Arvydas Sabonis Soviet national team When did he join the team? In 1982, Sabonis was one of the players in the senior Soviet Union national team that toured the United States, How did he join the team? I don't know.
How long was he on the team?
How long was Arvydas Sabonis on the Soviet national team?
In 1982, Sabonis was one of the players in the senior Soviet Union national team that toured the United States, playing against various college basketball teams. Despite being recommended to rest, instead of playing in the 1988 Summer Olympics, the Soviets allowed Sabonis to remain a part of their national team. Sabonis led the Soviet Union to a gold medal, with a win against a United States team that featured future NBA All-Stars David Robinson, Mitch Richmond, and Danny Manning in the semifinals. The team later beat Yugoslavia in the finals. 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). 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' future health and durability. Various leg injuries weren't given much time to heal, due to the Cold War climate that surrounded international competition, as well as the intense rivalry of the Zalgiris Kaunas versus CSKA Moscow games in the 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. 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. While the Soviets cleared him to play professionally in 1989, when his Soviet national teammate, Sarunas Marciulionis, went to North America, Sabonis postponed his travel, over feeling that he was not physically ready for the NBA. Eventually, Sabonis would develop chronic knee, ankle and groin issues, that substantially limited his mobility and explosiveness, by the mid-1990s. CANNOTANSWER
The 1985-1988
Arvydas Romas Sabonis (; born December 19, 1964) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player and businessman. Recognized as one of the best European players of all time, he won the Euroscar six times, and the Mr. Europa Award twice. He played in a variety of leagues including the Spanish ACB League, and spent seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), in the United States. Playing the center position, Sabonis won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics, in South Korea, for the Soviet Union, and later earned bronze medals at the 1992 Olympic Games and 1996 Olympic Games, while representing Lithuania. He retired from professional basketball in 2005. Sabonis was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers, in the first round of the 1986 NBA draft, but he did not play his first NBA game until the age of 30, in 1995.

Sabonis is considered one of the best big man passers, as well as one of the best overall centers, in the history of the game. Bill Walton once called Sabonis, "a  Larry Bird", due to his unique court vision, shooting range, rugged in-game mentality, and versatility.

On August 20, 2010, Sabonis was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame, in recognition of his great play in international competition. On April 4, 2011, Sabonis was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and he was as a player, inducted on August 12, 2011. At that time, he was the tallest player to ever enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; one year later, he would be surpassed by  Ralph Sampson. On October 24, 2011, Sabonis was voted as the next President of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, replacing Vladas Garastas, who had led the LBF since 1991. He resigned from the position on October 2, 2013, but came back to it on October 10, 2013.

His son, Domantas Sabonis, is a current NBA player.

Early life and career
Born in Kaunas, in then Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union, Sabonis began playing basketball at age 13. By the time he was 15 years old, he was a member of the Soviet national junior team.

Sabonis was excused from mandatory service to the Soviet Army, by enrolling at the Lithuanian University of Agriculture, in his hometown.

Professional career

Žalgiris
Sabonis made his professional club debut in 1981, with one of the oldest basketball teams in Lithuania, Žalgiris, in his hometown of Kaunas. With the club, he won three consecutive Soviet Premier League titles, and the 1986 FIBA Club World Cup (FIBA Intercontinental Cup).

Valladolid
In 1989, Sabonis left Žalgiris, and signed with the Spanish Liga ACB club Fórum Valladolid. During the 1991–92 season, Sabonis helped the team to reach the semifinals at the Korać Cup.

Real Madrid
In 1992, after playing with Fórum Valladolid for three seasons, Sabonis joined the Spanish club Real Madrid, and with them, he won two Spanish League titles, and a FIBA European League (EuroLeague) title, in 1994–95. With Real Madrid, during the 1994–95 Spanish League season, he averaged 22.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.3 blocked shots, in 42 games played. While in the 1994–95 FIBA European League season, he averaged 21.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, in 17 games played.

Portland Trail Blazers
Sabonis was originally selected by the Atlanta Hawks, with the 77th overall pick, of the 1985 NBA draft. However, the selection was voided, because Sabonis was under 21 at the time of the draft. The following spring, he suffered a devastating Achilles' tendon injury. Nevertheless, he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers, with the 24th overall pick of the 1986 NBA draft. Sabonis was not allowed to play in the US, despite LSU Tigers head coach Dale Brown's plans to have Sabonis studying and playing at Louisiana State University, and thus keeping him in an amateur status. However, he did go to Portland, to rehabilitate his injury with the Blazers medical staff, in 1988, while also practicing with the team.

After the 1994–95 European season, Sabonis and Portland contacted one another about a move to the NBA. Before signing Sabonis, Portland's then-general manager, Bob Whitsitt, asked the Blazers team physician to look at Sabonis' X-rays. Illustrating the impact of Sabonis' numerous injuries, Whitsitt recalled in a 2011 interview, that when the doctor reported the results, "He said that Arvydas could qualify for a handicapped parking spot, based on the X-ray alone." Nevertheless, the Blazers signed Sabonis. He had a successful rookie campaign, averaging 14.5 points, on 55% shooting, and 8.1 rebounds per game while playing less than 24 minutes per game. Sabonis was selected to the All-Rookie First Team, and was runner-up in both Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year voting. His postseason averages went up to 23.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. In the first playoff series of his NBA career, Portland lost to Utah, in five games. Sabonis averaged 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game, in 1997–98, all career-highs.

During Sabonis' first leg in Portland, the Blazers always made the playoffs (part of a 21-year streak); between 1998 and 1999, the Oregon franchise changed large parts of its roster, in order to compete for the NBA Championship (after six consecutive first round losses), with center Sabonis the only player remaining in the starting five. Kenny Anderson and Isaiah Rider were traded for Damon Stoudamire and Steve Smith. In both those years, the Blazers reached the Western Conference Finals; in 1999 they were swept by the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs, while the next year, the team (starting Sabonis, Smith, Stoudamire, Rasheed Wallace, and recently added Scottie Pippen) lost to the Los Angeles Lakers (at the beginning of the team's three-peat), in seven games.

The question that frequently surrounds Sabonis' NBA career revolves around how good he could have been, had he played in the NBA during his prime. Sabonis was already 30 when he joined the Blazers, by which time he had already won multiple gold medals, suffered through numerous injuries, and had lost much of his mobility and athleticism. In Bill Simmons' "Book of Basketball", Sabonis the international player is idealized, while Sabonis the Blazer, is described as "lumbering up and down the court in what looked to be concrete Nikes", and ranking "just behind Artis Gilmore on the Moving Like a Mummy Scale." In ESPN's David Thorpe's view, Sabonis would be the best passing big man in NBA history, and possibly a top four center overall, had he played his entire career there. In Clyde Drexler's view, if Sabonis had been able to spend his prime in Portland, next to the plethora of other Trail Blazers' All Stars (Drexler, Terry Porter, Buck Williams and Clifford Robinson), the Trail Blazers would "have had four, five or six titles. Guaranteed. He was that good. He could pass, shoot three pointers, had a great post game, and dominated the paint."

After the 2000–2001 NBA season, Sabonis refused to sign an extension with the Trail Blazers and retired from the NBA. In his own words, he "was tired mentally and physically." Instead, he returned to Europe, where he signed a one-year deal, at a nominal salary, with Žalgiris Kaunas, expecting to join the team for the most important games of the season down the stretch. However, he ended up missing that season in its entirety, resting and recovering from injuries. Sabonis rejoined the Trail Blazers for one final season, in 2002–2003.

He won the Euroscar twice, while playing with the Blazers. He also became a fan favorite, and had a warm welcome back when he visited Portland in 2011, en route to being enshrined into the Naismith Hall of Fame.

Back to Žalgiris
Sabonis came back to Žalgiris to play his final season, in 2003–04. He led the team to the Top 16 stage of the EuroLeague that year, and was named the Regular Season MVP and the Top 16 MVP. He also became the team's President. Sabonis would officially retire from playing professional basketball, in 2005.

National team career

Soviet national team

In 1982, Sabonis was one of the players in the senior Soviet Union national team that toured the United States, playing against various college basketball teams.

Despite being recommended to rest, instead of playing in the 1988 Summer Olympics, the Soviets allowed Sabonis to remain a part of their national team. Sabonis led the Soviet Union to a gold medal, with a win against the 1988 edition of the United States national team, that featured future NBA All-Stars David Robinson, Mitch Richmond, and Danny Manning in the semifinals. This was the last American Olympic team that was not composed of active NBA players. The team later beat Yugoslavia in the finals.

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). 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' 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 Žalgiris Kaunas versus CSKA Moscow games in the 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. 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. While the Soviets cleared him to play 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. Eventually, Sabonis would develop chronic knee, ankle and groin issues, that substantially limited his mobility and explosiveness, by the mid-1990s.

Lithuanian national team
After breakup of the Soviet Union, and the independence of Lithuania, Sabonis then became a member of the senior Lithuanian national team. He represented Lithuania at the following major tournaments: the 1992 Summer Olympic Games (bronze medal), the 1995 EuroBasket (silver medal), the 1996 Summer Olympic Games (bronze medal), and the 1999 EuroBasket. He was named to the EuroBasket All-Tournament Team in 1995.

Sabonis was also awarded a silver medal at the 2013 EuroBasket tournament, due to being the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) President.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 73 || 21 || 23.8 || .545 || .375 || .757 || 8.1 || 1.8 || .9 || 1.1 || 14.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 69 || 68 || 25.5 || .498 || .371 || .777 || 7.9 || 2.1 || .9 || 1.2 || 13.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 73 || 73 || 32.0 || .493 || .261 || .798 || 10.0 || 3.0 || .9 || 1.1 || 16.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 50 || 48 || 27.0 || .485 || .292 || .771 || 7.9 || 2.4 || .7 || 1.3 || 12.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 66 || 61 || 25.6 || .505 || .368 || .843 || 7.8 || 1.8 || .7 || 1.2 || 11.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 61 || 42 || 21.3 || .479 || .067 || .776 || 5.4 || 1.5 || .7 || 1.0 || 10.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 78 || 1 || 15.5 || .476 || .500 || .787 || 4.3 || 1.8 || .8 || .6 || 6.1
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 470 || 314 || 24.2 || .500 || .328 || .786 || 7.3 || 2.1 || .8 || 1.1 || 12.0

Playoffs

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|1996
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 5 || 5 || 35.4 || .432 || .556 || .717 || 10.2 || 1.8 || .8 || .6 || 23.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|1997
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 4 || 4 || 27.0 || .429 || .250 || .875 || 6.5 || 2.3 || .8 || .8 || 11.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|1998
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 4 || 4 || 26.8 || .450 || .500 || .857 || 7.8 || 1.5 || 1.8 || .8 || 12.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|1999
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 13 || 13 || 30.2 || .398 || .200 || .907 || 8.8 || 2.2 || 1.2 || 1.2 || 10.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2000
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 16 || 16 || 30.8 || .453 || .286 || .796 || 6.7 || 1.9 || .9 || .8 || 11.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2001
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 3 || 3 || 34.7 || .483 || .000 || .750 || 8.3 || 2.7 || .3 || 2.3 || 11.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2003
| style="text-align:left;"|Portland
| 6 || 1 || 14.3 || .667 ||  || .800 || 4.0 || .8 || .7 || .7 || 10.0
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 51 || 46 || 28.8 || .452 || .319 || .802 || 7.4 || 1.9 || .9 || .9 || 12.1

EuroLeague

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|1985–86
| style="text-align:left;"|Žalgiris
| 13 ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 24.5 || 
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|1986–87
| style="text-align:left;"|Žalgiris
| 6 ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 21.3 || 
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|1992–93
| style="text-align:left;"|Real Madrid
| 20 ||  || 30.9 || .543 || .500 || .663 || style="background:#cfecec;"|12.0* || 1.9 || 1.2 ||  || 16.5 || 
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|1993–94
| style="text-align:left;"|Real Madrid
| 15 ||  || 34.3 || .577 || .350 || .723 || 11.9 || 2.9 || 1.0 ||  || 17.4 || 
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|1994–95†
| style="text-align:left;"|Real Madrid
| 17 ||  || 33.8 || .572 || .545 || .783 || 11.2 || 2.6 || 1.8 ||  || 21.8 || 
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2003–04
| style="text-align:left;"|Žalgiris
| 18 || 14 || 28.3 || .560 || .366 || .696 || style="background:#cfecec;"|10.7* || 2.4 || 1.0 || style="background:#cfecec;"|1.6* || 16.7 || style="background:#cfecec;"|26.3*
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 89 ||  || 31.6 || .562 || .439 || .716 || 11.4 || 2.4 || 1.3 || 1.6 || 19.2 ||

Personal life
Sabonis is married to Ingrida Mikelionytė, the first Miss Lithuania, a fashion model, and a movie actress. They have a daughter named Aušrinė, and three sons: Žygimantas, Tautvydas, and Domantas – the last two being born in the cities his father was playing, Valladolid and Portland. Once Sabonis left the NBA, the family moved to the Spanish coastal city of Málaga. Domantas was drafted 11th overall in the 2016 NBA draft and is currently a two-time NBA All-Star, and currently plays for the Sacramento Kings. Žygimantas, and Tautvydas decided to continue their careers in Europe. Both Domantas and Tautvydas played for the Lithuania national team in different levels of competition.

In September 2011, Sabonis suffered a heart attack, while playing basketball in Lithuania. Doctors said that the heart attack was not life-threatening.

According to his son, Domantas, Arvydas is a huge fan of the Boston Celtics, his favorite basketball player is Larry Bird and his favorite color is green.

Popular culture
He appeared on the Lithuanian cover of the video game NBA Live 2001.

Arvydas Sabonis' basketball career and journey to represent his native country Lithuania in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics is highlighted in the documentary film The Other Dream Team. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012 and was distributed by Lionsgate in the U.S. and Disney internationally.

See also
 List of tallest players in National Basketball Association history
 List of European basketball players in the United States

References

External links

FIBA Archive Profile
InterBasket Profile
Euroleague.net Profile
FIBAEurope.com Profile
Spanish ACB Profile 

1964 births
Living people
1982 FIBA World Championship players
1986 FIBA World Championship players
Atlanta Hawks draft picks
Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Basketball players from Kaunas
BC Žalgiris players
Businesspeople from Kaunas
CB Valladolid players
Centers (basketball)
Euroscar award winners
FIBA EuroBasket-winning players
FIBA Hall of Fame inductees
FIBA World Championship-winning players
Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR
Liga ACB players
Lithuanian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Lithuanian expatriate basketball people in Spain
Lithuanian men's basketball players
Lithuanian Sportsperson of the Year winners
Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
National Basketball Association players from Lithuania
Olympic basketball players of Lithuania
Olympic basketball players of the Soviet Union
Olympic bronze medalists for Lithuania
Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union
Olympic medalists in basketball
Portland Trail Blazers draft picks
Portland Trail Blazers players
Real Madrid Baloncesto players
Recipients of the Olympic Order
Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples
Recipients of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
Soviet expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Soviet men's basketball players
Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy alumni
Travis Marshall Long (born July 24, 1991) is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington State.

Early years
Long attended Gonzaga Prep High School in Spokane, Washington. He was selected to the All-Greater Spokane League Second Team in his sophomore season in high school. During high school, he was a Tacoma News Tribune Northwest Nugget honorable mention. He was selected to the Associated Press 4-A All-State First Team and was named to the Seattle Times All-State Team as a defensive lineman. He was named as the GSL Co-Defensive Player of the Year with his future Washington State Cougar teammate Chris Mastin.

College career
Long played college football at Washington State. He was an honorable mention All-Pacific-10 Conference in his freshman and sophomore seasons. He was the recipient of the Leon Bender award during his sophomore season. He was selected to the Second-Team All-Pac-12 and Phil Steele's All-Pac-12 Conference second team in his junior season. He was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team
and also was named WSU's defensive MVP following his senior season. He was the recipient of the Laurie Niemi Award in his senior season. On November 26, 2012, he was named as an All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention following the conclusion of his senior season. On December 19, 2012, he was selected as the inaugural 2012 Kathi Goertzen Coug of the Year. He finished college with a total of 201 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 11 pass deflections, 4 forced fumbles and one interception.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles
Long signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent on July 29, 2013. On August 31, 2013, Long was cut. On September 1, 2013, Long was added to the Eagles' practice squad. On January 6, 2014, Long signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles.

He tore his ACL in the fourth and final preseason game of the 2014 NFL season. He was placed on injured reserve on August 30, 2014.

Almost a year after his injury, Long tore the same ACL on August 3, 2015. He was placed on injured reserve and will miss his second straight season.

On July 27, 2016, Long was released.

References

External links
Washington State Cougars bio

1991 births
Living people
Washington State Cougars football players
Philadelphia Eagles players Kyle Howard Long (born December 5, 1988) is an American football guard for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and the younger brother of former defensive end Chris Long, he played college football at Oregon following stints with Florida State and Saddleback. He was selected in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, where he played his first seven seasons.

During his Bears tenure, Long received three consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2013 to 2015 and one second-team All-Pro selection in 2014. After retiring in 2019, he returned with the Chiefs for the 2021 season.

Early years
Long was born in Ivy, Virginia. He attended St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia. He played both baseball and football. He was selected to the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 23rd round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign and honored his commitment to Florida State University.

College career
In January 2009, Long left Florida State for academic reasons following an arrest for DWI. In 2010, Long enrolled at Saddleback College, a community college in Mission Viejo, California, and returned to playing football. During his first year he played defensive end, recording 16 tackles and one quarterback sack. In 2011, he switched to the offensive line. On December 18, 2011, he committed to play for the Oregon Ducks football team, and subsequently transferred to the University of Oregon. During the 2012 season, he started six of twelve games for the Ducks on the offensive line. He appealed for an extra year of college eligibility, but his appeal was denied by the NCAA.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Long was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 20th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. He was the first guard to be drafted by the team in the first round since Roger Davis in 1960. Long signed on May 17, the last member of Chicago's 2013 draft class to do so.

Long attended the rookie minicamp from May 10–12, but missed much of the offseason program due to a league rule prohibiting rookies from working out until their college class graduates. He returned to team activities on June 17. Long started the 2013 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals at right guard, becoming the first rookie in team history to start a season opener at the position in the Super Bowl era. On January 8, 2014, Long was named to Pro Football Focus' All-Rookie Team. He was subsequently named to NFL.com's All-Rookie Team on January 15. On January 20, 2014, he earned a spot in the 2014 Pro Bowl due to the injury of original Pro Bowl left guard Mike Iupati in the 2014 NFC Championship Game. Long became the first Bears rookie to make the Pro Bowl since Johnny Knox in 2009.

He made the Pro Bowl again following the 2014 season and was also named as a second-team All-Pro guard.

At the start of the 2015 season, Long made the switch from guard to tackle. He started all 16 regular season games in 2015 and was selected to his third consecutive Pro Bowl.

On March 10, 2016, the Bears signed right tackle Bobby Massie from the Arizona Cardinals, and Long was moved back to guard. On April 15, 2016, the Bears exercised the fifth-year option on Long's rookie deal, a move that would have kept Long under his original contract through 2017.

On September 7, 2016, Long signed a four-year $40 million contract extension with the Bears through 2021.

Long suffered multiple injuries during the 2016 season. He played the first seven games of the season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He missed the Bears' Week 8 contest against the Minnesota Vikings due to a strained triceps. Long then severely injured his right ankle two weeks later against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was carted off the field. He was placed on injured reserve on November 15.

On December 5, 2017, Long was placed on injured reserve after aggravating a shoulder injury in Week 13, while also being bothered by ankle and finger injuries throughout the season.

Long started the first eight games of the 2018 season, but suffered a foot injury in Week 8 against the New York Jets and was ruled out 6–8 weeks just a few days later. He was placed on injured reserve on November 3, 2018. He was activated off injured reserve on December 29, 2018.

Early in 2019, Long suffered a hip injury that forced him to miss the Week 4 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Although he returned for the following week's Oakland Raiders game, the injury persisted and he was placed on injured reserve on October 14.

Long announced his retirement from professional football on January 6, 2020. The Bears declined his contract option for 2020, making him an unrestricted free agent on March 18, 2020.

Kansas City Chiefs
On March 18, 2021, Long signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, after deciding to come out of retirement. He injured his knee during OTAs on June 10, 2021. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) on August 31, 2021, due to the injury. He was activated on November 30. He was put on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on December 21, 2021. He was activated on December 27, 2021.

Personal life
Long is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and the younger brother of retired defensive end Chris Long.

He is a part-owner of esports team Mode Motorsports in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, and as of September 16, 2020, co-hosts (with Paul Swan) a weekly talk show on NASCAR.com's YouTube channel. In 2020, Long became a studio analyst for CBS Sports Network's That Other Pregame Show.

References

External links
 Chicago Bears bio
 Oregon Ducks bio
 Florida State Seminoles bio
 Saddleback College Gauchos bio

1988 births
Living people
American football offensive guards
Chicago Bears players
Kansas City Chiefs players
Oregon Ducks football players
Saddleback Gauchos football players
People from Ivy, Virginia
Players of American football from Virginia
Unconferenced Pro Bowl players
Long family (American football)
American football offensive tackles