Domantas Sabonis is riding the waves of his success in the league in recent years. The 28-year-old is a three-time All-Star and has been the NBA rebounding leader in 2023 and 2024. He’s also among the five NBA players starring in the new Netflix series Starting 5.
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In the show, fans got an insight into his life outside the court with his wife Shashana Rosen, who once was a cheerleader in the Lakers Girls crew. The 31-year-old has been with the Kings star since 2019 and has played a massive role in his development as a player.
How did Domantas Sabonis and Shashana Rosen meet?
The two first met at a restaurant called Catch in Los Angeles. In the recently released Netflix series Starting 5, the couple claimed it was love at first sight. After feeling the spark they were looking for, Sabonis and Rosen began seeing each other.
It wasn’t too long until the couple made their relationship official on Instagram in 2019. The following year, Sabonis and Rosen got engaged. On September 3rd, 2020, the Kings star posted pictures from his proposal on his profile with the caption, “I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
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The following day, Rosen also uploaded pictures from the surprise proposal and wrote, “I love living life with you. Thank you for being my best friend. Wherever you go, I go.”
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The couple got married in 2021 and have two kids, son Tiger, born in March 2021, and daughter Eleven Rose, born in July 2023. Amidst the major changes in her life, Rosen didn’t leave her love for dancing at first but eventually had to part ways.
Shashana Rosen made a major sacrifice for her life with Domantas Sabonis
In 2012, Rosen opened a dance studio called The Movement. She expanded her business and opened two more studios, but on July 12th, 2022, she announced that she was bidding farewell to her career as a businesswoman and a teacher. In the announcement post, she wrote,
“It’s a wrap on 10 years of owning dance studios. I am so overcome with gratitude to have been able to do what I love for a living all of these years. I wish I could do it forever but I am entering a new chapter where I am a wife and mommy to amazing boys. I really want to enjoy this time with them.”
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She took a step back to focus on her life as a homemaker. Rosen is a great source of inspiration to Sabonis. According to the three-time All-Star, she pushes him to be a better player and confront his fears.
Domantas Sabonis agreed to do the Starting 5 series because of his wife
During an interview with Tony Ray Harvey, the Kings star was asked about his appearance in the new Netflix series Starting 5. The series follows Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Domantas Sabonis, and Jayson Tatum’s journeys in the 2023-24 NBA season. Sabonis is an introvert, so there was curiosity about why he signed up to star in the show. He explained,
“Anyone who knows me knows I’m the one who doesn’t like being in front of a camera. So, she’s the one who always wants me to do more and really show myself out there. So, if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here today. She always pushes me to be better.”
They have great mutual love and support for one another and why they’re so happy together. Rosen is a practicing Jew and over the years, Sabonis has also started taking an interest in the religion.
Domantas Sabonis and Shashana Rosen will raise their kids Jewish
Shashana hails from a Jewish family and her faith has been a major part of her upbringing and adult life. She revealed via an Instagram story that the couple will raise their kids with the same values and traditions that Shashana grew up with. She wrote,
“That’s something Domas brought up like week 1. He knew I wasn’t going to take him serious bc of religion. I am a practicing Jew, I have been my whole life, that was not something I was willing to compromise on.”
Sabonis has deep respect for his wife’s religion and even though he’s not a practicing Jew, he celebrates festivals and visits Jewish cultural landmarks. Shashana’s family means a lot to her and she has grown up around people who have showered her with love and care all her life. So, for her to find a partner who is just as caring is heartwarming.
Shashana Rosen’s brother is also a dancer
Shashana comes from a family with a rich artistic heritage. Her father, Jimmy Rose is a popular figure in the fitness industry. While one of her brothers, Shai, co-owned Shashana’s dance studios, her other brother Sage was a runner-up on the popular dance reality show Dancing with the Star Juniors.
After completing high school at a private Jewish school, Shashana went to the Elite Fashion Academy in Los Angeles to learn about modeling. Shashana is a driven individual who has achieved so much in her life so far.
Every chapter of her life, be it during her studies, her time as a cheerleader, as a businesswoman and mentor to now being a mother and a wife, she has excelled in whatever she has invested her time and efforts in.
