Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis did not have thumb surgery, contrary to comments made by Lithuanian coach Kazys Maksvytis last week. Maksvytis told reporters that Domantas Sabonis wouldn't play in the FIBA World Cup tournament because he underwent a procedure on his fractured right thumb. Kings General Manager Monte McNair confirmed reports that Maksvytis misspoke.

Sabonis suffered a fractured thumb in December. The Kings forward played through the injury, making the All-NBA Third Team and leading Sacramento to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. The Kings expect Sabonis to be recovered when the 2023-2024 NBA season starts.

“He had a couple of appointments at the end of the year, and at the time, they (said), ‘You don’t need surgery, but we want to have this rehabilitation plan so you can avoid surgery,’” McNair told The Athletic. “And continuing to play on it would just have extra risk. It’s going well. He’s through two months or so of this, and (he’s) tracking very well. But it is one of those things where the number one goal is that he can get through the summer, be ready for next year and avoid surgery. It looks to be on track for that.”

Sabonis had a disappointing performance in the Kings' first-round playoff loss against the Golden State Warriors. Injuries might have contributed to his struggles. In addition to his thumb injury, Sabonis sustained a contusion when Draymond Green stomped on his chest. Sabonis averaged 16.4 points on 49.5% shooting in seven postseason games.

The Kings signed Sabonis to a five-year, $217 million extension early in 2023 NBA free agency.