Peja Stojaković facts for kids
Stojaković with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 9 June 1977 Slavonska Požega, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia |
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| Nationality | Serbian / Greek | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 229 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Sacramento Kings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1992–2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Crvena zvezda | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1998 | PAOK | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2006 | Sacramento Kings | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Indiana Pacers | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2010 | New Orleans Hornets | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Toronto Raptors | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Dallas Mavericks | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
As a player:
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| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 13,647 (17.0 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 3,782 (4.7 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,408 (1.8 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Predrag Stojaković (born June 9, 1977), better known as Peja, is a Serbian basketball executive and former player. He was most recently an assistant general manager for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Peja is known as one of the best shooters in NBA history.
He made 1,760 three-point shots during his career. This placed him 4th all-time when he retired. He is currently 32nd in this category. Standing at 6 feet 10 inches tall, Peja mostly played as a small forward. He won the NBA Three-Point Contest twice. In 2022, he was added to the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame.
Peja started his career with Crvena zvezda in Serbia. He then played for PAOK in Greece. The Sacramento Kings drafted him 14th overall in the 1996 NBA draft. He became a star player for the Kings. He was a three-time NBA All-Star. He also made the All-NBA Second Team in 2004.
Later in his career, Peja played for the Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, and Toronto Raptors. He won an NBA Championship in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks. Peja also helped the FR Yugoslavian national team win gold medals. They won at the 2001 FIBA EuroBasket and the 2002 FIBA World Championship. He retired from basketball on December 19, 2011. The Sacramento Kings retired his jersey number 16 on December 16, 2014.
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Peja Stojaković's Early Life
Predrag "Peja" Stojaković was born on June 9, 1977. His parents are Miodrag and Branka Stojaković. He was born in Požega, which was then part of Yugoslavia. His family later moved to Belgrade due to conflicts in the region.
In 1993, when he was 16, Peja moved to Thessaloniki, Greece. His father joined him there in 1995. Many of Peja's relatives now live in Serbia.
Peja Stojaković's Basketball Journey
Starting in Serbia: Red Star Belgrade
At 15 years old, Peja joined the Crvena zvezda basketball club. He played two seasons with their senior team. In the 1992–93 season, he helped his team win a national championship. He played 39 games for Red Star. He scored a total of 113 points, averaging 2.9 points per game.
Playing in Greece: PAOK Thessaloniki
Peja moved to Greece in 1993 and joined PAOK Thessaloniki a year later. With PAOK, he won the Greek Cup in 1995. He also played in the final of the 1995–96 FIBA European Cup.
In 1998, Peja made a famous three-point shot against Olympiacos. This shot won the game for PAOK, 58–55. This victory helped PAOK reach the Greek League finals. They lost the championship series 3–2 to Panathinaikos. In his last season with PAOK, Peja averaged 23.9 points per game.
NBA Star: Sacramento Kings Years
The Sacramento Kings picked Peja in the 1996 NBA draft. He was the 14th overall pick. He joined the Kings for the 1998–99 NBA season. After two seasons on the bench, he had a great season in 2000–01. He averaged 20.4 points and 5.8 rebounds. He shot 40% from three-point range. He was second in voting for the Most Improved Player Award that year.
In 2001–02, Peja played in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time. His scoring went up to 21.2 points per game. He also shot 41.6% from three-point range. He played in the All-Star Game again in 2002–03. In both of these seasons, he won the Three-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend.
In 2003–04, Peja was an All-Star again. He was second in the league in scoring with a career-high 24.2 points per game. He also led the NBA in free-throw percentage (93.3%). He made 240 three-pointers that season, which was the most in the league. The Sacramento Kings retired his number 16 jersey on December 16, 2014.
Moving Teams: Pacers, Hornets, Raptors
On January 25, 2006, Peja was traded to the Indiana Pacers. He missed some playoff games due to injury. In the 2006 offseason, he signed a five-year deal with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. On November 14, 2006, he scored a career-high 42 points. He was the first NBA player to start a game with 20 straight points for his team. Injuries limited him to only 13 games that season.
Peja played well the next season, starting 77 games. He helped the Hornets win a team-record 56 games. They also won their first division title. In the 2008 playoffs, he averaged 23.5 points in the first two games against the San Antonio Spurs. The Hornets lost to the Spurs in seven games. On November 20, 2010, Peja was traded to the Toronto Raptors. He played only two games for them due to a knee injury and was released in January 2011.
NBA Champion: Dallas Mavericks
On January 24, 2011, Peja signed with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks went on to win the NBA championship that year. Peja averaged 7.1 points per game during their playoff run. He scored over 20 points in two different playoff games for the Mavericks. On December 19, 2011, Peja announced his retirement. He mentioned ongoing back and neck problems as the reason.
After Playing: Executive Role
In August 2015, Peja Stojaković became the director of player personnel and development for the Sacramento Kings. In May 2018, he was named Assistant General Manager. He also served as the General Manager for the Stockton Kings, their development league team. On August 15, 2020, he stepped down from his position.
Playing for His Country: National Team
Peja was a key player for the FR Yugoslavia national basketball team. He won a bronze medal at the 1999 FIBA EuroBasket in France. He also played at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games.
He won gold medals at the 2001 FIBA EuroBasket in Turkey. He also won gold at the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis. Peja was named the MVP of the 2001 FIBA EuroBasket. He was also chosen for the All-Tournament Team at the 2002 FIBA World Championship. He finished his national team career at EuroBasket 2003.
Peja's Life Off the Court
Peja gained full Greek citizenship when he was 17. This happened while he was playing basketball in Greece. He also speaks the Greek language.
He is married to Greek model Aleka Kamila. They have three children together. Their son, Andrej, born in 2004, plays basketball for the California Golden Bears. In 2014, his family lived in Glyfada, Greece. Peja also runs the Peja Stojaković Children's Foundation. This charity helps improve the lives of children in Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece.
Peja Stojaković's NBA Stats
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | Sacramento | 48 | 1 | 21.4 | .378 | .320 | .851 | 3.0 | 1.5 | .9 | .1 | 8.4 |
| 1999–2000 | Sacramento | 74 | 11 | 23.6 | .448 | .375 | .882 | 3.7 | 1.4 | .7 | .1 | 11.9 |
| 2000–01 | Sacramento | 75 | 75 | 38.7 | .470 | .400 | .856 | 5.8 | 2.2 | 1.2 | .2 | 20.4 |
| 2001–02 | Sacramento | 71 | 71 | 37.3 | .484 | .416 | .876 | 5.3 | 2.5 | 1.1 | .2 | 21.2 |
| 2002–03 | Sacramento | 72 | 72 | 34.0 | .481 | .382 | .875 | 5.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .1 | 19.2 |
| 2003–04 | Sacramento | 81 | 81 | 40.3 | .480 | .433 | .927* | 6.3 | 2.1 | 1.3 | .2 | 24.2 |
| 2004–05 | Sacramento | 66 | 66 | 38.4 | .444 | .402 | .920 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 1.2 | .2 | 20.1 |
| 2005–06 | Sacramento | 31 | 31 | 37.0 | .403 | .397 | .933 | 5.3 | 2.2 | .6 | .1 | 16.5 |
| Indiana | 40 | 40 | 36.4 | .461 | .404 | .903 | 6.3 | 1.7 | .7 | .2 | 19.5 | |
| 2006–07 | New Orleans | 13 | 13 | 32.7 | .423 | .405 | .816 | 4.2 | .8 | .6 | .3 | 17.8 |
| 2007–08 | New Orleans | 77 | 77 | 35.2 | .440 | .441 | .929* | 4.3 | 1.2 | .7 | .1 | 16.4 |
| 2008–09 | New Orleans | 61 | 59 | 34.2 | .399 | .378 | .894 | 4.3 | 1.2 | .9 | .0 | 13.3 |
| 2009–10 | New Orleans | 62 | 55 | 31.4 | .404 | .375 | .897 | 3.7 | 1.5 | .8 | .1 | 12.6 |
| 2010–11 | New Orleans | 6 | 0 | 14.8 | .424 | .440 | .857 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .3 | .0 | 7.5 |
| Toronto | 2 | 0 | 11.0 | .700 | .667 | 1.000 | 1.5 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 10.0 | |
| Dallas† | 25 | 13 | 20.2 | .429 | .400 | .938 | 2.6 | .9 | .4 | .1 | 8.6 | |
| Career | 804 | 665 | 33.5 | .450 | .401 | .895 | 4.7 | 1.8 | .9 | .1 | 17.0 | |
| All-Star | 3 | 0 | 14.7 | .364 | .385 | .000 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .3 | .0 | 7.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sacramento | 5 | 0 | 21.6 | .346 | .214 | 1.000 | 3.8 | .4 | .6 | .0 | 4.8 |
| 2000 | Sacramento | 5 | 0 | 25.8 | .400 | .462 | .667 | 3.4 | .6 | .8 | .0 | 8.8 |
| 2001 | Sacramento | 8 | 8 | 38.4 | .406 | .346 | .968 | 6.4 | .4 | .6 | .4 | 21.6 |
| 2002 | Sacramento | 10 | 7 | 33.8 | .376 | .271 | .897 | 6.3 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | 14.8 |
| 2003 | Sacramento | 12 | 12 | 40.5 | .480 | .457 | .850 | 6.9 | 2.5 | .8 | .4 | 23.1 |
| 2004 | Sacramento | 12 | 12 | 43.1 | .384 | .315 | .897 | 7.0 | 1.5 | 1.8 | .3 | 17.5 |
| 2005 | Sacramento | 5 | 5 | 40.4 | .470 | .367 | .955 | 5.2 | 1.4 | .8 | .2 | 22.0 |
| 2006 | Indiana | 2 | 2 | 25.5 | .444 | .000 | .857 | 4.5 | 2.0 | .5 | .5 | 11.0 |
| 2008 | New Orleans | 12 | 12 | 37.9 | .436 | .549 | .926 | 5.4 | .5 | .5 | .1 | 14.1 |
| 2009 | New Orleans | 5 | 5 | 32.4 | .367 | .308 | .923 | 2.8 | .4 | .8 | .2 | 11.2 |
| 2011† | Dallas | 19 | 0 | 18.4 | .408 | .377 | .778 | 1.7 | .4 | .6 | .1 | 7.1 |
| Career | 95 | 63 | 32.7 | .418 | .376 | .900 | 4.9 | 1.0 | .8 | .2 | 14.4 | |
Awards and Achievements
- NBA Champion: 2011
- All-NBA Team:
- Second Team: 2004
- 3× NBA All-Star: 2002, 2003, 2004
- 2× NBA Three-Point Contest Champion: 2002, 2003
- 4th in NBA history in career free-throw percentage at .895
- 23rd in NBA history in 3-pointers made with 1,760
- 9th in NBA playoff history in free-throw percentage at .900
- 28th in NBA history in 3-pointers attempted with 4,392
- First player in NBA history to start a game off by scoring 20 consecutive points for his team.
- He and Steve Nash of Phoenix were the only players to rank in the top 25 in both free-throw and 3-point percentage during the '04–'05 and '05–'06 seasons.
- FIBA EuroLeague Top Scorer: 1998
- FIBA EuroStar: 2007
- Greek Cup Winner: 1995
- Greek League MVP: 1998
- 2× Greek League All-Star: 1996 II, 1997
- 2× Greek All-Star Game MVP: 1996 II, 1997
- FR Yugoslav League Best Young Player: 1993
- FIBA EuroBasket All-Tournament Team: 2001
- FIBA EuroBasket MVP: 2001
- Won the 2001 Euroscar, given to the best European basketball player by Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
- Named Mister Europa Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002 by Italian weekly magazine Superbasket.
- HoopsHype's 75 Greatest International Players Ever: 2021
- Greek Basket League Hall of Fame: 2022
See also
In Spanish: Predrag Stojaković para niños
- List of National Basketball Association career 3-point scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career 3-point field goal percentage leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career free throw percentage leaders
- List of National Basketball Association season statistical leaders
- List of National Basketball Association annual free throw percentage leaders
- List of National Basketball Association annual three-point field goals leaders
- List of European basketball players in the United States
- List of Serbian NBA players
