Sabonis was chosen by the NBA in 1986 (Rd. 1, #24 overall), but was unable to play in the league for the most of his career owing to limitations imposed by the former Soviet Union. The only Tanzanian player to have appeared in the NBA. Closs set the NCAA Division I record with 5.9 blocks per game during his undergraduate career. He now works as an assistant coach at Indiana University. Sabonis was a six-foot- ten-inch (205 cm) tall center from Lithuania who played in the NBA for seven seasons (1966-74). After playing one season for the Portland Trail Blazers, he moved to the Boston Celtics, where he stayed until 1972. Sabonis then went to the Atlanta Hawks for two years before moving back to Portland for one final season. In total, he averaged 7.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He had several injuries during his career and was also involved in a car crash while still a student at Kent State University that left him with severe headaches and impaired vision. This led him to leave school after one year and try out for the Portland Trail Blazers, who were looking for big men to help them win games. He made the team and started every single game in his first season, but was never really able to stay healthy thereafter. He suffered another injury during the 1974-75 season that forced him to miss the last three games of the season. After his basketball career ended, Sabonis worked as a security guard and did some coaching.