With the 24th pick in the 1986 NBA draft, the Portland Trailblazers selected Lithuanian legend, Arvydas Sabonis despite a recent devastating Achilles tendon injury. Almost a decade would pass before Sabonis suited up for the Blazers. A decade so physically grueling on the Lithuanian that when the day finally approached for Arvydas to make his NBA debut, then Blazer GM Bob Whitsitt was told by a team physician that Sabonis would qualify for a handicap parking sticker based on the x-rays of his knees alone.
A heavy playing schedule between 1985 to 1988 took a significant toll on the future Hall of Famer’s health and durability.