It was an extraordinary visual. But that’s about as far as I thought it would go on the standard Pirelli tires. It turns out I was wrong.
The first tour I led was in November of 1996, a Lithuanian club team from Šilutė. Truth be told, I’m sure they could have easily led themselves. Several players spoke excellent English. Coach was fluent and had been to America many times. But, since this was my first tour I’m sure the Seattle organizers (my sister and brother-in-law) thought it would be a good idea to pair the rookie with a relatively easy group. This was a debt I would repay the very next year with a team from Moscow. But, that’s a different story.
I met the Šilutė team at the Seattle airport. They flew in from Copenhagen, I from Alaska. After they cleared Customs, we boarded a short flight to Spokane. There we picked up two 15-passenger vans and started a five-game swing that took us from eastern Washington into Idaho and Montana, then back to Spokane to play the Bulldogs of Gonzaga University.
Gonzaga, of course, is now a big-time program that has enjoyed perennial success in the NCAA post-season tournament. But, back then, Mark Few was just an assistant coach. In fact, he was third in the pecking order on the ‘Zags bench. As I walked through the hand-shake line after the game that night, I never imagined this inconspicuous, assistant-to-the-assistant head coach would go on to lead the Bulldogs to greatness. I wonder if he even imagined it on that chilly November night back in ‘96.
From Spokane we flew to Portland Oregon where, as usual, we picked up two vans. Our first game was against the University of Portland on Sunday night. Then we drove down to Eugene for a Monday game against the University of Oregon. The final game of the tour was on Wednesday night in Seattle against the University of Washington Huskies.
On Tuesday, after the Oregon game, we headed north. But, on the way, the guys persuaded their rookie tour leader to stop over in Portland for the night. It so happened the NBA’s Trail Blazers were playing a home game that evening. But, the big draw – figuratively and literally – was Portland’s 7’3” (2,21m) standout center, Arvydas Sabonis. This giant of a man was not just a superstar in the basketball world, he was a proud Lithuanian!
Sabonis was already on the verge of 32. However, this was only his second season in the NBA. Despite being trapped behind the Iron Curtain, Portland selected him in the first round of the 1986 draft. He played on the Soviet national team winning a gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. After Lithuania regained its independence from the USSR in 1990, Sabonis won two Olympic bronze medals for his home country. These were huge moments of national pride for a relatively small nation of only 3.6 million people.
Sabonis was known for his exceptional passing ability and an outside shooting touch the envy of many NBA guards. He is considered one of the best centers to ever play the game. Bottom line, this was Lithuania’s Michael Jordan. So, for a group of young Lithuanian basketball players, the opportunity to see Sabonis play was kind of a big deal. Truth is, it was a big deal for the tour guide too.
A brief side note – the Trail Blazers name references the famed 19th century American explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark who literally mapped a trail between the Midwest part of the U.S. and the Pacific Northwest. Their trek ended at the Pacific Ocean just west of Portland.
The team plays in what was then known as the Rose Garden, now known as Moda Center. The arena was rockin’ that night with a sellout crowd of over 20,000. We sat in section 227 cheering the big Lithuanian every time he touched the ball. “Sabas!, Sabas!, Sabas!”
It was a thrilling game. Portland and Sacramento played to a tie at the end of regulation. Overtime ended with the Trail Blazers winning 92-90. Sabonis finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. A good night all around. I figured we’d hang around and say hello to Sabonis and then head to the hotel. I figured wrong.
After the game, we waited in the players’ parking garage adjacent to the arena. It was fascinating to watch players drive off in their high-priced toys. When Sabonis emerged, loud cheers of joy reverberated off the concrete walls. To be together, yet so far from home, had to be an extraordinary experience. It was a lot of fun watching all the excitement. Sabonis was especially happy to see his compatriots.
After introductions were made (my hand completely disappearing in his), he instructed us to follow him to his favorite restaurant. My memory has faded but it seems the place was aptly named The Hideout or Hideaway or something like that. Anyway, from the moment we walked in it was clear we were going to be cared for very well. The owner greeted us at the door and immediately ushered everyone upstairs to a private room.
For the next four+ hours we enjoyed nonstop food, drink and revelry. Plate after plate of delicious hors d’oeuvres were served. Glasses were never empty. Staff was always busy making sure everyone was happy. It was a grand experience. So this was what it was like to live like a superstar!
Around 3am some huddling took place which I interpreted as the beginning of the end of a magical time in our lives. Au contraire! It was only the beginning of the middle of this magical time. The plan, as it was relayed to me, was that we would follow Sabonis to his home. OK – who was I to deny these young men the opportunity to spend time with their hero? And for Sabonis to spend time with his people?
There was just one small problem. Sabonis was not . . . feeling 100%. The next 45 minutes felt like a lifetime. I look back on it now and just thank God it all worked out. After 25+ years, I suppose the story can be told. To say we were fortunate is to acknowledge the least.
As we walked out of the restaurant into a cool Portland night, I was surprised to see the streets covered in a white blanket of fresh snow – two-inches (5cm) and growing as each big, beautiful flake fell peacefully to earth. Rain is the norm in the Pacific Northwest. So, snow was unusual for Portland, particularly in November. Also unusual for Portland was the sight of a red Lamborghini – in the snow.
But this was the toy Sabonis drove to the office that day. So, it must be driven home to be tucked away from winter’s menace. Since the owner was “under the weather” as we say in the States (pardon the pun), I convinced Coach to give it a shot. The rest of us piled into the van (thankfully we only took one to the game that night). So, on that snowy November night in downtown Portland Oregon a little red Lambo trailed closely behind a big white van as Coach and I cautiously set out on an uncertain journey to an unknown destination.
Sabonis sat up-front with me directing turns as if by feel. But we only made it a few blocks before Coach signaled a problem. The supercar he was operating was beyond his familiarity. And it was expensive. And it was Sabonis’s. Coach just didn’t feel comfortable at the controls. So, he pulled over to the side of the road. At this moment Sabonis made a miraculous recovery insisting he was all good. So, Coach climbed out of the Lambo replaced by Sabonis who folded his way in. With legs surrounding the steering wheel and arms everywhere, it really did resemble a toy car.
This time, the little red Lambo took the lead with the big white van struggling to keep up. I’ll never know how we managed to avoid attracting the interest of Portland area authorities. But I’ll give Sabonis credit. The tour he led that night through downtown Portland was mostly lawful. Sure, we took a short-cut down a street or over a bridge that were designed to be traversed in the opposite direction. But, there were literally no other vehicles on the road. So, his good karma paid off.
Having exited the city, we followed Sabonis onto a winding two-lane road. He was starting to get ahead of us which made my passengers nervous. Losing the Lambo would put a premature end to their storybook night. As we rounded a turn, anxieties faded. There was Sabonis stopped at a gas station. But now I see a missed opportunity!
In the state of Oregon, it is – for some odd reason – illegal to pump your own gas. So, here was this 18 year-old, wide-eyed, kid working the night-shift at a little convenience store pumping gas into a bright red Lamborghini as Sabonis towered over both kid and car. The visual was priceless. I’m sure the kid is still telling the story of the night he met a basketball legend. I’m still lamenting not getting that photo, or any photos from this epic evening!
Much to my relief, the remaining distance was short. We entered a gated community and wound our way along a few residential streets finally arriving at Sabonis’s stately home. We piled out of the van and into the house where the revelry picked up right where it left off. All the Lithuanians took turns on the phone. I’m almost positive conversations were going something like, “Hi Mom! Guess where I am?!”.
That night (more accurately, morning) I met Sabonis’s lovely wife Ingrida, Miss Lithuania ‘88. I also met a future star of the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Indiana Pacers (and now the Sacramento Kings). Domantas Sabonis was only 18 months old at the time. So, I can honestly say I knew him when he was just a kid!
It was an epic evening. But I finally had to call it a night around 5am. Echoes of laughter still resonated through the house as I stretched out on a downstairs couch to catch a little shut-eye. By 8am it was time to organize goodbyes. We had 175 miles (282km) to drive and a game to play that night. Not surprisingly, the Huskies outscored Šilutė 87-70. A loss is a loss. But it wasn’t such a bad showing, all things considered!
