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Vlade Divac
Владе Дивац
Vlade Divac 2016-mc.rs (cropped).jpg
Divac in 2016
President of the Serbian Olympic Committee
In office
2009–2017
Preceded by Ivan Ćurković
Succeeded by Božidar Maljković
President of KK Partizan
In office
2000–2004
Preceded by Ivica Dačić
Succeeded by Predrag Danilović
Personal details
Born (1968-02-03) February 3, 1968 (age 57)
Prijepolje, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Occupation
  • Basketball player
  • sports administrator
  • basketball executive
  • businessman
Vlade Divac
Personal information
Listed height 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight 260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft 1989 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26th overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Pro career 1983–2005
Career history
1983–1986 Sloga
1986–1989 Partizan
1989–1996 Los Angeles Lakers
1996–1998 Charlotte Hornets
1999 Crvena zvezda
1999–2004 Sacramento Kings
2004–2005 Los Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA All-Star (2001)
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team (1990)
  • No. 21 retired by Sacramento Kings
  • FIBA Korać Cup champion (1989)
  • Yugoslav League champion (1987)
  • Yugoslav Cup winner (1989)
  • Mister Europa Player of the Year (1989)
  • FIBA's 50 Greatest Players (1991)
  • FIBA All-Time EuroStars Team (2007)
  • 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008)
  • Olympic Order (2016)
Career NBA statistics
Points 13,398 (11.8 ppg)
Rebounds 9,326 (8.2 rpg)
Blocks 1,631 (1.4 bpg)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Yugoslavia
Summer Olympic Games
Silver 1988 Seoul Team
FIBA World Cup
Gold 1990 Argentina Team
Bronze 1986 Spain Team
FIBA Eurobasket
Gold 1989 Yugoslavia Team
Gold 1991 Italy Team
Bronze 1987 Greece Team
Universiade
Gold 1987 Zagreb Team
FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup
Gold 1987 Italy Under-19
European Championship for Cadets
Gold 1985 Bulgaria Under-16
Representing Federal Republic of Yugoslavia FR Yugoslavia
Summer Olympic Games
Silver 1996 Atlanta Team
FIBA World Cup
Gold 2002 Indianapolis Team
FIBA Eurobasket
Gold 1995 Greece Team
Bronze 1999 France Team

Vlade Divac (born February 3, 1968) is a Serbian basketball expert and former player. He was most recently a top leader for the Sacramento Kings in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Standing 7 feet 1 inch tall, Divac played as a center. He was special because he was great at passing the ball, which was unusual for someone his size. He was one of the first players from Europe to join the NBA in the late 1980s. He is also one of only seven players in NBA history to get over 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, and 1,500 blocks.

Divac was the first player not born or trained in the United States to play over 1,000 games in the NBA. He was added to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Beyond basketball, Divac is known for his kindness. He helps children in Serbia and Africa. In 2009, he became the President of the Serbian Olympic Committee.

Vlade Divac's Basketball Journey

Early Career in Yugoslavia

Divac started playing basketball in his hometown of Prijepolje. He began his professional career in Yugoslavia with the team Sloga from Kraljevo. He quickly became famous by scoring 27 points against a strong team, Crvena zvezda.

In 1986, Divac joined Partizan. With him and other talented players, Partizan won the Yugoslavian League title in the 1986-87 season.

Divac played basketball in a unique way for a center. Even though he was tall, he could move well and handle the ball. He could even act like a playmaker sometimes. He was known for his mid-range shots and funny moves on the court. He quickly became one of the best big players in Europe.

Joining the Los Angeles Lakers (1989–1996)

Divac playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1990.

In 1989, Divac was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA draft. He was one of the first European players to make a big impact in the league. He learned a lot from famous players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.

Even though he didn't speak English at first, he became popular with his teammates and fans. In his first season (1989–90), he was chosen for the NBA All-Rookie Team.

Divac was known for "flopping." This is when a player falls to the floor to make it look like the other team fouled them. Divac admitted he did this, especially when he felt the referees missed calls. However, when the NBA started penalizing flopping, he supported the new rules.

Playing for the Charlotte Hornets (1996–1998)

In 1996, Divac was traded to the Charlotte Hornets. He thought about retiring at first, but he ended up doing very well with the Hornets. He became close with his coach, Dave Cowens.

In 1997, Divac had an amazing game where he scored 18 points, got 9 rebounds, and blocked a career-high 12 shots. He helped the Hornets win a team record of 54 games that season.

Brief Return to Europe (1999)

During a break in the NBA season in 1999, Divac played two games for KK Crvena zvezda, a rival team of his former club Partizan. His time there was short but memorable.

Success with the Sacramento Kings (1999–2004)

In 1999, Divac signed with the Sacramento Kings. He played there for six seasons with his countryman Peja Stojaković. With Divac, Stojaković, and other great players, the Kings became a very strong team.

They were one of the best teams in the league in the 2001-02 season. However, they often struggled against the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs.

Final Season with the Lakers (2004–2005)

After the 2003–04 season, Divac returned to the Los Angeles Lakers. But he had back problems and could not play much. He retired from basketball on July 14, 2005, after 16 years in the NBA.

The Kings honored Divac by retiring his No. 21 jersey in 2009. This means no other player on the Kings can wear that number.

Vlade Divac's National Team Career

Yugoslavia 1990 basketball
Divac (fourth from right, at centre) with the Yugoslavia team that won the EuroBasket 1989.

In 1986, at just 18 years old, Divac joined the senior Yugoslavia national basketball team. The next year, he helped his team win gold at the 1987 FIBA Junior World Championship. This team was full of young stars and is considered one of the best in history.

Before Yugoslavia split up, Divac's team also won gold medals at the EuroBasket in 1989 and 1991, and the FIBA World Championship in 1990.

In 1990, after winning the FIBA World Championship, a fan waved a Croatian flag. Divac took the flag, saying it was a win for Yugoslavia. This act became a big deal during a time when Yugoslavia was facing conflict. Divac later said he would have done the same if it had been a Serbian flag.

This event, along with the wars, caused problems between Divac and some of his Croatian friends, including Dražen Petrović. In 2002, Divac was part of the team that won the FIBA World Cup again.

NBA Career Statistics

Vlade Divac by Djuradj Vujcic
Divac is one of seven players in NBA history to record 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, and 1,500 blocked shots.
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 Performance

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1989–90 LA Lakers 82 5 19.6 .499 .000 .708 6.2 .9 1.0 1.4 8.5
1990–91 LA Lakers 82 81 28.2 .565 .357 .703 8.1 1.1 1.3 1.5 11.2
1991–92 LA Lakers 36 18 27.2 .495 .263 .768 6.9 1.7 1.5 1.0 11.3
1992–93 LA Lakers 82 69 30.8 .485 .280 .689 8.9 2.8 1.6 1.7 12.8
1993–94 LA Lakers 79 73 34.0 .506 .191 .686 10.8 3.9 1.2 1.4 14.2
1994–95 LA Lakers 80 80 35.1 .507 .185 .777 10.4 4.1 1.4 2.2 16.0
1995–96 LA Lakers 79 79 31.3 .513 .167 .641 8.6 3.3 1.0 1.7 12.9
1996–97 Charlotte 81 80 35.1 .494 .234 .683 9.0 3.7 1.3 2.2 12.6
1997–98 Charlotte 64 41 28.2 .498 .214 .691 8.1 2.7 1.3 1.5 10.4
1998–99 Sacramento 50* 50* 35.2 .470 .256 .702 10.0 4.3 .9 1.0 14.3
1999–00 Sacramento 82 81 29.0 .503 .269 .691 8.0 3.0 1.3 1.3 12.3
2000–01 Sacramento 81 81 29.9 .482 .286 .691 8.3 2.9 1.1 1.1 12.0
2001–02 Sacramento 80 80 30.3 .472 .231 .615 8.4 3.7 1.0 1.2 11.1
2002–03 Sacramento 80 80 29.8 .466 .240 .713 7.2 3.4 1.0 1.3 9.9
2003–04 Sacramento 81 81 28.6 .470 .154 .654 5.7 5.3 .7 .1 9.9
2004–05 LA Lakers 15 0 8.7 .419 .000 .667 2.1 1.3 .3 .1 2.3
Career 1134 979 29.8 .495 .235 .692 8.2 3.1 1.1 1.4 11.8
All-Star 1 0 9.0 .667 .000 6.0 1.0 2.0 .0 8.0

Playoff Performance

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1990 LA Lakers 9 1 19.4 .727 .500 .895 5.3 1.1 0.9 1.7 9.1
1991 LA Lakers 19 19 32.1 .564 .167 .803 6.7 1.1 1.4 2.2 13.3
1992 LA Lakers 4 4 35.8 .349 .000 .900 5.5 3.8 1.3 0.8 9.8
1993 LA Lakers 5 5 33.4 .500 .444 .545 9.4 5.6 1.2 2.4 18.0
1995 LA Lakers 10 10 38.8 .467 .222 .645 8.5 3.1 0.8 1.3 15.6
1996 LA Lakers 4 4 28.8 .429 .200 .625 7.5 2.0 0.0 1.3 9.0
1997 Charlotte 3 3 38.7 .457 .000 .800 8.7 3.3 1.0 2.0 18.0
1998 Charlotte 9 9 38.5 .483 .000 .606 10.9 3.4 0.8 1.6 11.6
1999 Sacramento 5 5 39.6 .446 .200 .833 10.0 4.6 1.6 0.8 16.2
2000 Sacramento 5 5 32.0 .357 .000 .696 7.2 2.8 1.4 0.8 11.2
2001 Sacramento 8 8 28.1 .350 .333 .763 8.4 2.4 1.0 1.5 10.8
2002 Sacramento 16 16 33.4 .464 .268 .755 9.3 1.7 1.1 1.3 13.5
2003 Sacramento 12 12 26.4 .560 .000 .673 5.8 2.3 0.7 0.9 11.4
2004 Sacramento 12 12 19.6 .437 .000 .739 4.9 1.8 0.3 0.4 6.6
Career 121 113 30.8 .480 .241 .731 7.5 2.4 1.0 1.4 12.1

Major Career Achievements

With KK Partizan

  • Won the Yugoslav League Championship in 1987.
  • Finished 3rd in the 1988 EuroLeague Final Four in 1988.
  • Won the Yugoslav Cup in 1989.
  • Won the Korać Cup in 1989.

With the Yugoslavian National Team

  • Won a gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-18 team at the 1985 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship.
  • Won a gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-21 team at the 1986 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.
  • Won a gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-21 team at the 1987 FIBA Under-19 World Cup.
  • Earned silver medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics.
  • Won gold medals at the 1990 FIBA World Championship and the 2002 FIBA World Championship.
  • Won gold medals at EuroBasket in 1989, 1991, and 1995.

In the NBA

  • Named to the 1989–90 NBA All-Rookie First Team.
  • Played in the 1991 NBA Finals.
  • Ranks 4th in Lakers history for blocked shots.
  • Named an NBA All-Star in 2001.
  • Is one of only five European players to play at least 1,000 NBA games.
  • Is one of only five European players to have his jersey number retired by an NBA team.

Administrative Roles

Leading KK Partizan

In 2000, Divac became the president of his former club, KK Partizan. He worked with former teammate Predrag Danilović to lead the team. They brought back their old coach, Duško Vujošević. Divac later stepped down in 2004.

Working for the Los Angeles Lakers

In 2005, after retiring as a player, Divac was hired as the Lakers' European scout. He helped the team find new talent from overseas. He left this role in 2006.

At Real Madrid Basketball Club

In 2006, Divac joined Real Madrid basketball club. His role was mainly symbolic, helping with the club's image. He left the position in 2007.

President of the Olympic Committee of Serbia

In February 2009, Divac was elected President of the Olympic Committee of Serbia. He was re-elected in 2012. He finished his second term in 2017.

With the Sacramento Kings Front Office

In March 2015, Divac joined the Sacramento Kings as their vice president of basketball operations. He advised the team's leaders and coaches. He quickly became seen as the top basketball official for the team.

In June 2015, the general manager left the Kings, and Divac took on more responsibility. He worked to improve the team and manage relationships between players and coaches.

Becoming General Manager

Divac was promoted to the Kings' general manager on August 31, 2015. He made important decisions about players and coaches. In 2016, he hired Dave Joerger as the new head coach.

Divac continued to work on building the team through drafts. In the 2018 NBA draft, the Kings picked Marvin Bagley III. The team showed improvement in the 2018–19 season.

The 2019–20 NBA season was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kings did not make the playoffs, marking their 14th season without a playoff appearance. Divac stepped down as general manager on August 14, 2020.

Humanitarian Work

Vlade Divac
Vlade Divac (rear, center) alongside Crown Prince Alexander II in 2005, at an event for World Heart Day

Vlade Divac is a dedicated humanitarian. He helps children around the world and refugees in his home country of Serbia. He co-founded a charity called "Divac's Children Foundation." This foundation has provided over $2.5 million in aid.

In 2000, the NBA gave Divac the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. This award honors a person who shows great service to the community.

In 2007, Divac started another charity called "You Can Too." Its goal is to fix up empty homes in villages in Serbia and Africa. This helps provide shelter for homeless refugees.

Personal Life

Vlade Divac is married to Snežana. They have two sons, Luka and Matija, and an adopted daughter named Petra. Petra's biological parents were killed during a conflict. Divac speaks Serbian, Russian, and English. He also has American citizenship.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Vlade Divac para niños

  • List of NBA career blocks leaders
  • List of NBA career personal fouls leaders
  • List of NBA single-game blocks leaders
  • List of Serbian NBA players
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