The Sacramento Kings’ star center, Domantas Sabonis, is having season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He rehabbed the injury and tried to play through the injury, but playing through any injury is tough. His surgery took place this morning. Let’s dive into the injury and what it means for the Kings.

Sabonis Suffers Torn Meniscus

As fast as this young core showed potential this season, it came crashing down. Their two-time All-Star suffered a torn meniscus on November 16th against the San Antonio Spurs. He would miss the next 27 games and attempt to make a comeback on January 16th. Domantas averaged 15.8 ppg, 11.4 rpg, and 4.1 apg in his 19 games played during his 2025-2026 campaign.

Reaction

This is devastating for the team. Did I believe they had a chance at being competitive? No, but they were a fun team to watch. With Sabonis, Zach Lavine, DeMar DeRozan, and Russell Westbrook, they were just exciting on a nightly basis. Lavine is also having season-ending surgery to repair a tendon in his hand. This team looked as bright as ever just three seasons ago, winning 48 games and almost getting past the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

Final Thoughts

Sabonis has turned into one of my favorite players to watch. We have seen the memes of him, Alperen Sengun, and Nikola Jokic as smaller versions of each other. These European big men all take pieces from each other’s games, and it’s a joy to watch. What did you think of the news this afternoon? Do you think the Kings will be able to recapture the success they had in 2022 in the near future?

As always, thank you so much for checking out my thoughts and initial reaction to Domantas Sabonis’ season-ending surgery! Be sure to check out our other amazing content here at New Leaf News! We hope you’re enjoying your day and look forward to seeing you again soon.