Weekly Kibbitz
NBA Star Domantas Sabonis’ Wife Says
He Is Converting to Judaism
keep Shabbat. We don’t drive, and we do Shabbat dinner
every week.”
The couple were married by a Reform rabbi in August
2021. They have a year-old son named Tiger, and
Shashana Sabonis is pregnant with their second child.

They have a close relationship with Rabbi Mendy
Cohen of Chabad of Sacramento, Shashana Sabonis
said. He put mezuzahs up at their house and recited the
Megillah for them on Purim following the Kings game that
night. Sabonis attended Chabad of Sacramento’s Purim
party this year and signed autographs. In December, he
sponsored a sufganiyot giveaway at a Kings home game.

Shashana Sabonis, who grew up in Los Angeles and
went to Jewish day schools, said her husband appreciates
the support he has received from the Jewish community.

“People that follow me [on social media] see how we
do the holidays and Shabbat, and I think it’s really fun
for the Jewish community to see that representation in
basketball,” she said.

There are two active Jewish players in the NBA and its
developmental G League, Deni Avdija of the Washington
Wizards and Ryan Turell of the Motor City Cruise. Former
Rabbi Mendy Cohen is dwarfed by 7-foot-1
Kings center Domantas Sabonis, who attended
Chabad of Sacramento’s Purim party on March 7.

NBA player Amar’e Stoudemire stepped down last year as
a Nets assistant coach after two seasons, citing confl icts
with his religious observance. Stoudemire converted
to Orthodox Judaism in 2020 after being raised in the
Hebrew Israelite faith.

— Andrew Esensten | JTA via J.

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APRIL 20, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
jewishexponent.com/econfirmation/ Courtesy of Chabad of Sacramento
Domantas Sabonis, the 26-year-old All-Star and
Sacramento Kings center, is in the process of converting to
Judaism, according to his Jewish wife, Shashana Sabonis
(née Rosen).

“We really haven’t talked about it [publicly],” she said
in an interview this week. “He loves [Judaism] and really
wants to be a part of it.”
Sabonis regularly studies on Zoom with Rabbi Erez
Sherman of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. Sherman, a
Conservative rabbi who hosts the sports podcast “Rabbi
on the Sidelines,” said that Sabonis is serious about
learning more about Judaism.

“After [he had] a triple-double against the Houston
Rockets, I get a text, like, ‘Hey can we fi nd time to learn?’
I’m like, you’re for real,” Sherman said. “He’s always
asking questions. He keeps kosher, and when he’s in
Vilnius, he’s going to the kosher butchers to get chicken.”
While Sabonis is committed to his studies, his wife
said, the demands of his job have made it impossible for
him to commit to following all of the mitzvot. “He has to
fl y and he has to do those things, but he’s continuing his
learning,” Shashana Sabonis said. “We keep Passover, we