SPOKANE, Wash. – Three-time NBA All-Star and Gonzaga legend Domantas Sabonis traded the basketball court for the golf course Wednesday, helping introduce dozens of local kids to the game during Bank of America’s Golf with Us clinic at Esmeralda Golf Course.
More than 50 children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane took part in the free clinic, rotating through stations focused on putting, chipping and full swings while learning from golf instructors and Sabonis.
For Sabonis, returning to Spokane always brings a familiar feeling.
“It just feels good,” Sabonis said. “Something in the air feels like home, so I’m always happy to be back.”
The former Gonzaga standout said the opportunity to work with kids made the event an easy decision, even if golf isn’t yet his strongest sport.
“I love coming back, especially to the places that helped build me,” Sabonis said. “Anything I can do to help the kids. Usually it’s basketball, but this time it’s golf.”
Sabonis, who recently returned from surgery, joked that his golf game still has plenty of room to improve after only getting cleared to play four days ago.
While his golf game is still developing, Sabonis reflected on the impact Gonzaga had on his basketball career. The former Bulldog said the program prepared him for a decade in the NBA and helped lay the foundation for his success.
“I wouldn’t be here without them,” Sabonis said. “They really gave me the opportunity to get better, get reps in, play at a high level and eventually get drafted.”
Sabonis also praised the growth of Gonzaga Basketball over the past decade, saying it’s rewarding to see more Bulldogs reaching the NBA while maintaining the program’s close-knit culture.
“I tell the younger guys to cherish those moments,” Sabonis said. “There’s not many programs like that out there that really have that family bonding. A lot of us come back every summer, and that’s special.”
The clinic was part of Bank of America’s Golf with Us initiative, which aims to introduce young people to golf while teaching life skills through the sport.
“We really feel that sports can unite us all,” said Lauren Murray, president of Bank of America Spokane. “Being able to bring golf to kids locally, provide resources and continue giving them opportunities to practice is really important.”
Each participant received a free one-year membership to Youth on Course, giving them access to rounds of golf for $5 or less at participating courses. Murray said the organization currently serves about 187,000 young golfers nationwide, including roughly 2,500 in Washington.
For many of the kids, meeting an NBA star was the highlight of the day.
“It was crazy cool,” youth golfer Declan Miller said. “I did not expect an NBA player to be here.”
Another participant, Connor Crafts, said Sabonis spent time talking with the group, signed autographs and even joined them on the putting green.
The clinic gave local kids a chance to sharpen their golf skills while spending the day alongside one of Gonzaga’s most accomplished alumni, creating memories that stretched far beyond the scorecard.
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