Domantas Sabonis to Indy: 'I loved every part of it Pacer Nation!'
Nat NewellDomantas Sabonis posted a heartfelt thank you to Indianapolis and Pacers fans on his Instagram account Friday night.
"Indy! The last five years have been nothing but amazing and it will always hold a place in my heart. I am forever grateful for my experience here and the lessons I learned. You let me grow into the person and player I am today. You welcomed me and stuck with us through it all and I loved every part of it Pacer Nation! The relationships I made will last a lifetime and I will never forget the memories made in this city. To all my teammates, coaches, fans and the whole organization… THANK YOU!!!
Pacer Nation!!! 💙💛💙💛
The photo is of Myles Turner hugging Sabonis from behind. The pairing of the two 6-11 centers was a constant source of questions though the two players consistently said they enjoyed playing together.
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Sabonis was traded to Sacramento on Tuesday with Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a second-round pick for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson.
Sabonis scored 22 points and had 13 rebounds in a victory over Minnesota in his debut with the Kings on Wednesday.
He developed into a two-time All-Star with the Pacers after they acquired him with Victor Oladipo in a trade for Paul George. Sabonis averaged 12.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game coming off the bench his first two seasons then emerged as an All-Star when he was inserted in the starting lineup.
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He averaged 19.3 points, 12.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists over the last two-plus seasons.
Pacers President Kevin Pritchard opened his news conference Friday by thanking Sabonis for his contributions to the franchise.
Contact IndyStar Deputy Sports Editor Nat Newell at (317) 444-6182 or nat.newell@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NatJNewell.