Dražen Petrović

Dražen Petrović was a Croatian basketball player born on October 22, 1964, in the city of Šibenik, Croatia, and he passed away on June 7, 1993, in Denkendorf, Germany. Petrović had a short but illustrious career, achieving significant success in both European and NBA basketball.
Starting to play basketball at a young age, Dražen Petrović quickly developed his skills. In the early 1980s, he gained recognition for his outstanding performances in the Croatian national team and notably in the Yugoslav national team.
In 1986 and 1989, Petrović won the Yugoslav Basketball League championship with the KK Cibona team. He was also a key part of the team that won the European Cup (now known as EuroLeague).
Beginning his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1989, Petrović later transferred to the New Jersey Nets. His time with the Nets was one of the brightest periods of his career. Dražen Petrović is considered one of the first major European players to succeed in the NBA. Unfortunately, his life was cut short when he passed away in a car accident in Germany in 1993 at the age of 28.
Dražen Petrović is remembered for both his basketball skills and leadership qualities. Following his death, he earned great respect in the basketball world and is regarded as a legend by many. In Croatia, the Dražen Petrović Basketball Camp in Šibenik is an event held to commemorate his legacy.
"Spahija says, 'What Petrovic did was impossible at that time. He was a pioneer.'"
Toni Kukoc, who is four years younger than Petrovic, observed how Divac and Petrovic adapted to the NBA. He did this, even though it cost him a lot of sleep.
"We stayed up all night to watch Vlade and Drazen, especially when Vlade was in the NBA Finals in 1991," says Kukoc. He adds, "It was sad that Drazen couldn't play much."
Emilio Kovacic, a Phoenix Suns scout who played with Petrovic on the Croatian national team in 1993, was in college in Arizona in the early 1990s. He checked the newspapers every day, hoping that Petrovic would get more minutes.
"We never had a European guard in the NBA," says Kovacic. "Seeing him on the bench felt bad."

Divac participated in the 2010 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Once Brothers," which recounted the dissolution of the Yugoslav national team. In a way, he accepted to be part of it to highlight how good Petrovic was and to convey that message to the younger generation. There is still some concern among the older generation that the new generation may not fully understand him. After all, time keeps moving forward. However, they are confident that Petrovic's greatness and charisma in the history of sports will never change.
"People who truly love basketball," says Divac, "will never forget Drazen."