Domantas Sabonis, the Lithuanian center for the Sacramento Kings, has announced that he will not participate in the remainder of the NBA season due to a persistent knee injury. Despite battling through the pain thus far, the Kings have found themselves at the bottom of the league standings with a dismal record of 12 wins and 44 losses, making playoff qualification unlikely. This situation has prompted Sabonis to choose surgery as the best option for addressing his injury in a bid to recover fully.

The Sacramento Kings have not provided a specific recovery timeline for Sabonis, only stating that his condition will be re-evaluated before the start of the training camp for the next season. Sabonis, who has been recognized as an NBA All-Star multiple times, had been performing well before his injury, averaging 15.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game during the ongoing season. His absence is expected to have significant implications for the Kings as they look to regroup next season.

In addition to Sabonis, another key player on the Kings, Zach LaVine, is also seeing an early end to his season due to a finger injury. LaVine has been contributing an average of 19.2 points per game this season, and his loss, alongside Sabonis, poses additional challenges for the Kings as they navigate the rest of their games without their star players.