"I didn't know he could pass like that" - Magic's reaction after playing against Sabonis in the 1992 Olympic semifinals

Arvydas Sabonis took international basketball by storm when he entered the picture in 1981. Sabonis then established himself as perhaps the most dominant big man outside the NBA. The Portland Trail Blazers drafted him 24th overall in the 1986 NBA Draft but due to various reasons, Sabas never played his first NBA game until 1995.

And so when the Dream Team faced Lithuania in the semifinals of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, the NBA's biggest stars got their first glimpse of Arvydas. Sabonis struggled against the Dream Team as he missed his first nine shots. The big man finished the game with 11 points on 4-17 shooting with eight rebounds, two assists, and four blocked shots.

Despite that, the players on the Dream Team were impressed with what they saw from the Lithuanian center. Lakers legend Magic Johnson was one of them.

"He could play in our league," Magic said . "I didn't know he could pass like that. Only thing that hurts him is his mobility."

He was slow in the NBA but still very effective

Sabonis was only 27 years old when he played in Barcelona. But at an age when most players would still be at their athletic peak, Arvydas was already slowed down by a devastating Achilles tendon injury, which he suffered shortly before the Blazers drafted him in '86.

The injury affected his mobility, but as great as he was, Sabas adjusted his game and continued to dominate at every level. Because he no longer had his old explosiveness, Sabonis became a better post-player, passer, and outside shooter.

True to Magic's words, Arvydas made it to the NBA in 1995, but by then, he was already 30 years old. His career averages of 12.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in seven seasons were decent, but they did not reflect Sabonis' impact on the Blazers. With Sabas manning the middle, Portland became a perennial playoff team that made seven consecutive postseason appearances.

Related: "I am more disappointed today than I was back when I was not selected" -Isiah Thomas on handshake snub as the reason he didn't make the Dream Team

Sabas was Jokic before The Joker

Magic's Dream Team teammate Charles Barkley, who had a near dust-up with Sabonis during that USA vs. Lithuania game, once compared prime Sabonis to the current Denver Nuggets' three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, saying he was the closest thing to the Joker .

"He's the best passing big man ever," Barkley said of Jokic. "Bill Walton had a great run. Brad Daugherty was a great passer...If you want to compare him to somebody, [Arvydas] Sabonis in his prime. A young Sabonis is probably as close as I've seen to a guy who can shoot threes, pass the ball, and take you in the post."

If Barkley is correct, and many will agree that he is, then it was a pity that the world never saw Sabonis play in the NBA in his prime. The Dream Team did, and with even the game's greatest passer in awe of his passing skills, that tells you how good Arvydas was at his peak.

Related: Bill Walton was in shock when he first saw prime Arvydas Sabonis play in the 80s: "He probably had a quadruple-double at halftime"