Former Gonzaga and current Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis joined Cole Forsman on a special episode of Gonzaga Nation.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 De Montes, obviously Gonzaga legend.
00:03 Just tell me a little bit about what you're doing here with Great Clips,
00:07 the upcoming sweepstakes and the contest surrounding March Madness.
00:12 >> Yeah, I basically partnered with Great Clips.
00:15 I wanna see my zags go all the way.
00:17 So definitely just to know the right and wrong ways,
00:21 I'd enjoy March Madness.
00:23 And starting with a Great Clips haircut definitely helps me on the court.
00:29 I feel good, so I play good.
00:31 And then especially if you download the app, you can win tickets to next year's
00:35 Men's Double Women's Final Four, and I think that's pretty cool and sweet.
00:40 >> Wow, that's awesome.
00:42 So I'm sure you try to keep up with the zags as best you can,
00:47 even though you're busy scheduling the NBA.
00:50 Just curious what your thoughts are on this year's team and
00:54 what you've seen from them leading up to the NCAA tournament.
00:59 >> Yeah, I don't know, I think it's a good thing.
01:03 We're gonna get a decent seed and we don't got all that pressure anymore.
01:07 So who knows, this might be the year.
01:09 You never know what can happen in the tournament, who you face.
01:13 And I trust Coach Pugh more than anything in this world, so
01:17 I know he's gonna get the guys right and ready to play.
01:21 >> Yeah, what is your relationship like with Coach Pugh these days?
01:25 Do you still keep in touch with him at all?
01:28 >> I keep in touch with him, he must hate me, I'm really bad at responding.
01:31 But I definitely have an interview to do with about the zags in
01:35 the next couple of days, so we definitely have to catch up.
01:40 >> Awesome, how did playing for Coach Pugh sort of prepare you for
01:44 this next level at the NBA?
01:47 Because it seems like Gonzaga is cranking out more NBA talent these days,
01:51 some power conference teams.
01:53 >> Yeah, he just definitely helped me play the game the right way,
01:57 be a professional.
01:58 Be a professional and that's the main thing, show up, take care of your body,
02:02 play the right way.
02:03 And that goes a long way in the NBA if you wanna have a consistent and
02:06 long career.
02:07 And it's more of the little things than the big flashy things,
02:11 to make a name for yourself and be in the NBA for a long time.
02:15 And I feel like that's what every kid wants to do.
02:17 >> Yeah, speaking of there's a lot of former zags in the league,
02:22 you're not teammates any right now.
02:25 But there's about I think 10 or so in the NBA is, what is that like when you see
02:30 a former zag across the sideline from you and competing with them on the court?
02:35 What's that like for you?
02:36 >> It's pretty crazy, I remember my first years in the league,
02:38 it was just me and Kelly.
02:39 And now you go against every other night, you might see a zag or two.
02:43 So that's pretty cool to be up there with the other big universities to have
02:48 multiple players on a lot of teams is definitely really cool and big for
02:53 Gonzaga.
02:54 >> Yeah, is there any zag in the NBA that you're particularly close with,
03:00 compared to others?
03:01 >> Rui, me and Rui have always been tight since when we started recruiting him.
03:06 And yeah, we just played against him twice in the last week.
03:10 So it's always great to catch up with him.
03:13 >> Yeah, so this season, I still believe you're leading the league in
03:19 triple doubles and double doubles, putting up monster numbers every night.
03:24 Some stuff that Will Chamberlain's only done, but no all star selection.
03:29 What was sort of just your reaction to that?
03:32 How do you just sort of move past that and what's in store for the future?
03:36 >> Yeah, you just, it is what it is, it happens.
03:41 It's a very big talented pool of players.
03:44 There's only 12 spots, so you definitely understand it.
03:47 I'm not gonna lie, it was definitely pretty nice to have an all star break for
03:50 once.
03:51 I get to spend some time with the family and definitely had a great time and
03:56 could get ready for this final push.
03:58 >> For sure, wanna go back to this year's team for a second.
04:04 You talk about pressure, your team back in 2016, your sophomore year,
04:10 they were somewhat in a similar position as a lower seed in the tournament.
04:14 Didn't get the number one.
04:17 This year's team sort of had, do you see any similarities from that team to this
04:21 year's team and how might they deal with that pressure of playing at Gonzaga,
04:25 a very known program?
04:27 >> Well, we had more pressure.
04:28 If we didn't win the tournament, we weren't making it to the big tournament.
04:32 So there was definitely a lot more at stake, but
04:36 at the same time, it's good not to have pressure.
04:39 That makes you a dangerous team.
04:41 When you're a top seed, you don't wanna play against these teams that are always,
04:45 that have no pressure.
04:46 Cuz they come out and play lights out and do whatever they want.
04:49 And Coach, he was great.
04:52 Like I said, he's gonna get them fired up.
04:54 He's gonna get them playing the right way.
04:55 And I feel like the whole point of going to March Madness is playing against
05:00 the top teams and playing against the best and winning them.
05:02 You're not gonna win if you don't play the best, so might as well start early.
05:05 >> For sure, you guys did have to win.
05:08 It went in that tournament.
05:10 David Stockton, that group, or he might have been before you guys.
05:14 But nonetheless, you guys did have to win that tournament.
05:17 So did it feel like you guys were playing the right ball,
05:22 your best ball at the end of the season?
05:25 And is that something you see from this season's Zags team?
05:28 And just what is that?
05:30 How good can that make you feel going into the tournament when you're playing
05:34 your best ball this season?
05:35 >> Yeah, it really doesn't matter how you play the beginning of the season,
05:38 cuz like you said, you gotta be playing at the end of the tournament,
05:41 like at the end of the season, your best ball to come in.
05:43 And that's when the vibes are good.
05:45 Guys are feeling good, knocking down shots.
05:47 So if they feel that way, I'm confident they're gonna go far.
05:51 >> Is there any player on this season's team, you have a unique skill set.
05:56 And you even did it Gonzaga, and you do in the NBA.
05:58 But is there someone on this season's team, or even just years past since
06:03 you've been in the NBA that you might look at and go,
06:07 I see some similarities between my game and his?
06:10 >> I don't know.
06:12 Yeah, I don't know.
06:13 I know everyone has their own game.
06:15 Everyone tries to pick a different thing, so yeah.
06:18 >> Yeah, as a left hander, very versatile, multi-skilled,
06:23 can score at different levels.
06:26 Graeme Ekay on this season's team was putting a monster numbers down
06:30 at the end of the season.
06:32 This might sound weird, but does being a lefty sort of help you in a way?
06:37 Do you think it throws your opponent off in some regard?
06:40 >> I don't know, people ask me all the time, but at the end of the day,
06:45 that's all I know.
06:46 That's how I've been.
06:47 I wasn't a righty, I was a lefty, so I can tell you the difference.
06:50 You know what I mean?
06:50 So I just play my game and don't think about it.
06:54 >> For sure, for sure.
06:55 Do you see anybody on this season's roster that has a chance
07:01 of being the next Gonzaga player to be drafted in first or second round?
07:07 >> I don't know.
07:09 I mean, this is the moment now where guys can get drafted.
07:13 Like in this tournament, you play a couple of good games.
07:15 You make a good run, you go far, and guys are lottery picks.
07:20 Scouts love that.
07:21 So this is the moment for them to shine and take the team to another level.
07:26 >> For sure.
07:29 And in your development path going from Gonzaga to the NBA,
07:33 started in Oklahoma City and took a couple years until you got your first All-Star.
07:40 Just kind of what was a major theme throughout your development process of
07:45 becoming a versatile player, but at the same time,
07:49 you've now developed into a more well-rounded, also a defender and
07:54 now an All-NBA player.
07:56 What sort of went into that development path for you and
08:00 what was most important through that whole process?
08:02 >> I think just the love of the game.
08:04 As the player, you wanna get better every year and every summer,
08:07 you're gonna try and add things or improve things to your game.
08:09 And as the years went on, NBA changed from small ball to fastball to all this
08:15 other stuff.
08:16 Now I'm getting rebounds and bringing the ball up and getting guys open.
08:20 So the game evolves and you wanna keep evolving with it.
08:23 If not, you're gonna get left behind.
08:25 And NBA is the best place to be.
08:28 >> For sure, for sure.
08:29 Elsewhere, obviously your dad was a very accomplished NBA player and
08:35 basketball player in general.
08:38 Just how much has he meant to you throughout your career and
08:42 how can you look up to him not just as a dad, or I'm sorry,
08:46 not as a basketball player, but as a father as well?
08:50 >> It's great, I get that's the both worlds.
08:52 He's in the Hall of Fame and he's my dad.
08:54 I see him as my dad, but at the same time, any questions I need to ask,
08:58 I can ask him.
08:59 He's been through it all, he's played forever, he's seen so much.
09:02 So I feel like I'm lucky in that way.
09:05 >> For sure, for sure.
09:08 I think that was all the burning questions I have for you, Damontess.
09:11 I know you got- >> All right, awesome.
09:12 >> I know you got a quick short time schedule, so I'll cut you some of it.
09:16 But I appreciate you taking the time to do this.
09:18 >> Of course, of course, thank you, thank you, appreciate it.
09:20 >> Yeah.
09:22 >> All right, thank you.