The Trailblazers issued a press release confirming Sabonis' status.
"The Portland Trail Blazers have confirmed that Arvydas Sabonis has been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack in his native Lithuania," the statement read. "His condition is believed to be non-life threatening. Our thoughts are with Arvydas and his family at this time. We wish him well in a speedy recovery."
Shaquille O'Neal once joked that Sabonis was one of the centers he made retire from the NBA. I thought his basketball playing days were over once he retired from the NBA. Sabonis was an effective player although he came to the NBA when he was on the downside of his playing career. Truth is Sabonis was a beast when he played over in Europe and would've given plenty of opposing big men trouble had he decided to come to the NBA after he was drafted in 1986.
He played seven seasons with the Blazers and posted career NBA averages of 12.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. In Europe, he was named player of the year eight times and won a gold medal while representing the Soviet Union at the 1988 Olympics.
