hall of Fame accomplishments. With the NBA becoming an ever-increasingly global game, let us look back upon the 1990s era of basketball and ask:
Who was better – Vlade Divac or Arvydas Sabonis?
The Beginning
As natives of Eastern Europe growing up in the Cold War era, Divac and Sabonis both starred professionally in Europe before coming to the NBA, where they would make an immediate impact at the center position.
Born in the former Yugoslavia (now Serbia), Divac started his professional basketball career with KK Sloga in the country’s top-tier league and by the age of 18, was considered one of the league’s best players. As a result, he signed with KK Partizan and led the team to the Yugoslavian League championship while also contending for the EuroLeague. By 21, he had established himself as one of the best basketball players in Europe and was subsequently drafted 26th overall in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers – with the help of Lakers legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, Divac made the All-Rookie Team in 1989-1990 with averages of 8.5 points (on 49.9% shooting), 6.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.
Similarly, Sabonis grew up in the former Soviet Union in what is now Lithuania and was a member of the Soviet national junior basketball team as a teenager. He began his professional basketball career at age 17 with Zalgiris and spent most of the 1980s with the team, leading them to three straight Soviet Premier League championships, as well as the 1986 FIBA Club World Cup. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1985 NBA Draft, the selection was voided due to Sabonis being younger than 21. Though he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in 1986, he remained an elite player and was eventually signed by Spanish club Forum Valladolid in 1989. Three years later, he joined Real Madrid and guided the team to back-to-back Spanish League titles, a Spanish Cup title and a EuroLeague title. Overall, Sabonis’ myriad accomplishments in Europe included 6x Euroscar Player of the Year, 2x Mr. Europa Player of the Year, 4x Lithuanian Sportsman of the Year, and a variety of Spanish League, EuroLeague, and EuroBasket MVP awards. Finally, after being drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 1986 NBA Draft, Sabonis made the move to the NBA at age 31 for the 1995-1996 season – in his rookie campaign, he averaged 14.5 points per game on 54.5% shooting with 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game to make the All-Rookie Team and finish as runner-up for both Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year.
Career Comparison
Though they were effective and versatile big men during their NBA careers, neither Divac nor Sabonis reached the same levels of success as they experienced internationally; in fact, Sabonis’ career is very much a “what could have been” given his late NBA start.
As a member of the Lakers, Divac gradually improved his all-around game, increasing his numbers in 1990-1991 to 11.2 points per game on a career-high 56.5% shooting with 8.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Following an injury-plagued 1991-1992 season, he rebounded and would have consecutive double-double seasons in the early 1990s:
- 1993-1994: 14.2 points per game on 50.6% shooting with a career-high 10.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game
- 1994-1995: a career-best 16.0 points per game on 50.7% shooting with 10.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game
Post the 1995-1996 season, Divac was involved in one of the most famous draft-night trades in NBA history, going to the Charlotte Hornets for high schooler Kobe Bryant.
In two seasons with the Hornets, Divac remained a steady performer and posted close to a double-double (11.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game along with 3.3 assists per game). A free agent during the 1998-1999 lockout, he controversially played two games with KK Crvena zvezda (an archrival of his former team KK Partizan); then, he joined the Sacramento Kings and would spend the next six seasons there as part of a nucleus that included Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby, and Doug Christie. As a member of the Kings, Divac’s versatile skills were on full display – in his first season in 1998-1999, he again averaged a double-double with 14.3 points (47.0% shooting), 10.0 rebounds, and a career-high 4.3 assists per game. Remaining in the 12-point, 8-rebound per game range, he earned his first and only All-Star selection in 2000-2001 with 12.0 points per game on 48.2% shooting with 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. However, as Divac entered his mid-30s, his numbers began to wane and as a free agent post the 2003-2004 season, he returned to the Lakers for a final season; the reunion was short-lived, as injuries limited him to just 15 games played before he retired at age 36 as one of a select group of NBA players to score 13,000 points with 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, and 1,500 blocked shots (others include the aforementioned Abdul-Jabbar and Gasol, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, and Hakeem Olajuwon).
Despite his advancing age and chronic physical injuries that could have qualified him for handicapped parking (according to Portland’s team doctor), Sabonis nevertheless was an effective player during his NBA tenure. Following up on his rookie season with a similar sophomore campaign (13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game), he averaged a double-double and had by far his best NBA season in 1997-1998: career-highs of 16.0 points (on 49.3% shooting), 10.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. This in turn was followed by similar seasons in 1998-1999 (12.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game) and 1999-2000 (11.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game).
As the 2000s rolled around, Sabonis’ body continued to break down and his numbers declined in 2000-2001 to 10.1 points (47.9% shooting), 5.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. In the offseason, he chose to retire from the NBA rather than sign an extension with the Trail Blazers and returned to his roots in Europe and his original professional team Zalgiris. However, injuries caused him to miss the entire season and after a yearlong hiatus, he returned to Portland for one final season with the Trail Blazers – coming off the bench, he averaged just 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Pushing 40, he again returned to Zalgiris and played a final season with the team in 2003-2004 before officially retiring from basketball in 2005.
Since Sabonis came over to the NBA later in his career, it is hard to do an apples-to-apples comparison with Divac’s NBA career. Nevertheless, in less than half the number of games played, the Lithuanian giant averaged slightly more points per game (12.0 vs. 11.8) and was a more efficient shooter, while Divac had better rebounding (8.2 vs. 7.3) and assist (3.1 to 2.1) averages. Moreover, in 22 career regular season head-to-head matchups, Sabonis’ team had the overall advantage at 14-8, though the two centers averaged similar numbers tilted a little in Divac’s favor: 12.7 points per game on 52.1% shooting with 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for Sabonis vs. 13.1 points per game on 44.7% shooting with 8.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for Divac. Both were All-Rookie selections and Divac had the lone All-Star season; in terms of advanced metrics, Sabonis had a higher career Player Efficiency Rating (PER) at 21.2 to 17.7, while Divac accumulated more career Win-Shares as would be expected (96.4 vs. 47.3). In looking at the full picture of each player’s overseas, NBA, and international career, Sabonis (2011) and Divac (2019) are both Hall of Famers – it is the Basketball Hall of Fame after all, not the NBA Hall of Fame.
Regular Season Statistics
| Vlade Divac | Player | Arvydas Sabonis |
| 16 (1989-2005) | Seasons | 7 (1995-2001, 2002-2003) |
| 1,134 | Games Played | 470 |
| 11.8 | Points | 12.0 |
| 8.2 | Rebounds | 7.3 |
| 3.1 | Assists | 2.1 |
| 49.5% | Field Goal % | 50.0% |
| 69.2% | Free Throw % | 78.6% |
| 17.7 | PER | 21.2 |
| 96.4 | Win Shares | 47.3 |
| 1x | All-Star Games | – |
| – | All-NBA | – |
| – | MVP | – |
| – | NBA Titles | – |
| – | NBA Finals MVP | – |
| All-Rookie | Other Awards | All-Rookie |
| 2019 | Hall of Fame Induction | 2011 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
What made Divac and Sabonis all-time greats was not necessarily their individual numbers, but rather their winning pedigree – in addition to leading their NBA teams to the playoffs year in and year out and at times competing for championships, they were legendary for their exploits on the international stage.
A playoff participant in 14 of his 16 NBA seasons, Divac was an integral part of the Lakers team that made it to the 1990-1991 NBA Finals vs. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls; though Los Angeles lost in five games, Divac had an excellent Finals with averages of 18.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. Later on in his career with Sacramento, he nearly played for a title again, but was most notably thwarted in the 2001-2002 Western Conference Finals, ironically by Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and his old team the Lakers – despite Divac averaging a double-double (14.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game), the Kings would lose in overtime of Game 7 at home; many years later, disgraced reference Tim Donaghy would claim that Game 6 was fixed (the Lakers won in part due to many controversial foul calls and shooting 27 free throws in the fourth quarter).
Likewise, Sabonis played in the postseason in each of his seven years with Portland, leading the Trail Blazers to back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances. However, both seasons ended with losses – first, a sweep to the David Robinson and Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs in 1998-1999 and then, in a heartbreaking seven-game loss to the Lakers in 1999-2000; for his part, Sabonis performed in-line with this regular season play, averaging double-digit scoring and high single-digit rebounds both years.
Due to the political volatility in Eastern Europe, Divac and Sabonis faced off in the Summer Olympics multiple times, but representing different flags. During the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Sabonis led the Soviet Union past a young Robinson and Team USA in the semifinals (the last American team comprised of amateurs) before defeating Divac and Yugoslavia in the gold medal game – Sabonis dominated with 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Divac put up 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals in defeat. Then, after winning a bronze medal with Lithuania at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Sabonis faced off once again with Divac, now representing Serbia and Montenegro, in the semifinals of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta – Divac got his revenge in a 66-58 victory in which he had 9 points and 8 rebounds, while Sabonis had a double-double (14 points and 13 rebounds in defeat); ultimately, Divac would earn a silver medal after losing to Team USA in the gold medal game.
In terms of other international competitions, Divac and Sabonis are each flush with medals. On one hand, Divac won a World Cup gold and bronze plus two golds and a bronze at Eurobasket for Yugoslavia before then earning another World Cup gold and a gold plus a bronze at Eurobasket for Serbia and Montenegro. On the other hand, Sabonis won World Cup gold and silver along with a Eurobasket gold and two bronzes for the Soviet Union, followed later on by a silver medal at Eurobasket for Lithuania.
Playoff Statistics
| Vlade Divac | Player | Arvydas Sabonis |
| 121 | Games Played | 51 |
| 12.1 | Points | 12.1 |
| 7.5 | Rebounds | 7.4 |
| 2.4 | Assists | 1.9 |
| 48.0% | Field Goal % | 45.2% |
| 73.1% | Free Throw % | 80.2% |
| 16.6 | PER | 18.0 |
| 8.6 | Win Shares | 3.9 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; while Divac was a consistently reliable performer throughout his NBA career, Sabonis was already wracked by injuries by the time he arrived in the NBA and thus never had the opportunity to show off his skills in his prime. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years. However, due to Sabonis’ late arrival to the NBA and only seven total seasons played in the Association, I have modified it in this comparison to a “(half)-decade of dominance”.
(Half)-Decade of Dominance
| Vlade Divac | Player | Arvydas Sabonis |
| 1993-1995, 1996-1997, 1998-1999, 2000-2001 | (Half)-Decade of Dominance | 1995-2000 |
| 371 | Games Played | 331 |
| 13.8 | Points | 13.7 |
| 9.6 | Rebounds | 8.4 |
| 3.7 | Assists | 2.2 |
| 49.4% | Field Goal % | 50.7% |
| 71.2% | Free Throw % | 78.8% |
| 18.6 | PER | 21.7 |
| 36.8 | Win Shares | 38.5 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
In looking only at each player’s top five years in the Association, the duo are nearly evenly matched, with Sabonis being the slightly more efficient and valuable player despite his physical limitations.
My Thoughts
For the most part, we saw Vlade Divac at his best in the NBA – a wily and versatile big man who could shoot, rebound, and pass (though his best skill may have been flopping!), but was never a truly dominant force. In contrast, the Arvydas Sabonis who came to the Association was already ravaged by injury and well past his prime, yet was still a solid player for a half-decade with Portland. Many have speculated how good he could have been had he played with the Trail Blazers at his peak in the 1980s – I think a good comparable would be the aforementioned Nikola Jokic, who is arguably the league’s best passing big man and has evolved into a nightly triple-double threat and MVP candidate; at just a notch below Jokic, you can see elements of the senior Sabonis’ game in his own son Domantas, who is an All-Star player in his own right. As such, Sabonis’ NBA career is very much a “what could have been?”, but based on his total body of work spanning club and country, I do consider him the superior player vs. Divac.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Arvydas Sabonis
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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