101 Greats of European Basketball

had beaten Crvena Zvezda 2-0 in the Yugoslav League
playoff finals, winning the right to play the next EuroLeague,
the first with a new format of an eight-team group
phase leading to a Final Four. Partizan finished first in
the group after beating Barcelona twice, as well as Aris
and Maccabi. But at the Final Four in Ghent, Belgium,
they lost in the semifinals against Maccabi and finished
third after beating Aris.
In 1988, Divac won the silver medal with Yugoslavia
at the Olympics in Seoul. In 1989, Partizan won a triple
crown with the Yugoslav League, Yugoslav Cup and
Korac Cup titles. Then the Yugoslav national team became
EuroBasket 1989 champion in Zagreb. That same
year, Divac was taken 26th in the NBA Draft by the Los
Angeles Lakers. In record time, Divac had gone from
unknown to famous, from Kraljevo to Los Angeles,
from a more-than-modest team in Sloga to the bestknown
team in the world, the Lakers. All thanks to his
enormous talent.
By his stature, 2.12 meters, Divac was a center. But
in terms of skills, he was a small forward who shot
three-pointers. When it came to assists, he was like a
point guard. He had the timing of a shot-blocker and he
was a fighter. What’s more, he was always well loved, a
leader in the locker room, a joker with a thousand and
one stories. In Los Angeles, Divac had the luck of playing
with the great Magic Johnson and others who brought
“Showtime” to the Lakers. And he had the opportunity
to learn from the recently retired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The rest is history. World champion with Yugoslavia
in 1990 and 2002; Olympics silver medalist in 1988 and
1996; European gold medalist three times – in 1989,
1991 and 1995 – plus a bronze in 1999; NBA all-rookie
team member in 1989-90; his No. 21 retired by Sacramento;
a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame since 2008;
candidate for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of
Fame this year. It was a brilliant career – even without
an NBA ring.
Together with his wife, Snezana, Divac has a foundation
that bears their names and has helped many refugees
in the ex-Yugoslavia, as well as other needy people
around the world. His humanitarian effort is huge and
perhaps Divac’s brightest medal of all.
101 greats of european basketball
Vlade Divac
D