Domantas Sabonis: A year in the life behind the scenes of Netflix’s ‘Starting 5’

Imagine coming home from a day at the office and finding a Netflix crew in your living room. For Domantas Sabonis, this was his reality for the past year. But for the 6’10” Lithuanian American basketball player, “the office” is Golden 1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings, where purple-infused jerseys and fervent fans chanting “Light the Beam!” are the norm. This chant refers to the 1,000 watts of RGB laser power radiating until midnight with each victory of the Kings.

The makings of ‘Starting 5’

Sabonis, the Kings’ starting center and a three-time NBA All-Star, is one of the main figures in Netflix’s sports docuseries Starting 5. The series documents the lives of five NBA players — LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Sabonis himself — throughout the 2023-24 NBA season.

“Every time we went to the park, I had six, seven cameramen following me,” Sabonis explains. Netflix ensured a consistent crew followed his family, allowing Sabonis to forget the cameras and focus on his role as a dad.

Emotional authenticity and family dynamics

Showrunner Peter J. Scalettar emphasizes that simply portraying basketball was insufficient to captivate audiences. The creative team aimed to break through the media-trained facades of the players to uncover genuine emotional stories.

According to series director Trishtan Williams, featuring significant others like Sabonis’ wife, Shashana Rosen, and focusing on family dynamics allowed the creators to explore the players’ vulnerabilities. A poignant example is when Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green stomped on Sabonis’ chest during a 2023 playoff game. The series captures Rosen’s visceral reaction as she watched the scene unfold while pregnant.

“You hear Shashana saying ‘oh my goodness. He’s at home, he’s on ventilators. He can’t breathe,'” Williams recalls. “It’s part of humanizing the players, showing the world they go through a lot.”

A legacy in the making

As the son of former NBA star and Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis, Domantas admits that as a child, he did not fully grasp his father’s legacy. It wasn’t until watching late ‘90s basketball highlights on YouTube that he understood the greatness of his dad’s career.

Scalettar describes Domantas as “basketball royalty,” noting the intriguing narrative of him being a second-generation NBA star. This adds depth to the storytelling perspective, offering a parallel to his famous father.

Struggles and resilience

The series also explores Sabonis’ battles to fit into the NBA and American culture. Despite his international heritage and familial fame, Domantas has faced numerous challenges, including being traded and relocating his family three times. Disappointingly, he missed out on the NBA All-Star team last season despite leading the league in triple-doubles.

In terms of branding, Sabonis doesn’t exhibit the glitzy persona of today’s top stars. He has never appeared in an Adam Sandler movie like Edwards, nor does he have a budding bromance with Colombian pop star J Balvin like Butler. He’s not on video game covers like Tatum and certainly isn’t LeBron James.

In “Starting 5,” Sabonis is portrayed differently — a leader who gifts Christmas presents to all employees in the Kings organization. He is shown as a loving father who dresses up as Big Bird to play with his son, Tiger. Throughout the 10-episode series, a multi-faceted and emotionally raw image of Sabonis emerges.

Leading with humility

Driven by his desire for greater recognition, Sabonis grapples with why he doesn’t receive the same level of admiration as his peers. Scalettar notes that Domas’s quest for validation is deeply revealing, showcasing a level of vulnerability rarely seen in superstar athletes.

“Even feeling some of that from him (is) pretty revealing,” Scalettar says. This quest for respect and acknowledgment illuminates a profound aspect of Sabonis’s personality, one that these athletes seldom expose.

Final thoughts

Domantas Sabonis’ journey in Netflix’s “Starting 5” is a compelling narrative of emotional depth, familial bonds, and professional resilience. By portraying him as an authentic and relatable figure off the court, the series transcends typical sports storytelling and humanizes NBA stars in a way that resonates deeply with viewers.

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