Editing Arvydas Sabonis (section)

===Soviet national team===
[[Image:Basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics - URS vs. USA.JPEG|thumb|right|200px|Sabonis, a member of the [[Soviet Union national basketball team|Soviet Union national team]], taking on [[David Robinson (basketball)|David Robinson]] and [[Danny Manning]], during the semifinal clash with [[United States men's national basketball team|Team USA]], at the [[Basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|1988 Olympics]]. The Soviets scored an 82–76 win, with Sabonis contributing 13 points and 13 rebounds.]]
In 1982, Sabonis was one of the players in the senior [[Soviet Union national basketball team|Soviet Union national team]] that toured the United States, playing against various [[college basketball]] teams.<ref name=si/>

Despite being recommended to rest, instead of playing in the [[Basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|1988 Summer Olympics]], the Soviets allowed Sabonis to remain a part of their national team.<ref name=si/> Sabonis led the [[Soviet Union national basketball team|Soviet Union]] to a gold medal, with a win against the [[1988 United States men's Olympic basketball team|1988 edition]] of the [[United States national basketball team|United States national team]], that featured future NBA All-Stars [[David Robinson (basketball)|David Robinson]], [[Mitch Richmond]], and [[Danny Manning]]<ref name="NBAbio"/> in the semifinals. This was the last American Olympic team that was not composed of active [[NBA]] players. The team later beat [[Yugoslavia national basketball team|Yugoslavia]] in the finals.<ref name="NBAbio"/>

In his career with the senior Soviet national team, Sabonis also played at the following major tournaments: the [[1982 FIBA World Championship]] (gold medal), the [[1983 EuroBasket]] (bronze medal), the [[1985 EuroBasket]] (gold medal), the [[1986 FIBA World Championship]] (silver medal), and the [[1989 EuroBasket]] (bronze medal).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/p/rpp//q/arvydas%20sabonis/pid//_//players.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710051320/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/p/rpp/q/Arvydas%20Sabonis/pid/_/players.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 July 2012|title=Arvydas-Romas SABONIS.|website=fiba.com}}</ref> He was named to the [[EuroBasket All-Tournament Team]] in 1983 and 1985, and he was named the [[EuroBasket MVP]] in 1985.

The 1985–1988 stretch of a heavy playing schedule, and lack of rest, took a significant toll on Sabonis's future health and durability. Various leg injuries were not given much time to heal, due to the [[Cold War]] climate that surrounded international competition, as well as the intense rivalry of the [[BC Žalgiris|Žalgiris Kaunas]] versus [[PBC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]] games in the [[USSR Premier Basketball League|USSR Premier League]]. In a 2011 interview, Sabonis expressed an opinion, that overuse by the coaches of the Soviet national program, was a major contributing factor to his first Achilles' tendon injury, back in 1986.<ref name=Winn>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104182811/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1189174/1/index.htm Lithuania Calling] Also {{cite magazine |last=Winn |first=Luke |date=15 August 2011 |title=Lithuania Calling |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |volume=115 |issue=6 |pages=52–56}}</ref> Another key moment for his future health, took place in 1988, when Sabonis had a surgical Achilles procedure performed in Portland, but was rushed back on the floor with the USSR Olympic team, before a full recovery. The decision to include a limping Sabonis, on the USSR roster for the 1988 Olympic Games, was protested at the time by the Portland medical staff, and was later heavily criticized.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/30/sports/sabonis-is-named-to-soviet-team.html?pagewanted=2|title=Sabonis Is Named To Soviet Team|first=Esther B. Fein and Special To the New York|last=Times|newspaper=The New York Times|date=30 August 1988}}</ref> While the Soviets cleared him to play [[professional sports|professionally]] in 1989, when his Soviet national teammate, [[Šarūnas Marčiulionis]], went to North America, Sabonis postponed his travel, over feeling that he was not physically ready for the NBA.<ref name=si/> Eventually, Sabonis would develop chronic knee, ankle and groin issues, that substantially limited his mobility and explosiveness, by the mid-1990s.