Apparently, Domantas Sabonis didn’t undergo a necessary thumb injury.
A source told James Ham of ESPN1302 that Sabonis did not have surgery on the avulsion fracture in his right thumb. Amid this, he will continue to follow a rigorous rehabilitation plan and won’t suit up for Lithuania in this year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Ham’s report disputes what Lithuania basketball mentor Kazys Maksvytis has noted — that Sabonis did undergo the medical procedure which ultimately leaves him out of the nation’s roster for the grand basketball tournament.
Sabonis played through his thumb injury since December of last 2022-23 regular season.
Despite enduring pain, he managed to spearhead the Sacramento Kings to a renaissance year of ending their 16-year postseason drought. The star big man averaged 19.1 points, 12.3 boards, 7.3 assists in a 61.5 percent efficiency for 79 games en route to being named a member of All-NBA Third Team.
The Lithuanians will play Egypt, Mexico, and Montenegro for the group phase of the World Cup.
