Kings’ Domantas Sabonis shares thoughts on Netflix series and addition of DeMar DeRozan
Kings center Domantas Sabonis is one of five NBA players featured in “Starting 5,” a Netflix series that will go behind the scenes to provide an inside look at the lives of some of the league’s biggest stars.
Sabonis shared his thoughts on the upcoming series and Sacramento’s recent addition of DeMar DeRozan during an interview with The Sacramento Bee. Sabonis is highlighted in the Netflix series along with the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards and Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum.
Sabonis said the series documents his 2023-24 season with the Kings and his home life with wife Shashana, 2-year-old son Tiger and 1-year-old daughter Elle.
“Netflix did a great job,” Sabonis said. “They had the same crew 90% of the time so the kids got comfy with them in a family environment. Once the cameras came, Tiger was like, ‘I’m ready, it’s showtime,’ so he was excited. ... He was shy at first, like who are these people, and not really doing what he does, but then 20 games into the season he was like, ‘Oh, yeah, let’s go.’ He knows our producer, Trish. They’re close. We always take care of the people we work with so we kind of made a family bond.”
Netflix formally announced the series in August, saying “Starting 5” will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the 2023-24 NBA season through the eyes of Butler, Edwards, James, Sabonis and Tatum. The first of 10 45-minute episodes will premiere Oct. 9, eight days after training camp starts on Tuesday.
The series was produced by Uninterrupted — founded by James and business manager Maverick Carter — in association with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions and Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions. Netflix recently released a synopsis of the series, highlighting each player’s role in the show.
“The series captures their battles on and off the court as they chase greatness, push through injuries, and balance the demands of family and legacy,” Netflix said in a news release. “James pushes himself harder than ever to stay healthy — and dominant — in his 21st season, while Edwards electrifies with his rapid rise. Butler’s relentless drive propels the Heat, Sabonis anchors the Kings with his versatile play, and Tatum leads the Celtics in their quest for a record 18th championship. Starting 5 delivers an unfiltered view of life at the pinnacle of professional basketball.”
Sabonis attends ‘Starting 5’ premier
Sabonis screened the first two episodes of “Starting 5” at the premier Monday night in Los Angeles.
“Really good, really cool, really excited,” Sabonis said. “You get to see a lot of personalities.”
Sabonis said the Netflix film crew became a regular presence in his life whether he was at home or with the team.
“They were around a lot, every day,” Sabonis said. “We started filming right before summer finished, before training camp. You wake up, there’s cameras. You try to go to the bathroom, they’re following you. They’re basically with you all the time. ... It took some time to get used to, but it was easy. I have my kids so I’m in dad mode. You don’t really change anything in your life because I’ve got to take care of my kids.”
Sabonis said the series will give viewers a unique look at the players’ personal and professional lives.
“They focus on everything,” Sabonis said. “Obviously everything on the court, all the games they came to. All the games against the other ‘Starting 5’ members were highlighted and filmed throughout the whole season.
“And off the court, they just want to get a reality of how each player lives, how we sacrifice time, being away from our family, taking care of your body, being with kids, coming in to get extra shots. How do we manage all that plus extracurricular activities that people have, other appearances and whatnot? It’s really cool. You really get to see behind the scenes what the players go through, not just what you see on Instagram or social media.”
Addition of DeMar DeRozan
The Kings made a major move in July when they acquired DeRozan in a three-team sign-and-trade deal with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.
DeRozan, 35, averaged 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals for the Bulls last season. He shot 85.3% at the free-throw line while ranking fourth in the NBA with 7.7 attempts per game. That could be critical for a Kings team that ranked 21st in free-throw attempts (20.9) and 30th in free-throw shooting (.745) last season.
Sacramento expects to return to the playoffs after adding DeRozan, a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection, to a core that already includes De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray and Sabonis.
“It’s amazing,” Sabonis said. “Having a veteran like that, I’ve wanted that for a long time. He has a Hall of Fame career, and to bring that IQ — I was with him in L.A. for a couple weeks working out at USC and I learned so much personally in those couple weeks of workouts. Having him be around the team and having that rub off on everyone is going to be good. He’s here for the right reasons and he wants to win. That’s going to be good for us.”
