Arvydas Romas Sabonis (born December 19, 1964 in Kaunas) is a former professional basketball player from Lithuania. The 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in) Sabonis is considered by many to be one of the top centers in the world from the 1980s through the early 21st century.

Sabonis' earliest international success was a bronze for the Soviet Union at the European Championship of 1983, followed by a gold in 1985 at both the European Championship and the World University Games. In 1984, Sabonis joined Žalgiris Kaunas and led them to three consecutive Soviet league titles.

In the 1985 NBA Draft he was a fourth round draft pick of the Atlanta Hawks but this was later nullified because of his age (he was under 21). In the 1986 NBA Draft he was the Portland Trail Blazers' first pick (24th overall), but again he couldn't play for them due to the political circumstances at the time. Although the political climate in the Soviet Union did not allow Sabonis to play in the NBA, he did travel to the U.S. to rehabilitate his ankle injuries with the Blazers' training staff. In between rehab stints, "Sabas" would find himself out on the court playing pickup games with Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and others. Observers strongly contend even to this day, that had Sabonis played for the Blazers in the early 1990s, they would likely have won an NBA championship.

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