Dražen Petrović, playing for the New Jersey Nets.

Dražen Petrović (October 22, 1964 – June 7, 1993) was a Croatian basketball player. He is arguably the best player ever to emerge from the Old Continent and considered a crucial part of the vanguard to the present-day mass influx of European players into the NBA. Image File history File links Drazen-petrovic. ... Image File history File links Drazen-petrovic. ... The New Jersey Nets are a National Basketball Association team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ... October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005 For other uses, see Basketball (disambiguation). ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to some dispute as to Europes actual borders. ... The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ...

Early years

Born in Šibenik, Dražen was the second child of Jovan and Biserka Petrović. The couple's first child, Aleksandar, would be the first one to tread the basketball path, providing a lead for young Dražen to follow. At the age of thirteen Dražen started playing in the youth selections of the local BC Šibenka; at the age of fifteen he had already made the first team, just as Šibenka earned a place in the national first division. Å ibenik Å ibenik (Italian: Sebenico) is a historic town in Croatia, population 51,553 (2001). ... The YUBA Liga, named Atlas Pils YUBA Liga for sponsorship reasons, is name of the two-tiered, top competitive league in Serbia and Montenegro, the Super League and the First League, each having their own Mens and Womens divisions. ...

With young Petrović as the star of the team, Šibenka reached the final of the Radivoj Korać Cup twice (1982 and 1983), losing to CSP Limoges both times. In 1983 the 19 year-old Dražen hit two free throws for Šibenka's victory over BC Bosna Sarajevo in the final playoff game of the Yugoslavian club championship; the title was taken away from Šibenka the next day by the national basketball federation on unfounded grounds. Radivoj Korać (Serbian: Радивој Кораћ), sometimes also Radivoje, (November 5, 1938 – June 2, 1969) was a successful basketball player from Serbia. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cercle Saint-Pierre de Limoges, or CSP Limoges, is a French Basketball club based in Limoges. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... KK Bosna (KoÅ¡arkaÅ¡ki Klub Bosna) is a basketball club in Sarajevo the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... Official language Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian Capital Belgrade Largest city Belgrade Area (1991)  - Total  - % water Ranked xxst 255,804 km² Negligible Population  - Total (2004)  - Density Ranked xxth 20,522,972 80/km² Currency Yugoslav dinar Time zone  - in summer CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) National anthem Hej, Sloveni/Slaveni...

Petrović regularly played for the Yugoslavian national team in the Balkan Championships, winning bronze and gold with the junior team and silver with the first team. In 1982 he also brought back the silver from the European Championship for Junior Men in Greece. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Rise to greatness

Cibona

After spending a year serving the compulsory time in the military, Dražen followed his brother's footsteps and moved to BC Cibona Zagreb to form, at that time, the best backcourt duo in Europe. The very first year in Cibona he won both the Yugoslav championship and the national cup. To top it all off, the 87:78 victory - to which Dražen contributed with 39 points - over Real Madrid brought him and Cibona their first European Cup title. The second came the following year, as Dražen scored 22 points and Cibona defeated BC Žalgiris Kaunas, which starred Arvydas Sabonis. The same year brought another national cup title for Cibona, seeing Dražen score 46 against the old rival Bosna. In 1987 Dražen earned his third European trophy: a European Cup Winners Cup title against BC Scavolini Pesaro, whose net he filled with 28 points. KoÅ¡arkaÅ¡ki Klub Cibona (English: Cibona Basketball Club), also known as Cibona VIP due to sponsorship of Croatian mobile phone network VIP, is a basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. ... Zagreb at night, from Sljeme Zagreb cathedral St. ... Real Madrid-Teka is a Spanish basketball team. ... The Euroleague is a high-caliber professional basketball league with teams from all over Europe. ... Team Emblem BC Žalgiris is a basketball team based in Kaunas, Lithuania. ... Arvydas Sabonis (born December 19, 1964 in Kaunas) is a former professional basketball player from Lithuania. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Victoria Libertas (or VL) is a basketball team based in Pesaro, Italy. ...

With the Yugoslavian national team Petrović won the bronze in the 1984 Summer Olympics. Third place was also earned at the World Championship in 1986, remembered for the last minute thriller in the semi-final game against the Soviet Union. From the European Championship in 1987 Dražen again returned with the bronze, as Yugoslavia lost to the hosts and gold medalists Greece. The University Games, held in Zagreb in 1987, saw the Yugoslavian squad with Dražen win the gold. In the 1988 Summer Olympics Petrović earned 2nd place, as Yugoslavia lost once more to the Soviet powerhouse. The Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in 1984 in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... The Basketball World Championship (official name: FIBA World Championship) is a world basketball tournament held quadrennially. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Eurobasket is the name commonly used to refer to the European basketball championships that take every two years between national teams of the continent. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes, by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). ... Zagreb at night, from Sljeme Zagreb cathedral St. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Games of the XXIV Olympiad were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ...

Dražen Petrović's scoring average during the four years with Cibona stood at 37.7 points in the Yugoslavian first division and 33.8 in European competitions, with amazing personal one-time bests of 112 and 62 points, respectively. His performances were dazzling as his numbers were surreal: he was known to score over 40 points and dish out over 20 assists in a game; in an 1986 European League game against Limoges, Petrović scored 10 3-pointers, including seven in a row during a first half stretch, for a final tally of 51 points and 10 assists. Self-admittedly, Dražen needed new challenges, which Cibona and the Yugoslavian league could not offer. Across the Atlantic, the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA had already used their third round pick on young Petrović in 1986. However, he decided to postpone his departure to the United States and in 1988 signed with Real Madrid instead, for a hefty sum of around US$ 4 million. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Euroleague is a high-caliber professional basketball league with teams from all over Europe. ... The Cercle Saint-Pierre de Limoges, or CSP Limoges, is a French Basketball club based in Limoges. ... The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of the earths surface. ... The Portland Trail Blazers are a National Basketball Association team based in Portland, Oregon. ... The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Real Madrid

The 1988 - 1989 season saw Petrović wear the colors of the Spanish royal club. Although the national championship barely escaped them, as they lost to Barcelona in the fifth and decisive game of the final series, Dražen helped Real to the national cup title over their Catalonian rivals. Petrović also lead the club to victory in the European Cup Winners Cup final against Snaidero Caserta by tying his previous best scoring performance in European competitions (62 points). His first season in the ACB was also his last, but he still holds ACB single performance bests in a final series game in points made (42) and three-pointers made (8). Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia, an autonomous region in Spain. ... Capital Barcelona Official languages Catalan and Spanish In Val dAran, also Aranese. ... ACB (Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto), is the premier professional basketball league in Spain. ...

An excellent season in the club competitions was topped by Dražen's 1989 accomplishment with the national team: at the Eurobasket in Zagreb the young Yugoslavian team went all the way, defeating Greece more than comfortably in the championship game. Dražen was the tournament's leading scorer and most valuable player.

Motivated by the challenge and pressured by the Portland Trail Blazers, who had drafted him 60th overall back in 1986, Petrović finally stood firm in the decision to try and establish himself in the NBA. He left Spain rather abruptly at the end of the season, bought his way out of the contract with Real, and joined the Blazers for the 1989-1990 season. The 1989-90 NBA Season was the 44th season of the National Basketball Association. ...

NBA period

Portland

In his many statements prior to arriving in Portland, Dražen voiced lack of playing time as the only possible obstacle to his success in the NBA; in his first season with the Blazers, those concerns were realized. With Portland's starting backcourt of Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter already established, the best European player was reduced to playing 12 minutes per game - minutes collected largely in "garbage time" - allowing him a mere 7.4 points per game. The beginning of the 1990-1991 season brought Dražen's frustration to a climax, as his playing time dropped to 7 minutes a game. At his insistence, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets in a three-way trade with the Denver Nuggets 38 games into the season (of which Dražen only saw any playing time in 18). Clyde Austin The Glyde Drexler (born June 22, 1962 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a former NBA all-star shooting guard. ... Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a former NBA player and former head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. ... Garbage time is a term most commonly used in American sports (most commonly, basketball) parlance to refer to the period of time at the end of a timed sporting event when the outcome of the game has already been decided, and the coaches of one or both teams will decide... The 1990-91 NBA Season was the 45th season of the National Basketball Association. ... The New Jersey Nets are a National Basketball Association team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ... The Denver Nuggets are a National Basketball Association team based in Denver, Colorado. ...

The summer in between the two most frustrating seasons of his professional career Dražen was again making history with the national team, as Yugoslavia became world champions, beating the Soviet Union for the gold in Buenos Aires. With the political situation in the former country tense, events related to the post-game celebration on the court, involving the treatment of a Croatian flag, were later referenced by Petrović as the reason for the falling out between him and long-time friend, Serb Vlade Divac. Buenos Aires (English: Fair Winds, originally Ciudad de la Santísima Trinidad y Puerto de Santa María de los Buenos Aires, City of the Holy Trinity and Port of Saint Mary of the Fair Winds) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as... Serbs (in the Serbian language Срби, Srbi) are a south Slavic people living chiefly in Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... Vlade Divac [pronounced Vlah-de Dee-vahts] (born 3 February 1968) (Serbian: Владе Дивац) is a former NBA player. ...

New Jersey

Nets jersey of Dražen Petrović

On January 23, 1991, Dražen Petrović became a member of the New Jersey Nets. Petrović was now a part of a team that featured two of the best young prospects in the league, Kenny Anderson and Derrick Coleman, but a team that hadn't reached the playoffs since 1986. Determined to not let the Portland episode repeat, he immediately responded to the increased playing time (20.5 minutes per game), holding a scoring average of 12.6 points per game in 43 games with the Nets. His first complete season with the Nets was truly stellar: not missing a single game, Dražen averaged 20.6 points in 36.9 minutes on the floor, leading all guards in the NBA in field goal percentage (51%); he established himself as the team leader and was proclaimed team's MVP. More significantly, his success translated into team success, as the Nets recorded 14 more wins than the season before and made the playoffs. For his encore, in 1992-1993 season Dražen increased his scoring average (22.3) and repeated the excellent three-point field goal percentage from the previous season (45%), again leading all guards in field goal percentage (52%). American media honored him with a selection to the All-NBA 3rd Team. However, a failure to receive an invitation to the 1993 All-Star game came as a great disappointment to Dražen; he was the only one among the top 15 scorers in the NBA that season who did not get invited. ImageMetadata File history File links Petrovic. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Petrovic. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kenneth (Kenny) Anderson (born October 9, 1970 in Queens, New York) is a left-handed point guard who played more than a decade in the National Basketball Association. ... Derrick D. Coleman (born June 21, 1967 in Mobile, Alabama) is a pro basketball player in the NBA. Coleman grew up and attended high school in Detroit, Michigan and attended college at Syracuse University. ... The 1985-86 NBA Season was the 40th season of the National Basketball Association. ... A Guard may be a person or an organisation. ... In American sports, a Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests. ... The 1992-93 NBA Season was the 47th season of the National Basketball Association. ... The 2004/2005 NBA Eastern Conference All-Stars The 2004/2005 NBA Western Conference All-Stars The NBA staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. ...

1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona marked the first summer olympiad featuring the independent Croatia, and Dražen was the leader of the Croatian national basketball team at the Olympic basketball tournament. Losing only to the American Dream Team in round-robin play, strong and inspired Croatian team made it to the finals - with clutch free throws executed by Petrović in the semi-final game against Russia. In the end, the now legendary team composed of NBA stars proved too tough for Croatia, sending Dražen and his teammates home with silver medals. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... For months before the Olympic Games, runners relay the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the opening ceremony. ... Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia, an autonomous region in Spain. ... The Dream Team was the unofficial nickname of the United States mens basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. ... Round Robin = A sexual act between two partners. ...

Death and posthumous glory

In the summer of 1993, after his best NBA season and the Nets' first-round elimination by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dražen travelled to Poland, where the Croatian national team was playing a qualification tournament for the 1993 Eurobasket. He was contemplating departure from the Nets, disappointed tension between himself and, to his belief, envious teammates, as well as the fact that the Nets had not yet extended his contract; lack of recognition in the league had him also considering leaving the NBA completely and playing club basketball in Greece: it was later indicated that Dražen had agreed on terms with Panathinaikos BC, its owner Pavlos Giannakopoulos having allegedly offered a signed contract with blank honorarium terms. For personal reasons, Dražen decided not to return to Croatia from Poland together with his teammates, but in a private vehicle. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Cleveland Cavaliers are a National Basketball Association team based in Cleveland, Ohio. ... Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (Greek: Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, i. ...

Dražen Petrović died a passenger in a car involved in a traffic accident on the rain-drenched Autobahn 9 at Denkendorf, near Ingolstadt, Germany, at approximately 17:20 on June 7th, 1993, four and a half months before his 29th birthday. The German and Austrian autobahn sign The Swiss autobahn sign Autobahn (pronounced in IPA) is the German word for a major high-speed road confined to motor vehicles and having full control of access, similar to a motorway or freeway in English-speaking countries. ... Ingolstadt is a city in the Federal State of Bavaria, Germany. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

The Cibona stadium was renamed the Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall on October 4, 1993, and the city of Zagreb dedicated a square in his name. The Nets retired his number 3 jersey at the beginning of the 1993-1994 NBA season. On April 29, 1995, a statue commemorating Dražen's significance to the world of sports was erected in front of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, thus making him only the second athlete to receive this honor. Petrović was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall (natively KoÅ¡arkaÅ¡ki centar Dražen Petrović or Dvorana Dražen Petrović) is an arena in Zagreb, Croatia. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland houses permanent and temporary exhibits relating to sport and the Olympic movement. ... Lausanne (, ) is a city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman), and facing Évian-les-Bains (France). ... The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honors players who have shown exceptional skill at basketball, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game. ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ...

Accomplishments and awards

Club competitions

• YUBA most points scored by an individual in a league game (112)

• ACB most points scored by an individual in a final series game (42)

• ACB most 3PT field goals made by an individual in a final series game (8)

• NBA 1992 field goal percentage leader among guards (1st)

• NBA 1993 field goal percentage leader among guards (1st)

• NBA most 3PT field goals made with none missed in a three-game playoff series (tied with 2)

• NBA All-Time 3PT field goal percentage leader (3rd)

1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Radivoj Korać (Serbian: Радивој Кораћ), sometimes also Radivoje, (November 5, 1938 – June 2, 1969) was a successful basketball player from Serbia. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Champions League Logo The UEFA Champions League is an annual international inter-club football competition between Europes most successful clubs, regarded as the most prestigious club trophy in the sport. ... Košarkaški Klub Cibona (English: Cibona Basketball Club), also known as Cibona VIP due to sponsorship of Croatian mobile phone network VIP, is a basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Real Madrid-Teka is a Spanish basketball team. ... ACB (Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto), is the premier professional basketball league in Spain. ... This article is about the year. ... The NBA Playoffs are four rounds of competition between sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conferences (called Divisions, pre-1970) of the National Basketball Association. ... The Portland Trail Blazers are a National Basketball Association team based in Portland, Oregon. ...

National teams

• Balkan Championship for Junior Men 1982 Best Player

• World Championship 1986 MVP

• European Championship 1989 MVP

1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Satellite image of Istanbul and the Bosphorus Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) is Turkeys largest city, and its cultural and economic center. ... The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from 1945 to 1992. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article needs cleanup. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes, by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). ... More than one place has the name Edmonton. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína (IPA: )) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... For months before the Olympic Games, runners relay the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the opening ceremony. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Basketball World Championship (official name: FIBA World Championship) is a world basketball tournament held quadrennially. ... Madrid is the capital and largest city in Spain, as well as in the province and the autonomous community of the same name. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes, by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). ... Zagreb at night, from Sljeme Zagreb cathedral St. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Eurobasket is the name commonly used to refer to the European basketball championships that take every two years between national teams of the continent. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Seoul (IPA: , (help· info)) is the capital and largest city of South Korea (Republic of Korea). ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Zagreb at night, from Sljeme Zagreb cathedral St. ... This article is about the year. ... Buenos Aires (English: Fair Winds, originally Ciudad de la Santísima Trinidad y Puerto de Santa María de los Buenos Aires, City of the Holy Trinity and Port of Saint Mary of the Fair Winds) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia, an autonomous region in Spain. ...

External links

• Dražen Petrović at the Basketball Hall of Fame
• www.DrazenPetrovic.com
• In Honor of Dražen Petrović