CHICAGO -- When Domantas Sabonis takes the court at United Center Sunday, he will become the second player from his native land of Lithuania to appear in an NBA All-Star Game, joining …

Zydrunas Ilgauskas? Yep, Big Z. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ affable big man earned two spots (2003, 2005).

Still, given Sabonis’ background, legacy and genetics, it would be reasonable to think that the Indiana Pacers big man had been preceded by, say, his own father, Arvydas, in participating in one of the league’s highest honors.

Someone teased that he now had basketball bragging rights over his dad, a Hall of Famer, in at least one category. The younger Sabonis wouldn’t go there.

“I’m never saying anything like that. For me, he’s one of the greatest,” he said. “Different eras, different players. It’s completely different.”

A banner season has led Domantas Sabonis to his first All-Star appearance.

Arvydas Sabonis arguably is one of the greatest European basketball players of all time and one of the NBA’s biggest “what if?” stories. When he entered the league at 30 with Portland in 1995-96, the 7-foot-3, 250-pound center had morphed through injuries and time into a different performer altogether.

In his NBA debut on Nov. 3, 1995, Sabonis scored 10 points with seven rebounds and flashed some of the finesse that stole fans’ breath. But he moved gingerly and more slowly, toting an extra 40 or 50 pounds -- not out of shape but beefy and land-bound, an older version of his former self.

Arvydas Sabonis became the stuff of YouTube legend, separated from his son Domantas’ career not just by a generation but by a dramatic shift in global and sports politics. The father was the better player. The son is getting opportunities his old man never had.

"All of us wanted to beat our dad but it was impossible."@Dsabonis11 shares his earliest basketball memories of playing with his dad, Arvydas Sabonis, in this new edition of "My Home Court." pic.twitter.com/EAHwjpXEBp — Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 17, 2018

“I talked to my father last night for a while,” the newly crowned All-Star told NBA.com two weeks ago, the morning after the reserves were announced. “Everybody’s enjoying it. It’s really amazing for our family and I.”

Arvydas was fairly inscrutable in his seven seasons with the Blazers, equally quick to smile or scowl but never an effusive interview.