Sabonis for sure! One of my favs of all time. I like Divac (especially for the kick out to Horry) but Sabonis is the man. He could shoot from all over but he is the best passing big man I have ever seen. If you were open Bonus was going to find you. I still remember him doing a behind the back wraparound on some NJ scrub center and the guy didn't even know the ball left his hand.
NBA career = Divac, obviously because he was in the NBA much longer (numbers are close, Divac was an All-Star in 2000 or 2001 not sure, his early career with Lakers where they went conference finals i think, everything he did in Sacramento, him being top 20 in blocked shots in the NBA all time etc. > what Sabonis did with Portland)
overall talent/better prime = Sabonis by a mile and not just over Divac but I would take him over anyone but Shaq.
by the way Divac was better at passing, he was the best passing C in the league. c-webb, duncan, shaq were all good but not close to divac, and I know I used to watch like every single Sacramento Kings game from 01 to 04.. Divac was also better at flopping. Sabonis was just a force, too bad he came to NBA so late.
to the guy who made started the thread. Sabonis was born in USSR, which later disbanded to make Russia. Lithuania (where Sabonis is actually from) etc., and Divac was born in Yugoslavia which disbanded to make Serbia (where Divac is from, also Peja, Radmanovic, Krstic, Pavlovic, Milicic etc) Croatia (Kukoc, Petrovic etc) etc. hope that you learned something after reading this.
look up the map and take a look how far lithuania is from serbia. basically on the opposite end of the continent. and no, serbia wasn't in USSR.
sorry to break it down to you.
I'm glad someone else did it, so I wouldn't have to. American ignorance of world geography is really shocking. Distance from Lithuania to southern Serbia where Divac is from is akin to Boston to South Carolina. Which would mean that the Celtics made a blockbuster trade for a local boy this summer according to that logic.
Arvydas Sabonis, I heard that he once scored 100 points in the Euroleague, and during his prime he was doubt as one of the Greates European player of all time.
Sabonis was the better player. Divac probably had the better career.
It's funny that both came to the same end in the playoffs, just couldn't get past Shaq. Divac was the key to a very good Kings team, not sure if Sabonis was as important to Portland, but their careers are remarkably similar in the late 90's and 00's.
Wish Sabonis had played in his prime though, guy was one of the best physical specimens I've seen.
Arvydas Sabonis, I heard that he once scored 100 points in the Euroleague, and during his prime he was doubt as one of the Greates European player of all time.
The Euroleague record is 63 points and isn't held by Sabonis. Sabonis wasn't a big-time scorer, but his versatility had few peers in general. Although I feel that some overrate him by saying that if he stayed healthy he'd reach Olajuwon levels, he was clearly better than Divac. Only thing where Divac was a little better would be dribbling, but this doesn't really matter. Actually, it cost Yugoslavia a game against the Soviet Union, when a young Divac tried to dribble near the center of the court and commited traveling. Divac was more like a poor man's Sabonis.
Re: Arvydas Sabonis vs Vlade Divac
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